By Chief Lay and Comrade Dante
This is the second part of an interview with our comrade from the Massachusetts and Connecticut chapter of Black Hammer. You can find the first part of the interview here.
What kinds of resistance movements existed in Peru?
Looking back, there is a history of Indigenous uprisings like Tupac Amaru.
He was a mestizo person raised in a wealthy family of European descent in the 1500s. Being taught to be European he married another mixed woman who radicalized him.
Unfortunately, the uprising was among Indigenous people. This also had issues because it didn’t include more people from the African diaspora. But his uprising was a symbol of Indigenous uprisings.
So there are other groups who had been inspired to fight for Indigenous rights because of him. As well as to more recent ones like Abimael Guzman. The Shining Path, a Maoist revolutionary group led by Guzman.
I’ve encountered a lot of mixed opinions with some people saying they are just a terrorist group, with others saying they were pushing for a road to liberation.
It had started in the academy and with a student group. They had built up bases in large areas of Peru, about half. Due to the attitude of the Shining Path, they often were Black and white with their allies.
The Peruvian military did most of the violence by questioning Indigenous people who could be considered members. With the u.s. Sending in CIA operatives in order to help the Peruvian military massacred groups of Indigenous people in the hopes of decimating resistance. This really hurt the movement’s ability to win and caused the civil war to fizzle out.
Between Amaru and Guzman, those revolutionaries have had different ways of approaching revolution.
Neocolonialism, exploitation in Peru
Overall, neocolonialism has really hurt Peru very hard. There is a huge issue of mining, extraction of natural resources, and the destruction of the land. Though the economy was doing better, even with inflation under Fujimori, the land is becoming more and more unusable.
So this creates short term goals of growth without long term vision. Selling out for those profits will ruin any long term sustainable growth.
Many of the companies doing the extraction are european or settler-owned like a mining company in Australia. Peru is a very clear example of neocolonialism where the land is abused for the sake of profits.
Lots of the work needed to get this work done are rural people. The need to provide for their families with resources leads to so much work in various industries. There are also many Venezuelans coming into Peru, due to the sanctions. Immigrants from Asia were very common during the world war II era.
While the Incan empire wasn’t a moral empire, they weren’t trying to commit genocide against the people and trying to include them into a large economic structure. The western empires had none of the economic distribution of resources back to the parts which were annexed. The Incan empire sent many goods to all parts of the nation.
Leaving for Amerikkka, the heart of the empire
My mother moved from Peru, she was less than ten and came over. She came because of the imperial core of wealth.
First, it was my mom and sisters and they moved to Connecticut. At the time they moved during the late sixties, which led up to the economic crisis that came in the 70-80’s.
Being able to go back to Peru to visit my family every couple of years to create a large interest in Peru. I was able to study in Peru which was great.
When I had started studying and learning about the revolutionary history in Peru with the Shining Path made me ecstatic. It also inspired me to join revolutionary organizations.
Black Hammer is the first organization that got me into organizing. After seeing the time for action is now and reading can be found during organizing.
Reconnecting to the homeland
I think the main thing that brings me back to Peru, and the land of Peru, is the appreciation of the land itself.
As a human it is our duty to live with the land and for the land to lean back onto me. I was raised catholic and fell out of it. Since then I’ve been getting more spiritual, especially with the earth.
The food of Peru also connects me very deeply. I want to make ceviche, I can make average empanadas, and chifa. Chifa is fried rice, chicken, and aji sauce. Very inspired by the Asian diaspora in Peru.
We use the knowledge of Indigenous people to grow food. Stuff that works with the land, that is sustainable. We really are being thorough with our plans.
I want the Peruvian diaspora to realize why we might be living in amerikkka. We are here because of imperialism and colonialism! Our common duty is to serve the people of our nation and all colonized nations.
We must unite all colonized people of South America to get our land back and build our own nations again!
Join Black Hammer!
Black Hammer Organization is uniting with all colonized people to build self-determination and end white power’s domination of the world! The Massachusetts/Connecticut chapter of Black Hammer is doing outreach in our neighborhoods, giving out PPE, and organizing people around real solutions.
You can donate to cashapp at $BlackHammerNorth
We believe in the masses’ ability to rise up and take back the land that was stolen!
This is why we are organizing people to help BuildHammerCity! We’re welcoming feedback from the Indigenous Land Liberators on the constitution of Hammer City.
Hammer city is a place with no cops, no rent, and no coronavirus!
This city will be the first of many around the world!
Black Power!
Land Back!
