Shortly after arriving in Chiclayo, Peru I was walking on
Balta Ave and came upon some sort of ceremony. Street ceremonies are common in
Peru. There was a stage with officious looking people on it, and a military
band was playing officious sounding music. There was room on the opposite
sidewalk to walk past so not knowing what was happening I continued on. A
policeman stopped me; pointed to the stage and the crowd of people standing and
singing with their hands over their hearts and indicated that I should do the
same. I complied, and when the music stopped continued on my way. I was a little
miffed about that policeman ‘forcing’ me to take part in something I didn’t
understand, though if I had known the music was the national anthem I would
have stopped out of respect.
The Peruvian national anthem is ubiquitous. It will be
heard at the opening of a new park, street, store, school and school
activities, sporting events and just about anything else you can think of. And
what is interesting is to watch the faces of people during the playing of the
anthem. They are not just going through the motions. They are very animated and
their faces reflect a fierce pride as they sing. Sure, there are some whose
attention is elsewhere but they're a tiny minority. Peruvians, like citizens
across the world complain about their governments. Political protests, sometimes
violent are part of the culture but there is no doubt about their allegiance to
their country. I admire that feeling and demonstration of pride and loyalty.
The headlines today in the United States are all about President
Trump’s comments respecting the national anthem, and various people’s/group’s
reaction to those comments. There are 14 National Football League games scheduled
today. There will be a significant number of players and others who plan to
protest the anthem by sitting or other means. The media will have a feast detailing
who did what. I’ll be watching as many games as I can today, but not the
pre-game ceremonies.
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