Peru: Racism at the Beach
They say that to work is no offence, that there is no job that one should be ashamed of. It sounds logical, but not everyone seems to think that way. Many Peruvians, some think too many, leave their motherland to look for a better job opportunity abroad, where they often end up working jobs that not even in their worse nightmares had they done here. Perhaps the fact that no one they know is witness to their suffering lessens the embarrassment and loss of self-esteem that comes from working a job below someone's abilities. But it is not necessary to leave the country to work in discriminatory and marginalized conditions.
In Lima and the nearby beach resorts it is summer. Many years ago, up until the Sixties, the fashionable beaches were those of Miraflores, Barranco and Chorrillos as well as the more distant beaches of Ancón. Today, for what has already been a good number of summers, the hotspot beaches are to the south. Among the great many beaches along the coast to the south of the capital, the favorite of wealthy Limeans is called “Asia,” and is often pronounced in English by those who spend their summers there. This resort has been made famous for offering the very best to its exclusive clientele. In fact, the beach has transformed into a small city with all the offerings of modernity and globalization, out of sight from the town that also used to spend the summer there.
But recently, Asia has also become well-known for its discriminatory and marginalizing treatment towards the “domestic employees” or “household employees” as they are generally called among the families who employ them. These workers, for example, are effectively prohibited from entering the beach during the day. Only after 6 p.m. are they allowed to enter these areas. Obviously many consider this unjust and that it boils down to an undeniable issue of racism.
Therefore, The Office Against Racism of the National Coordinator of Human rights, composed of diverse institutions and individuals, have formed a weblog to publicize an operation called “Audacious Employee” in which a group of people dressed like maids peacefully enter one of the off-limit beaches during the day and bathe in them. More information is available in this post: Questions and answers about Operation Audacious Employee. The mentioned operation successfully took place last Sunday, complete with videos and photos. There was also repercussion from the operation in the press.
As it could not be any other way, several bloggers echoed the subject and posted about the operation both before and after it happened:
La Perra de mi Vecina… ladra mucho – Operativo “Empleada Audaz”
Diseño Perú – Cartel a propósito del operativo “Empleada Audaz”
Zonadenoticias – Un operativo audaz
Luna antagonica: Entre cables, sueños, cemento y piel – Operativo empleada audaz contra gamonalismo reload Versión 2007 3.14
Peruanista – Video: Trabajadora del Hogar
Pospost – “Empleada audaz” cambió rostro a playas de Asia y Una observación fraterna sobre el tema de Asia
El blog del morsa – empleada audaz. historia tras bambalinas
El Sitio de Kinua – Kinua's Site – Video: Operativo Empleada audaz
Des-ubicadas – Empleada Audaz fue un exito!!!
Mi otro blog – Empleada Audaz
Desde el Tercer Piso – Empleada audaz
El Útero de Marita – Vídeo del Operativo Empleada Audaz
Pueblo Vruto – Operativo PATRÓN AUDAZ
Gran Combo Club – Derecha vruta
But this is not the only protest that has occurred recently in Lima. Another took place in Lima's Plaza de Armas against the president's plan to restore capital punishment for certain crimes. Posts about the protest include: “Only Death can enter the [Presidential] Palace? [ES]“, “Only Death could enter the Palace [ES]” and “Protest against Death: Latest Reflections [ES].” Regarding bloggers and other details, Gran Combo Club posted “Successful Protest in the Plaza de Armas” and “Successful Protest in the Plaza de Armas (2).”
Well, as you can see, the year seems to have begun with a lot of citizens here in Lima organizing protests using online resources here in Lima. Gabriel Rodriguez of Peru Design, is the photographer of the image that accompanies this post.
Translated from Spanish by David Sasaki
33 comments
Talking about racism, frankly, Jurgen comment sounds to me quite racist….
As a peruvian I was lucky enough to have had maids in my family since I was born. Now, with that said, having a person working for you does not mean you should discriminate against them. Each of them were and still are part of our family. When we go back to Lima we always bring them presents, they ate with us and enjoyed absolutely every activity as one of us. I remember a crazy neighbor I had that came to me and very concerned she told me: “I looked at your window today and I saw Josefa (the name of one of them) sitting in your sofa this afternoon” my response of course was: “so…” I still cant believe she actually said that. While some peruvians are still as racist as when back when most of us in my opinion respect the human race as a whole and are able to see past stereotypes. I am blessed to have had people working in my house that came from different backgrounds than mine and I learned a lot from them. And I know that they were lucky to work with us because they love each one of us as their family as well.
Dear Global Voices.
Im living in Lima (I´m german) and went just for curiosity and work a long work the last week to the Asia beach. For people of Lima the beach time is more or less over, therefore it was not crowed. I was wondering if the prohibition still exists and in general who make this “law”. Its a public beach. All Asian people just decidied to forbit the household employers to swim? How is this working?
anyways, just to point out that discrimination against maids tagged as racism is a bit confusing…are maids a race? or you’re just assuming all the maids are indigenous people? (which would indeed be racist)
The beach is public but the houses and the area that sorrounds them are private. It is not a law but the contracts the owners have to sign to get a house there state that maids HAVE to wear uniforms and cannot swim on the beach.
Well, is there any actual race? Race doesn’t exist, it is a social construction. Most maids come from indigenous backgrounds. This doesn’t mean that their employers would be “whiter” than them. Race is contextual in some cases because it involves more than just the color of the skin but the culture, class and origin of the person whose being discriminated. Very complicated. But the maid issue in Peru involves race, ethnicity, class, education and gender.
Does anyone know if protests against the “No Maids” policy are being held in Asia or on other beaches this year?
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As far as the racism in Lima: It is appalling. And, yes, the labor in Peru is divided on racial lines. Rich white householders, on one hand, and poor indigenous maids on the other. Not allowing maids to swim on the beach is deplorable.
Dude there is not such thing as racism in south America… The only ones that have that shit is the United states, i don’t know bout Canada. In Latin America we don’t care about that kind of stuff…