I was on a bus going to the city of Lima from my neighborhood, when a street performer got on the bus to sing and entertain us, he mentioned that it was Lima’s birthday and played a song for her. He is one of the many Peruvians who figure out a way to make a living using their talents. The minimum wage in Peru is S/. 30 soles (9 dollars) a day. This wage does not cover even the basic needs. But companies in Peru get away paying this much. This minimum wage gives business the opportunity to make as much possible exploiting the Peruvian people.
Listening to this artist giving tribute to the beautiful city of Lima, I could not help but think of the El Libertador (The Liberator) series on Netflix, I recently finished watching. This series it’s about Simon Bolivar and the Latin American struggles to became independent from Spain. The film brings light that even though we won and kick out the king and his supporters out of Peru, the capitalist system the colonialist set up was already well implemented and working very well for the elite. This capitalism system of oppression continues to exist to the present day.
I used to like the song and used to be so proud of Lima’s slogan. Growing up and not knowing our real history was detrimental to native people. Our history was taught by the oppressor and the native people were always referred to as naïve, ignorant and with no contributions to the world. When, in fact, the native people of the Peru have contributed so many great things. Among them are the potatoes and 50% of the crops we know today came from Peru.
When El Libertador and the people come to Peru to liberate it from Spain, they arrived in Lima. They found out that people from Lima were too afraid to join the resistance and when they did was to betray and protect the system in place. As I watched the El Libertador episodes, it clicked why Lima was named the City of Kings and Queens. Lima was ruled by the King under the Roman Catholic Church. It explained why Peru was and still is a right-wing country. Peruvians are still afraid to rebel.
Coming back to Lima from the Quero’s village in the Andes (a trip I recently took and will write more about later), my nervous system was shocked. I become stressed almost instantly. The traffic, loud horns sounds, desperate people including children trying to sell you something, hungry and thirsty street animals looking at you for help. Lima the City of the Kings for the rich.
Lima está de fiesta
Lima is celebrating
Lima is partying,
the Creole song dresses up,
The beautiful Lima
They make their beauty and grace unparalleled.
The guitar strings trinate,
Creole hearts vibrate
to the happy sounds of the popular song.
This is my Creole Lima,
cheerful and revelry,
the earth three times crowned,
where the sailor was born
that with cajon drawer and peal
in the Rímac neighborhoods,
in the yesteryear they gave it color
Montes and Manrique
Creole parents.
Lima está de fiesta
Lima está de fiesta,
la canción criolla se viste de gala,
las guapas limeñas
hacen su belleza y gracia sin par.
Las cuerdas de la guitarra trinan,
los criollos corazones vibran
a los alegres sones de la canción popular.
Así es mi Lima criolla,
alegre y jaranera,
la tierra tres veces coronada,
donde nació la marinera
que con cajón y repique
en los barrios del Rímac,
antaño le dieron colorido
Montes y Manrique
padres del criollismo.