Living in Peru : your everyday companion

By Carolina Benavides
Director of Nexos Voluntarios
For El Comercio

Regarding salaries, sex and ethnicity, Peru is amongst the most discriminatory in the region, according to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

Mrs. Temple, director of the DBM, pointed out that companies in developed countries consider it fundamental to hire people of different genders, ethnicity and religious beliefs. In this way, not only do they avoid an unbearable social burden, but they also increase productivity.

This is a central subject: the coexistence of what is different is the foundation for development and creativity. It is the daily confrontation with those who do not reflect us like a mirror, that makes us move forward.

On the contrary, uniformity leads to exclusion and the eternal repetition.

To achieve a real mixture, it is not enough to group people of different sexes, races and social status. It is necessary to awaken at an early stage the respectful curiosity for others, encourage a broad and tolerant vision of the world and get rid of hypocrisy. Additionally, it is necessary to have a leadership capable of keeping cohesion between heterogeneous tendencies. A leader has to persuade everyone and not let himself be guided by those who cannot understand the differences.

The representative authorities should know that, even if we do feel attracted to the unknown, there exist fears that are placed unconsciously on others and that build exclusion walls. It is indispensable that those who run the country be alert to contain the anguish that expresses itself as rejection of “those who are not like us.”

Diversion from what is normal and disagreement – not only tolerated but accepted – is fundamental to achieve a wider level of comprehension.

What advanced companies profess, is a model that reproduces multiculturalism. Multiculturalism is a characteristic of inclusive societies that have assumed that a universe of different tonalities is the foundation on which to build a great nation where really innovative spirits will grow. None of this is possible where obscurantism reigns and transforms fear into arrogance. We have to resist this and let citizens know of the crimes that have been committed against those who think differently or who simply don’t look like us.

Translated by Diana Schwalb