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Caucasus: Armenian & Georgian Blogosphere Assessed

Onnik Krikorian · 11:57, June 13th, 2008 · Central Asia & Caucasus

Following last weekend's BarCamp in Tbilisi, one of the event's main organizers, Giga Paitchadze, briefly considers its success and provides a small glimpse into the Georgian blogosphere. Also known as DvOrsky [GE], the blogger claims to be the oldest in the country. Global Voices Online interviewed Paitchadze after the Caucasus BarCamp.

Caucasus BarCamp

Giga Paitchadze (center on right), Caucasus BarCamp, Tbilisi, Georgia

GV: How would you describe the blogging scene in Georgia?

GP: About 5 percent of all internet users in Georgia have blogs. With Internet penetration now at about 10 percent of the whole population, then that means about 10-15,000 bloggers. However, this figure would include both active and inactive bloggers, i.e. with one post only.

The main language is of course Georgian, and the second is Russian because many bloggers use LiveJournal and have a large audience there in terms of friends, people making comments, readers and visitors.

As there are no catalogues or any services where Georgian blogs are classified and where some statistics are available, I'll say that the most widely covered topics are politics, music, sport and other outdoor or lifestyle activities, tech news, IT and everything else.

Also there are many bloggers who just write about everyday life.

GV: How many people attended the BarCamp?

GP: About 150 people attended BarCamp Caucasus. Actually, we expected more than 200 since we had only 150 participants registered on our site and had also invited a lot of organizations, journalists and other bloggers. Unfortunately, however, the political and social situation on June 7th — the first session of the newly elected parliament and the oppositional rally against election results — was more in the focus of people.

Perhaps The PR campaign for our BarCamp needed more effort, but for next time we will learn from the lesson this time.

GV: How do you consider the BarCamp went? What were its successes?

GP: The success of every BarCamp is that people have the possibility to meet in real life, in an unofficial atmosphere, to share experiences, to make new contacts, and to create a network which can provide many other possibilities such as to start something like a new project etc.

In that sense, I think that BarCamp Caucasus achieved this goal. And I am positive about this since I have also read some reports and blog posts by those attending the BarCamp – for example, the meeting and some discussion held between Armenian and Azerbaijani participants. This is a small but important success.

On the other hand, not so many Georgians attended the event, but I think with some time and development of the Internet here, Georgian society will pay more attention to events like the BarCamp Caucasus.

GV: Although there was still very little interaction between Armenian, Azerbaijani and Georgian bloggers and new media professionals, do you think that BarCamps and blogs, and social networks could be useful tools in bringing the three countries closer together?

GP: I absolutely agree that events like BarCamps or similar can do a great job in cross-border cooperation and cultural dialogue. Finding similar and joint interests or working on joint projects can be more important than talking about our differences.

Indeed, Georgia is considered by many international organizations and bodies to be neutral ground in the South Caucasus and the only location where Armenian, Azerbaijani and Georgian participants can meet up in sufficient numbers for conferences and other events. This is especially the case given that its two South Caucasus neighbors remain locked in a protracted conflict over Nagorno Karabakh.

Caucasus BarCamp

Registration, Caucasus BarCamp, Tbilisi, Georgia

Editor of Internews Armenia's E-Channel [AM/EN], Gegham Vardanyan, tells Global Voices Online why he attended the Caucasus BarCamp.

GV: Why did you decide to come to BarCamp Caucasus?

GVardanyan: I came to meet my friend, bloggers from other countries and to discover what new processes and technologies are being used around the world. For example, Web 2.0 technologies are very interesting and I will try to do something with them in Armenia.

GV: Your presentation was on blogs and the role of the Internet during the recent post-election state of emergency in Armenia. Do you think that blogs and new Internet technologies are now important for countries such as Armenia to consider?

GVardanyan: Yes, this should be developed. Bloggers and site owners are now thinking about backups and how they can be used as backups during such situations [as the state of emergency] in order to protect their content and to continue their work. I think that if such a situation was to occur again in the future – although I hope that it doesn’t – they will be more organized and be able to present even more information to their readers.

Caucasus BarCamp

Gegham Vardanyan (center), Caucasus BarCamp, Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia

However, regardless of the role the Internet played, one Armenian participant was unhappy with Vardanian's presentation on blogs and new media during the recent presidential election in Armenia. The blogger in question considered the presentation more negative than positive for Armenia's image abroad.

Speaking in Yerevan this week, Media Diversity Institute Director and Global Voices Online Author Artur Papayan briefly addresses such concerns and also elaborates on the role of the Internet during the disputed vote and post-election unrest.

GV: How active is the local blogosphere in Armenia?

AP: There’s no way to accurately count the number as there are so many platforms as well as standalone blogs. Adding to the problem is that Google’s blog search doesn't really understand Armenian language posts and is very poor at detecting the Russian ones. However, the amount of active, i.e. at least one post per month, Armenian blogs on LiveJournal is more then 800 and my RSS reader has more than 60 Armenian language blogs with about the same number in English. Even so, I’d estimate the number of known blogs by Armenians at around 3,000 — including video blogs.

GV: How would you say the number of blogs was affected by the recent presidential election in Armenia and especially in the post-election state of emergency situation?

AP: The number of Armenian language blogs tripled and although there were very few new ones in other languages, several English language blogs became more active to a phenomenal extent. There were also at least 80 new Russian-language registrations in LiveJournal which was something like a 10 percent increase. Many of those blogs were “zombies” or anonymous blogs which were effectively set up for propaganda purposes, perhaps even with the support of the authorities, and made it onto my infamous ‘blacklist.'

However, there is again no sure way of measuring so all these figures should just be taken as my personal estimate and treated with some caution.

GV: It's been said that the Russian-language Armenian blogosphere mainly opposed the return of the first and former president to the political scene in time for the election. Blogs in other languages were more supportive. Do you agree with that assessment?

AP: Well, there was a poll carried out among LiveJournal users and other candidates such as Vazgen Manukyan and Vahan Hovhannisyan came out on top, followed by Levon Ter-Petrossian [first president] and Serzh Sargsyan [the new president]. However, it should be understood that LiveJournal works very much as a large single forum and its members influence each other greatly so it became not “cool” to support Sargsyan. Even so, Levon Ter-Petrossian supporters were few, but they were active.

Others who were very anti-Levon, neutral or pro-Serzh instead became pro-Vazgen or Pro-Vahan and started to see these two candidates as a counterbalance to Levon Ter-Petrossian. Hence the phrase “ anti-Levon” is not quite right. Instead I’d say many Russian-language bloggers became pro-alternative-candidates. That's what LiveJournal looked like, but after the violent clashes on 1 March most of those blogs [on LiveJournal] consolidated and became mostly anti-Levon.

GV: How would you assess the success of the Internet and blogs during the pre-election period and especially in the period following the disputed vote?

AP: During the pre-election period it was quite disappointing. Bloggers were very active, but they were not creative. Instead, they simply followed the same agenda set by the highly polarized mass media in Armenia. I don't think blogs made any difference in public discussions or substantially contributed to anything, but the post-election period was an entirely different story.

GV: Can it be considered a success?

AP: Yes, because blogs were the only alternative to the mass media, especially as independent and pro-opposition online media sites were blocked or censored. Blogs registered phenomenal numbers in terms of readers. My blog, for example, had about 2,500-3,500 page views per day and the blog of A1 Plus (a pro-opposition TV station taken off the air in 2002] had over 60,000. In terms of video blogging, the A1plus and E-channel YouTube channels also registered a huge number of viewers. E-Channel, for example, had over 30,000 viewers per day and I’m sure A1 Plus had triple that amount.

GV: Given that YouTube was blocked in Armenia for some part of the time, were most viewers from outside Armenia?

AP: More than 50 percent of A1 Plus YouTube viewers were from Armenia. Then came Russia and the U.S. However, for my own it was about 50 percent from U.S. followed by Russia, France, Germany and Spain and then Armenia. This could have been because A1 Plus were using titles and keywords in Armenian whereas I was using English, however. Actually, this was the strategy I advised A1 Plus to follow.

GV: So do you think that because of the situation with the broadcast media where all the TV stations are in some way linked to or controlled by the government that video blogging has more potential for success than traditional text blogging?

AP: Yes. Think video blogs and radio podcasts which will dominate the scene as soon as the situation with Internet connectivity improves and when 3G mobile services become available.

GV: There was some criticism of the presentation made on the election and post-election situation as it pertained to blogs which was made at the Caucasus BarCamp in Tbilisi. How would you respond to such criticism?

AP: While I greatly appreciate the sense of patriotism that such critics have, the reality is above all and we should understand that via blogs or not, the world is anyway watching.

GV: Of course, many of these blogs were also responsible for spreading a lot of misinformation.

AP: That is indeed so. However, when it comes to Gegham Vardanyan or myself, we tried really hard under great pressure to remain as objective as we could. Basically, I think that criticism is valid if there were mistakes and incorrect facts, but not if it concerns the general concept of the presentation itself.

GV: Is there anything you’d like to add about the future of blogging in Armenia?

AP: Yes. With increasing attention on the role blogs can play after the recent presidential election and state of emergency situation, I'm concerned about the future of blogging because everyone has started to realize that it has great potential. While such a situation should be welcomed it also means there is the danger that there will soon be attempts to influence that potential and to control it.

This could be from both the authorities and the international donor community which means that there is also the possibility that such control could destroy any real potential unless handled correctly and in consultation or genuine cooperation with those already working in this area.

Onnik Krikorian will be making a presentation on the role of blogs and the Internet on the democratic process as part of a panel, The Wired Electorate in Emerging Democracies, at the Global Voices Online Citizen Media Summit in Budapest, Hungary, on 27-28 June 2008.

An interview with Emin Huseynzade on the Azerbaijani blogosphere is here. Other Global Voices posts on blogging in Armenia during and after the 2008 presidential election are here and here.

Photos © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2008

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Walk like an Egyptian … Marry like an Egyptian

Marwa Rakha · 03:53 · Middle East & North Africa

lingua → es

Back in 2007, I came across the inspiring blog of a girl named Ghawayesh who says the she is “an Egyptian living in Europe but her heart stayed back home.” She explained to her visitors the meaning of Ghawayesh saying:

“Ghawayesh means bracelets. In my context it symbolizes the cuffs of my culture. I don't know if I like them or hate them.”

One particular post about Egyptian women getting married to foreign men caught my attention.

In her post about The Whores, Ghawayesh starts by saying:

“Times are changing and many ‘respected' families have come to accept the fact that their daughters can make their own choices of choosing to marry whoever they want, if they EVER CHOOSE to marry, which is also a new trend in Egypt.”

She then explains an interesting fact about the psyche of Egyptian males who falsely believe

“that they are superior to males of other nationalities. When an Egyptian male opts for a foreign wife, then he's a winner and a stud and God's gift to her and she should be so thankful for his eternal tantrums and malignant ego. And their children are the most beautiful in the whole wide extended family only because their mommy is Blondie and so they are!”

Ghawayesh points out how double standards apply to the reversed scenario:

“Once an Egyptian woman chooses for a foreign husband, then she's a whore and her family is low class and she has done it only because she failed to win the lottery of marrying a super Egyptian man, so the poor soul opted for a second best who sadly happens to love her and understand her and respect her and not lie to her and actually goes as far as flossing his teeth for her!”

The witty blogger takes her analysis to the next level and examines the religious/legal prerequisites. She notes:

“If a non-Muslim foreign man decides to marry a Muslim Egyptian woman, he will have to convert first. But converts will always be accused of being untrue or incomplete Muslims. Be it for matrimonial purposes or for otherwise, a convert is never good enough for the ‘true Arab Muslims.' Like Islam is a genetic trait or something. Only God knows that most of those born-Muslims are God's lowest rank hypocrites, and that God is the true judge for what's in our heart.”

Finally she moves on to advise non-Muslim men who wish to marry Muslim Egyptian women saying:

1- Marrying an Egyptian Muslim woman is not easy. You are aware that you are making a sacrifice and a commitment for life, aren't you? You have to understand what it means to convert before you do. I have sadly seen how several women and men who converted for their summer flings and later on ended up in an identity crisis and several conflicts about their children's affiliation. Let alone those stories/nightmares of kidnapping children and disappearing without a trace.

I don't know how strict your partner is, but you might have fights over your having an alcoholic drink or about the origins of a funny looking sandwich that could say oink if it was alive. You could get offended and take it personally that she doesn't want you to kiss her sometimes for you don't know that she has just washed and on the way to pray and is supposed to stay ‘unsullied' until she does her prayer. Those small misinterpretations can create lots of tension if you're not ready for them.

2- The financial issues are something typical of our culture. The real reason why families ask for lots of money and a house for the bride, is simply the fact that men can be untrustworthy ‘if taken only at face value,' and when they make financial commitments, they become more serious.

You can sit with her dad and explain to him what you have, and that you will be willing to offer her the best you can afford, and yes, everything in Egypt is negotiable, even this issue! And if they turn you down because you can't afford some bricks in Cairo where cockroaches will have a blast while you're gone most of the year, then save yourself the trouble and let them cry over their lost roaches.

3- You have the right to wonder about female circumcision. Statistics say that 97% of the Egyptian women are circumcised. I am an Egyptian woman who studied Medicine and do not know of any woman in my family who was, but did see many circumcised women while I was practicing medicine in Egypt. Circumcision comes with certain social classes and you have every right to know whether your future wife is circumcised or not and in what way this might have affected her psychology.

Unfortunately the same question applies to you! There is a misunderstanding that circumcision of males is an Islamic obligation, which is not. It is mandatory in Judaism and strongly recommended FOR MALES ONLY in Islam, but you won't go to hell if you kept some foreskin and kept it clean.

You have to be ready for such a personal question from your partner, or even her dad, and I think they would appreciate a serious answer about your extra skin situation!

4- Be ready for racist behavior in Egypt. Your wife will be insulted for marrying you. She will be called a prostitute and will be asked on which street corner of which resort you had picked her up. They will say oh she married a foreign because she was too old to marry an Egyptian, the poor thing! Yeah better than being alone for the rest of her life!

Maybe you will not be told this to your face, but you also need to know that some Egyptians would give you the best treatment and call you their ‘best friend' after having known you for 5 minutes, and once you turn your back they will stab you with the biggest virtual knife there is.

Egyptians have a long way to go before they learn to live and let live. Please beware of that.

Today, I ran into a very special Wandering Scarab, who says that she is “one more Egyptian living in Canada”. Like Ghawayesh, she is an Egyptian girl who chose to get married to a foreigner.

In her post about the Egyptian system for the new ID card, the Wandering Scarab shares with us her adventure in the Land of the Pharaohs to get her ID.

“As usual, upon my visit to Egypt, my parents explained to me the necessity of having a social number even though I didn't think I needed it as I do not intend to ever live in Egypt. But they insisted I will need it when the time comes for inheritance and what not after they pass away. So off we went to apply.”

“Later that day I picked up the application to determine what I needed to submit to get the damn social number that my parents think is very important. Besides my full name, address, date of birth, and place of birth the application also required my occupational status, marital status, and educational status. So I inquired as to how I can go about providing all that information given the fact that I live and work elsewhere.”

People helped her with the following advice to provide for the needed information:

“Occupational Status
I must obtain a certificate of employment from my employer, which includes the address and name of my employer in Canada and have it officially translated and notarized by the Canadian Embassy in Cairo.

Educational Status
I must obtain a certificate from my university that proves I graduated with a Bachelor's degree also translated and notarized by the Canadian Embassy.

Marital Status
I must obtain a marriage certificate valid in Egypt also translated and notarized by the Canadian Embassy.

So far it was all possible although it was a big feat. One wrinkle; because my husband is Canadian (a foreigner) we have to submit more information. In order for the authorities in Egypt to give us an Egyptian marriage certificate equivalent to our Canadian one, my husband would have to obtain a certificate of employment from his employer that details not only his name and address, but also his age, income, and social insurance number, oh and yeah, also translated and notarized by the Canadian Embassy.

In addition, because I am Muslim, my husband has to obtain a “Certificate of Embracing the Islamic Faith” from Al-Azhar, (yeah yeah also translated and notarized). Without the certificate from Al-Azhar we could not get the certificate of marriage. But my dear husband was persuaded to join the madness and agreed to go to Al-Azhar and indeed got the little piece of paper that said he is a good little Muslim.

None of that stuff upset me. The thing that bothered me most is the fact that upon clarification, I learned that if I was an Egyptian male, none of that applied even if my wife was a foreigner. I insisted that I will not take part in anything that devalues and dehumanizes women like that, contrary to my parents advice.”

The infuriated Wandering Scarab hit the kind of brick walls that we - Egyptians - face everyday whenever we need a license, passport, ID, or a replacement for any document or certificate we once had.

How did the story end?

“Two days later I had my Egyptian social number. My parents had taken the easy way out. As far as the Egyptian government is concerned I am single (never married), did not receive education (illiterate), and unemployed (complete and utter loser).”

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Peru: Pointing Out Errors in the New Indiana Jones Movie

Juan Arellano · 02:24, June 13th, 2008 · Americas

The latest in the Indiana Jones series revisits the odd relationship between these films and Peru. I say odd because this relationship is based on a type of serendipitous, incorrect and strange combinations, not at all in keeping with a fictional well-known archeologist like Indiana Jones. Those who've seen the first film in the series, Raiders of the Lost Ark, will recall those beginning scenes that, supposedly, take place in the Peruvian jungle, but that symbolically recall cultures like the Maya, among others. Additionally, two of Jones' guides are named after Peruvian towns: Barranca and Satipo.

This most recent film in the series, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, partly takes place in Peru (although, the scenes were really filmed in Hawaii). As mentioned earlier, there are geographical and historic errors abound. You can well imagine this has been quite the subject of discussion amidst Peruvian bloggers. I will attempt to extract the best from their posts.

Antolín Prieto, from Cinencuentro [es], a Peruvian blog devoted to film, quotes in his post, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of Lies About Peru, one of the foot-in-mouth lines fast becoming a classic faux-pas, in which Jones said, “I learned Quechua from Pancho Villa.” Quechua, a native indigenous language from the Andean region of South America would not have been the language spoken by the Mexican revolutionary.

Pedro Ortiz Bisso, from Notas desde el lado oscuro [es], comments on the matter in his post, I was wrong: Indy 4 is a good film and points out the error where the southern city of Nazca is said to be in the Cusco region.

Dinorider, from El Pensieve de Dinorider [es], recommends that executive producer George Lucas irmprove his research skills in the post Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: UNCLE GEORGE USE GOOGLE!!

Eso sí NO me gustó eso de que acabaran metiendo en medio de la Amazonía un templo alienígena con look maya mezclado con tiawanaku conteniendo restos de Sumeria, Grecia, China, Egipto, Tiawanaku, etc. para que saliera el platillo volador aquel. Sólo faltaba Mel Gibson y el tipo del casco de papel de aluminio. Creo que con Indiana debieron evitar ese tipo de cosas.

A propósito el cuadro de Orellana es el que suele salir en las enciclopedias escolares locales como ¡Francisco Pizarro! Por cierto, las imágenes de Nazca parecían más bien las de un mercado de las alturas de la Sierra con gente vestida con trajes de diferentes sitios de Perú (a grandes rasgos reconocí de Huancayo, Cajamarca, Chincheros, Cuzco) y Centroamérica! hasta la música era ¿ranchera mexicana? Me recordaba en algo al del pueblo de El Zorro. Sólo faltó alguien gritando “Joder! weon, vos sabés que coño fue del pinche wey del libretista po!?”

This is something I did NOT like, the fact they ended up placing an alien temple resembling from the Mayan culture with Tiwanaku, containing elements from Sumeria, Greece, China, Egypt, Tiwanaku, etc., in the middle of the Amazon rainforest, just so that flying saucer could take off. The only thing missing was Mel Gibson and the guy with the aluminum helmet. I think Indiana should avoid those type of things.

In fact, the Orellana painting is the one that usually appears in local school encyclopedias like Francisco Pizarro! By the way, the images of Nazca looked more like a marketplace in the Andean highlands, with people dressed in clothing from different parts of Peru. In general terms, I recognized [the traditional clothing of] Huancayo, Cajamarca, Chincheros, and Cuzco. And, Central America! Even the music was Mexican ranchera-style! It reminded me somewhat of El Zorro's hometown. All that was lacking was someone yelling, “Bloody hell, dude! D'you know what ‘appen'd to the whack bro' who was the scriptwriter, eh?”

Roberto Bustamante in El Blog del Morsa [es], provides a number of links to interesting posts about the film and in his post, Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull, comments that Peru's appearance in the film has not been fully taken advantage of by Peruvian politicians:

la visión exotista del Perú (¿por qué Big Meche no dijo nada sobre esto? ¿qué? ¿nadie va a capitalizar la aparición de nuestro querido país en la última entrega de Indy? ¿no que pensaban en grande?)

the exotic vision of Peru (Why did Big Meche (Tourism Minister) not say anything about this? What? No one is going to capitalize on the appearance of our beloved country in the latest Indy fare? Didn't they say they thought big?)

However, not everyone has a sense of humor. Ronald Vega, a Peruvian currently living in Bolivia who has the blog Voz Urgente [es], did not like the film at all, explaining himself in his post, Indiana Jones and the denigration of a culture:

Alguien podría decir que el cine es ficción, y como tal no esta en la obligación de estar estrictamente ligado a la historia de los hechos que narra, y claro, tendría razón, pero no deja de resultar algo sumamente curioso que siempre los discursos al respecto sean elaborados en ciertas partes del mundo y construyan una imagen, con clara intencionalidad, sobre personas de ciertas “otras” partes del mundo. Pero más allá de estas inconexiones ex profesas presentadas en la película, está un asunto de fondo. La deslegitimación del conocimiento histórico y ancestral producido en esta parte del mundo. Claro, el hombre occidental, con la historia soplando a su favor durante siglos, al pertenecer a civilizaciones como Grecia y Roma que alcanzaron altos niveles de desarrollo, sí fue capaz de realizar grandes y complejas construcciones para su época, construcciones que hasta hoy continúan asombrando al mundo, pero, el hombre andino – amazónico, el hombre perteneciente a aquellas culturas americanas que por carecer de escritura (Que sí la tenían pero resultaba incomprensible para la concepción del colonizador), en el caso Quechua Aymará, fueron condenados a la postergación histórica, ellos, esos hombres no pueden ser capaces de crear, de construir su propia cultura, su propio conocimiento, y es por eso que, en la película y muchos otros textos producidos por occidente, la construcción de todo este conocimiento se relaciona con seres de otros mundos, con extra terrestres, negando así el reconocimiento a la sabiduría de las culturas americanas, la misma que en gran parte fue destruida durante el proceso de colonización.

Someone could say films are fiction, and as such, are under no obligation to be strictly linked to the history of the stories they tell. That person would be right. But, that doesn't lessen the interesting fact that these discussions are carried out in certain parts of the world, where they construct a clearly intentional image about persons in certain “other” parts of the world. But beyond these clear disconnects presented in the film, there is a background issue. The de-legitimization of the historic and ancestral knowledge produced in this part of the world. Of course, Western man, with history in his favor for centuries by belonging to civilizations like Greece and Rome which reached high levels of development, was able to create great and complex constructions for the period, constructions that until now continue to awe the world. But, the Andean-Amazonian man, belonging to those American cultures who due to the lack of writing (which he did have, but incomprehensible to the minds of the colonizer), and in the case of the Quechua & Aymara peoples were condemned to historic postponement. Those men were not considered capable of creating, of constructing their own culture, their own knowledge. That is why,
in the film and in many other texts produced by the West, the construction of all that knowledge is related with beings from other worlds, extraterrestrials, that way denying the recognition of the wisdom of the American cultures, the same ones that were destroyed during the colonization process.

Carlos Quiroz in Peruanista [es] highlights the racism he sees and discusses it in his post, Indiana Jones movie about Peru is boring and racist:

Esta película presenta al Perú como un lugar miserable para vivir. Quizás muchos norte americanos que nunca van al extranjero puedan pensar que somos así: La ciudad de Nasca con un desastroso aeropuerto y pollos corriendo por ahí, y la bella Cusco con un sucio y desagradable mercado con gente loca tirada en el barro de calles asquerosas. Y de alguna manera los dos sitios son el mismo.

No pudo evitar pensar en el racismo luego de ver a gente cobriza presentada por esta película de un modo tan ofensivo, no una sino varias veces. Somos los malos por supuesto, y al final del film y luego que Indiana Jones logra reunirse con su familia -incluyendo un hijo que nunca había conocido- se casa en una iglesia blanca llena de gente blanca. Era la escena victoriosa luego de vencer a las malvadas y oscuras criaturas,

This film shows Peru as a miserable place in which to live. Perhaps most Americans who never travel abroad might think Peru and Peruvians are the way we are shown in this movie: the city of Nazca has a trashy airport full of chickens running around it, and beautiful Cuzco has a chaotic and filthy market with crazy people lying on the mud of tiny streets. And somehow both are in the same place.

I couldn't avoid thinking about racism when brown people are presented in such offensive ways, not once but several times. We are bad, mean, stupid and evil. Good thing there is a happy ending: after Indiana Jones gets reunited with his family -including a son he never met before- he gets married in a white-walled church with an all-white crowd. What a victorious scene after defeating all dark-skinned evil creatures!

A well-known film critic, Alberto Servat, writes a post titled, Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, in his blog La Soga [es], from which we republish part of the comments made by Daniel, one of many comments his readers left him:

¡Cuando mencionaron a Perú la gente aplaudió! Todo iba bien hasta que sonó la música mexicana en el mercado inca. Allí la emoción de la audiencia se desplomó y empezaron los susurros de críticas a detalles. Ojálá que para la versión en DVD corrijan ese error.

When they mentioned Peru, the audience clapped. Everything was fine until Mexican music started playing in the Inca market. From then, the audience's spirits began to fall, and whispered criticisms about the details began. Hopefully, they correct those errors for the DVD version.

In a more informative vein, Arturo Gómez of Amautucuna de Historia [es] provides us some facts about the existence of a stone skull in his post, A crystal skull in Peru?:

las calaveras de cristal de cuarzo no son peruanas y ni siquiera son originalmente mexicanas. Pero ¿existen reales calaveras líticas en el Perú? Recuerdo que durante las excavaciones hechas en la Huaca Huallamarca en Lima, la arqueóloga Clide Valladolid y su equipo descubrieron en 1992 o 1993, una pequeña calavera tallada en piedra (¿sería cuarzo lechoso?, no recuerdo bien). Clide me la enseñó por esos años y estaba muy contenta con el hallazgo. Lamentablemente no se publicó nunca un estudio de la misma y no podría asegurar a que cultura pertenece. Así, que después de todo, el Perú tiene una calavera tallada en piedra original. Si quieres verla, está en exhibición en el Museo de Sitio Huallamarca ubicado en la Av. Nicolás de Rivera 201 a espaldas del Centro Comercial Camino Real, San Isidro.

Quartz crystal skulls are not Peruvian and are not even originally Mexican. But, do real stone skulls exist in Peru? I recall that during the excavations at Huaca Huallamarca in Lima, the archeologist Clide Valladolid and her team discovered in 1992 or 1993 a small skull carved in stone (was it milky quartz? I don't remember). Clide showed it to me at the time and she was very happy with the find. Unfortunately, a study of the skull was never published and I am unable to say the culture to which it belonged. So, after all, Peru does have a skull carved in original stone. If you want to see it, it is exhibited in the Huallamarca Site Museum located at Avenida Nicolas de Rivera 201, behind the Camino Real Shopping Center in San Isidro.

And, in conclusion, the opinion given by Jorge Moreno from El Reportero de la Historia [es], in his post Jones is Heston, Heston is Jones, tells people to lighten up:

sigo sin entender a muchos que critican acremente las inexactitudes culturales e históricas de la película, olvidando que se trata sólo de una película de acción y aventuras, puro divertimento. Tomarse en serio al doctor Jones resulta no sólo una tontería, sino también arrebatarle al cine el aspecto mágico y de ensoñación que tiene. Se va al cine a ver este tipo de películas para divertirse, a pasar un buen rato, con la novia o con los hijos, a disfrutar con aventuras y situaciones que por inverosímiles resultan atractivas, sugestivas, contagiante. Pretender querer aprender en ellas arqueología o historia es tan tonto como aquello de descalificar los libros, y películas, de Harry Potter con el argumento de que en ellos los niños aprenden hechicería. Una reverenda tontería que olvida que el mundo de fantasía que ellos presentan sólo está ahí para entretener y no para enseñar nada a nadie.

I still don't understand those who sharply criticize the cultural and historic errors in the film, and forget it is only an action and adventure film, sheer entertainment. Taking Dr. Jones seriously is not only stupid, but also removes the magical and dreamy aspect of the film. One goes to see these type of films to be entertained, to have a good time, with a girlfriend or the children, to enjoy adventures and situations that, due to their unlikeliness, appear attractive, suggestive, contagious. Trying to learn archaeology or history through them is as stupid as as discrediting the books and films of Harry Potter with the argument that in them, children learn witchcraft. It's really stupid to forget that this is the world of fantasy which is only there to entertain and not to teach anyone anything.

Translated by Alejandro García.

Thumbnail photo by H20 Alchemist

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