Just about to reach the border, the bus staff told us that
due to the strike that had started there, we might not reach our destination.
However, I managed to get to Quito and, there, an unexpected blow of reality
changed my perception of the continent and its people.
In Ecuador, a decree that multiplied the cost of fuel had
recently been approved and, therefore, the cost of living had doubled. A friend
told me that, for example, his father - who works in the distribution of food in
the city - used an estimated $10 to cover a full day's work; as a result of
that decree, he now invested about $26 per day.
In the following days, the struggle worsened with the
insertion of indigenous organizations and the deployment of state forces
throughout the country.
Within the universities - to my great and pleasant surprise
- aid brigades were organized for the comrades who day by day defended the
sovereignty of their people.
It would be not only commendable but also necessary that,
in Peru, the great centres of studies became a benchmark for change in similar
times, which in my homeland are not lacking. Because it is very good to promote
research and cultivation of the intellect, but this work must always be
accompanied by activities for solidarity and social good. Problems in our
continent are never lacking, so we cannot be indifferent to situations like
this, especially if they are directly or indirectly the engine of our knowledge
development. Stop living in a bubble and start feeling reality, getting off the
absurd pedestals imposed by society.
Rumi Mires, October 2019
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