When
you think about communist propaganda, you might think of Stalin glaring down at you
from a wall, happy workers singing in strangely clean factories and well-thumbed copies of
Mao's little red book.
But
it's the twenty-first century, and even commies must keep up with the times. A
dissident faction of Peru's Shining Path -- VRAE -- is now making
its case online, with a website and You Tube uploads of revolutionarily
inspiring songs.
The songs performed by a VRAE leader in the Andean musical style of Huayño assure the listener that:
Imperialism will be defeated/socialism will flower the world/ imperialism,
mainly genocidal Yankees, sucks the blood of the millions of poor around the
world/to combat them, to defeat them, is our task/to annihilate them with our
forces is our obligation."
But, the political analysis on their website is even better. They tear apart the jailed Shining Path leader Abimael Guzman, labeling him a "revisionist" and a terrorist, and criticize governments such as Nepal, Hamas and Bolivia for practicing pseudo-socialism.
The tract reads like a blast from the past, as if the Amazon fosters active denial of lost battles (many Japanese immigrants in Brazil famously denied their emperor's defeat for nearly a decade). In a shout out to Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, they call him the natural leader of socialism, upon whom it is incumbent to lead the armed fight against Yankee imperialism. They urge unity in this:
We must put to one side the narrow nationalism which is very noxious and damaging ... [and which is] parasitically fomented by Yankee imperialism and its lackeys."
Extra points for their genious use of the word lackey together with Yankee imperialism-- when's the last time you heard that one?
While it's all song and talk -- and assurances of democratic intentions -- on the internet, Peruvian authorities are somewhat
concerned about the possibility of the narco-terrorist group recruiting more followers. Leaders from the main Shining Path group, which put down arms a decade ago, are contemplating running for office in upcoming Peruvian elections.
Heh. If they want to do more left-nationalist economic policies, they're welcome to it. They'll come crawling back in two decades anyways after they wrack up massive debt and cripple anything other than the natural resource sector.
VRAE is actually an acronym used by the police and the military to describe the area were narcoterrorism is more widespead in Peru and not the faction's name. It comes from "Valle de los Ríos Apurimac y Ene" (Apurimac and Ene Rivers Valley).
To be honest nobody takes Shining Path as a serious political contender here though. More worrisome is the risk of former terrorists infiltrating other parties like the Peruvian Nationalist Party (http://www.rpp.com.pe/2009-11-01-elsa-malpartida-aclara-que-fue-obligada-a-integrar-sendero-luminoso-noticia_219484.html) and the creation of new parties that garner support among younger people (who didn't live through the terrorism years) for the terrorist's crazy ideals http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Es4e_b5UiC4. People would just not feel comfortable voting for an organization with the actual name "Sendero Luminoso" written on the ballot.
Thankfully though radical ideologies are so far quite behind in the polls. Currently, Humala ranks fourth after Castañeda, Fujimori and Toledo.
Passport, FP’s flagship blog, brings you news and hidden angles on the biggest stories of the day, as well as insights and under-the-radar gems from around the world.
Read More
(4)
HIDE COMMENTS LOGIN OR REGISTER REPORT ABUSE