Fiestas Patrias 2013

Fiestas Patrias is the Peruvian Independence Day. It is a celebration much like 4^th of July in the US of A. This year’s celebration is much like last year – much visiting of relatives, drinking and exploding rockets. And yet, it is remarkably different.

To start with, the weather has been miserable here this winter – cold and misty, with not an hour of clear skies in the last month. Perhaps this has caused the second problem, which is an outbreak of the H1N1 flu virus in the Lima region. The health ministry has ordered cancellation of all parades, which last year were a big part of the celebration day.

The drinking circles have been driven indoors, so walking the streets does not require my artful dodging of this dreaded “cultural” institution. The Plaza is not crowded with residents and vendors, like last year. Still, the nightly concerts and noise-making will continue until Sunday. And the drunks will be supporting each other as they meander home down the streets in the morning.

In Lima, there have been huge protests and police violence. Police in Lima don’t mess around – they attend any protest with dogs, horses, riot police , machine guns and tanks. President Humala, like Obama, was once the darling of the voters, but has failed to live up to his promise and potential. The enormous economic gains (8% this year) have benefited only the very few , and the people are not happy that their interests have been largely ignored. Sound familiar ? The super-rich are doing better than ever, while the common man is left in poverty. Trickle Down is just as much a lie here as it is in the US.