Monday, November 26, 2007

9. Parade and holiday football in the Amazon: July 2006

Jenaro Herrera - July 28, 2006

Like most nations that gained their independence following colonial rule, Peru celebrates the anniversary of its liberation as an official holiday in every corner of country – even small towns in the Amazon. After some light work in the morning, Marissa and I walked into town to take in the festivities.

The highlight of the day in Jenaro Herrera was the parade. It was amazing that any people were available to watch the marchers because it included so many segments of local society. All marchers passing through the center of town were accompanied by the requisite beat of snare drums and blare of horns. The first group was small children. There were small contingents of nurses, fantasy characters including Zorro (perhaps because his character symbolized resistance to harsh Spanish rule), and kids wearing their school uniforms. While such events are intended to boost a community’s patriotic pride, I was surprised that infusion of military spirit began so young; some parading boys and girls who seemed to be 4 – 7 years were wearing camo outfits and carrying replicas of machine guns and rifles. Peru is now at peace, but these sights were a reminder that it hasn’t been so long since its soldiers were fighting Shining Path Maoist guerillas in other parts of the jungle. Another source of military tension is part of the border separating the country from Ecuador. According to Ecuador, the matter is still not fully settled, but Peru’s forces secured the current position in its favor some years ago.

Older children dressed in their smart school uniforms marched by next. A stern high-school age girl wearing a maroon baret led one group by sharply moving her thin baton in time to her group’s precise high steps. Another girl wearing a colorful sash and old-style hat led another group as she smiled and waved at the crowd. After her group passed, Marissa’s friend Diana who works with the IIAP cook Susanna joined us to watch the rest of the parade.

The final marchers were adults representing many groups of workers – teachers, town government workers, staff people from the IIAP research station, the few soldiers and two policemen who provide security and law enforcement in the town, and personnel from the government health clinic. Since Marissa had been interested in doing some volunteer work in the clinic, we took this opportunity to introduce ourselves. One friendly nurse thought she would be very welcome and encouraged us to come by after the holiday to meet their head nurse.

After the parade, Marissa and I followed our noses into the inner courtyard of the elementary school holding a fundraiser lunch. For 6 soles (about $1.90), we got a big plate of barbeque chicken, side dishes of potatoes and salad and a large drink. Although we had found simple restaurants in town that served complete lunches for as little as 3 soles, the fresh meal that reminded us of 4th of July picnic fair in the U.S. still seemed like a good bargain. Our hosts very much appreciated our presence, perhaps especially so since there weren’t many other customers. Incomes in these areas are so low that people don’t eat out much – or each much at all that they don’t grow, pick, catch, or kill themselves.

In the afternoon, there was a mass exodus of people from the center of town. We joined the throng and made our way to the largest field to watch a couple of soccer games. The teams included young men from Jenaro Herrera and a visiting group from another town farther up the Ucayali River. Given the lack of roads in this region, the visitors had arrived by one of the daily boats carrying people and cargo from Requena down to Iquitos. They were all sturdy players since the field was nothing but dirt. A sliding tackle meant risking bruising the side of one’s leg or thigh in a cluster of pebbles. My biggest risk was eating a local fruit popsicle from a vendor passing through the bleachers. While I am a fan of my hometown football team (the Penn State Nittany Lions), I much appreciated the simplicity of rooting for the boys of Jenaro Herrera playing the sport that everyone outside the US calls football without having to pay a high priced admission or go to a sports bar.

No comments: