I mentioned I was attending a day of talks and events about Latin@ diasporas in Europe. I had some great moments and some moments of epic (and I mean EPIC) fail in the hands of “Carefree White People who want to do good and fix teh poors in far away lands“).
In no particular order:
- Met this amazing professor, Rosalba Icaza whose main research subjects are “Epistemic Justice” and colonization.
- Had to witness a Dutch girl, who does not even speak Spanish (and whose experience in Latin America includes a couple of months spent in Mexico doing a bit of “poverty tourism”) telling this professor that “she knew better” about the reasons why indigenous populations in Chiapas are being displaced. When Ms. Icaza pointed out that no, she didn’t because a) she doesn’t speak the language and b) she is not even aware of the racist component in these struggles, the Dutch girl refused to acknowledge her unawareness in this matter.
- I had a kind of heated argument with a member of Dutch government who tried to push this idea that working in partnership with corporations like Unilever or Cargill was in the best interest of farmers and campesinos in Latin America. When I pointed out the many ways in which these corporations bring misery (i.e see my previous posts about Dutch grain traders engaging in practices that Argentinian courts have called “modern day slavery”), I am told that the Dutch government is keen on pushing this agenda for “development” in the region.
- Sat through a session organized by a local Dutch NGO who wants to do “Solidarity Activism” to “raise awareness” about “problems in Latin America”. Surprised by my profusion of quotes in the previous sentence? Well, that’s because I experienced intense eye rolling, mounting rage, “Carefree White People Solidarity” and so much ignorance packed in one and a half hour that I had to walk away, for fear of having an anger induced seizure.
- When I asked one of the members of this Dutch NGO (a White young woman who also does not speak Spanish), what she thinks “Solidarity Activism” means, she pointed out to her pain, her grief, how sorry she was for “those poor people” living in such conditions and how she obviously HAD to do something.
- Witnessed a badass Peruvian elderly lady stand up while all these talks about "Solidarity” were taking place and say, in Spanish “Today I stand up in solidarity for the ignorance of my Dutch brothers and sisters”.
- I, of course, being a bitch of a high calibre, asked this young woman who felt so sorry for Latin America why she didn’t feel the same sorrow for the hundreds of thousands of migrants (Latin@s and otherwise) who are subjected to inhumane treatment by our local Dutch government and how this displaced sense of “solidarity” was only a tactic to make her feel better about herself while promoting more White People colonialism in the region. Instead of reflecting on my words, she asked ME, if I care so much about these immigrants (of which she knew I am one), what *I* am doing to help “them”.
- At that point I thought it was best to walk away.
- There was a lot more but I feel tired just thinking of more instances of this arrogance.
All in all, an event full of fails but at least I met some fellow Latin@s who are indeed doing some great stuff. I guess that fact alone saved the day.
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