National Story
by Jorge Vargas
The Republic of Peru is a product of a history that stretches back as far as the Egyptian pyramids. That grand Republic is the daughter of the violent mixture of two of the world's largest empires: those of the Spanish kings and of the Quechuan Incas (Hollywood has already desecrated this empire with its embarrassing The Emperor's New Groove that figures an Emperor Cusco - name of a city, not an emperor - who gets turned into a llama). The mixture was followed by a vicious and abusive colonial torment imposed by Spain, which was broken by foreign liberators - Venezuelans and Argentines, mostly - who instituted a centenary period of instability, dictatorships, and war amongst brothers.
But in that history, from the earliest pre-Inca pyramids until today's post-terrorism Republic, there are moments and individuals to make one proud: San Martin de Porres, the humble Saint who swept the floors of the cathedrals and could speak with animals; Don José de San Martin, who liberated Peru from the Spanish regime; Admiral Miguel Grau, from the 1879-1883 War of the Pacific; President Fernando Belaunde Terry, who ushered Peru back into democracy after a 12 year socialist military dictatorship in 1980; et cetera.
And there were heroic moments as well: July 28, 1821, when José de San Martín proclaimed the Peruvian Republic; May 2, 1866, when the decimated Peruvian military, with substantial help from civilians, fought off the most significant, and final, Spanish attempt to regain one of its former (and richest) colonial possessions; June 7, 1880, when machete-wielding Chilean soldiers hacked to death 900 Peruvian soldiers — who in turn also killed 497 Chileans — in the Battle of Arica, the loss of which left Peru open to the eventually successful Chilean invasion of Peru, which led to Chilean occupation until 1929; July, 1941, when Peru's military quickly overwhelmed and threatened to deal a death blow to Ecuador, which had unfairly invaded Peru, proved the efficiency of Peru's military force; May 17, 1980, the day that marked the return of democracy to Peru when elections were held for the first time since 1965; September 12, 1992, when Peruvian police forces captured Peru's terrorist leader and brought peace to the Republic; July 28, 2000, when Peruvian liberals launched a vicious protest against the dictatorship of Alberto Fujimori, who is now in prison; et cetera.
Of course, our children will only learn of these events in their history classes and perhaps, if they're lucky, from their parents. But on television, in the movie theaters and on the radio, they will learn of the heroic events of others. The greatest achievement of the United States was not to inculcate a nation of 300,000,000 into believing that this is the greatest country on Earth — with mass media and the Internet that's actually easy — but to be able to launch out this tale of US power and grandeur across the world. How many films are there built upon the premise of US power? Or on the false premise of the US as the world's key defender of liberty? (Where was the US when our heroes fought for their liberty in 1821, in 1866, in 1880, in 1941, in 1980, in 1992 or in 2000?)
The myth of "America" as a liberal, liberalizing nation that serves as a force for good is certainly propelled forward with films such as Saving Private Ryan and The Patriot and so forth, but it is merely a myth. Of course, there is no blame here for the actors or for the film industry, or even for the US, a nation that is intelligent expanding its own interests (and let's face it, we Peruvians would do exactly the same if we could, though we would likely have more class, tact, and respect for others). The blame goes to Peru.
After all, we Peruvians — one should point out that every nation in the world is guilty of the following, but I know not their particular issues, and those countries are not my home country, so I will not speak of them or for them — are the ones who gladly invite this cultural hegemony without any strong desire to launch a film industry of their own. Now yes, Peru has several issues more pressing than a film industry, and the government needs to see to each issue accordingly, yet that excuses little.
The solidification of a national identity is key to the welfare of the Republic. After all, how can we solve our issues if half of Peru thinks itself American and the other half thinks itself European? How can we work together under those circumstances? After all, our children are watching fictional films showing this supposed US prowess and then they compare that fiction to Peru's reality, and they must wonder why there is a discrepancy. After all, they see images of a US suburban reality - and irreality -, and they must wonder why Peru does not have such a reality.
The classrooms can explain the differences, but our teachers are failing across the board. And of course, there are the parents, and the uncles and the grandparents, and we can luckily say that Peruvian families are doing well when it comes to raising children, but how much more burden can we place on the parents, and the uncles and the grandparents, of the Republic?
We need to raise our own Spielbergs; our Coppolas. We need our own Tolkiens; our Cervantes; a Peruvian Dickens. We need to start a Peruvian 21st Century Fox. We need major Peruvian publishing houses and music labels.
Storytellers create nations just as much as wars and treaties. Peru needs storytellers, or else we will become just another mimic of the United States, and that must be avoided at all costs, for the ethical, moral, societal, political and economic repercussions of such a move would be disastrous for those Peruvians who are in the greatest need.
