Read on Twitter
I see that among liberals in the US/Global North, there are misconceptions when depicting Antauro Humala, one of the political leaders of the coalition that recently ousted #Peru’s president, as an anti-colonial Indigenous leader. That’s a risky call. So, who is Antauro Humala?
Antauro is the brother of ex Peru president Ollanta Humala (they don’t get along). Antauro is in jail (long story). The important thing is that his rethoric is based on making Peru independent/anti-imperial. Sounds ‘cool’ but is more like a left-wing ‘Make America great again’.
Antauro is a populist: he said he would kill corrupt/sellout politicians. Many people in Peru are fed up with the system and would love to see that happens. He also said he would shoot at gay people. Well, not cool anymore right? For many Peruvians, can be a quite popular phrase.
For his narrative, Antauro uses iconic symbols of resistance in Peru: Tupac Amaru, Velasco Alvarado. Don’t fall for that: Trump also claims to be a fervent Christian, right? And just to be clear: Antauro is not an Indigenous leader, neither he has never claimed to be one.
To wrap it up: please make sure to do a careful research, avoid romanticization (this is not an action movie!), and listen to actual Indigenous groups (eg. Amazon’s AIDESEP) who are calling this situation in Peru a coup d’état. Thanks! ¡Gracias! Añay!
