Perera’s account of the planned ethnic extermination in Guatemala against Mayan communities weaves in accounts of notorious human rights abuses. The Guatemalan army wanted to wipe out the peasant support bases of the two leftist guerilla organizations most active in the highlands and bring four million Mayans under direct military control. This murderous regime was maintained by the C.I.A to lay to rest an artificially prolonged cold war. The Ixils, Perera maintains, have a history of rebellion against abusive employers and their government allies and to this day, this community continue to pay a steep price for the guerilla’s execution of their oppressors (p. 65).
Yet, there is also a trace of hope in Perera’s work: although the military's counter-insurgency strategy has caused acute dislocations in Mayan society, it has failed to destroy the fundamental Mayan identity. For instance, Ixil communities have largely maintained their traditional cultures. Further, the UN Verification Commission has issued a seven-point agreement that recognizes the identity of a majority of Mayans. This agreement promotes bilingual education and grants other cultural and religious safeguards to these indigenous communities (however, sticky issues remain however, such as the role of the army and the reintegration of guerillas into civilian life) (pp.361-362). Perera also states that a curtain of silence has fallen across Guatemala as the activities of human-rights groups have been subverted. For example, the rumors of gringas stealing children were fanned by government provocateurs, which impeded the work of foreign human rights investigators and diverted attention from government officials who reaped enormous profits from the illegal trafficking of children. Indeed, Perera emphasizes that the emergence of the indigenous Mayan population is a crucial force for political change in contemporary Guatemala (p.356).
Yet, there is also a trace of hope in Perera’s work: although the military's counter-insurgency strategy has caused acute dislocations in Mayan society, it has failed to destroy the fundamental Mayan identity. For instance, Ixil communities have largely maintained their traditional cultures. Further, the UN Verification Commission has issued a seven-point agreement that recognizes the identity of a majority of Mayans. This agreement promotes bilingual education and grants other cultural and religious safeguards to these indigenous communities (however, sticky issues remain however, such as the role of the army and the reintegration of guerillas into civilian life) (pp.361-362). Perera also states that a curtain of silence has fallen across Guatemala as the activities of human-rights groups have been subverted. For example, the rumors of gringas stealing children were fanned by government provocateurs, which impeded the work of foreign human rights investigators and diverted attention from government officials who reaped enormous profits from the illegal trafficking of children. Indeed, Perera emphasizes that the emergence of the indigenous Mayan population is a crucial force for political change in contemporary Guatemala (p.356).
No comments:
Post a Comment