Xenophoby in Perú

Perú is the second country in the world with the largest number of Venezuelan migrants after Colombia, this due to its stable economy, a not so harsh climate and certain factors of cultural similarities between both countries. However, as a result of this migration, a process of transculturation has been taking place between both parties, which have not been able to mediate between them, causing small quarrels that have been increasing day by day.

The issue at hand is the following: Any coexistence is difficult, even more so when spaces are small and resources are limited.

Let's give a clearer example: Suppose that tomorrow my dear friend Juan comes to live with me and it is our turn to share a small room. Maybe at the beginning we will have a great time together, I will learn things from him and he will learn things from me, he will respect the rules of my house and I will respect his customs.

After a while I receive my other friend Víctor in the same room with whom, in addition to Juan, we share the same space.

After a few months I receive Margarita, who also brings her husband and children with her to share that same small room with us.

That small space or room becomes increasingly uncomfortable due to the number of people who live in it, causing the first symptoms of discomfort.

From one moment to the next the resources are no longer enough, the bed is too small for everyone, the food is no longer enough, someone stopped respecting the rules of my house and I stopped respecting their customs.

This is how increasingly serious problems begin inside this small room, which was initially designed to accommodate a maximum of 2 people.

The problem does not end here, because after that people who I did not invite and with bad habits begin to enter my house, and this is how little by little my small home, that room designed for a maximum of two people ends up being an overcrowded space. For more people than I can control.

Now, let's get back to reality. Perú is a multicultural country, where Asians, Afros, Europeans, North Americans and even migrants from Oceania coexist. All of them, together with Peruvians, have known how to integrate in a cordial manner, becoming transcultural and respecting their different customs, cultures and religion.

But then, what happened to the Venezuelans? Are Peruvians xenophobic?

The overpopulation of Venezuelan migrants caused a failure in their control. The transgression of local culture and customs negatively impacted Peruvian society.

Another important factor and more on a psychological level is that the vast majority of Venezuelan migrants in the world have had to leave their country against their will.

Venezuela is a beautiful country which had more wealth than any other and prior to this crisis that is currently being experienced, Venezuelans never thought about emigrating. The political, economic and social situation worsened to such a point that more than 2 million Venezuelans had to go to Perú.

But what does all this have to do with psychology?

The Peruvian does not know the essence of the true Venezuelan. The Peruvian knows the worst side of them. Meet a Venezuelan who is frustrated, bitter, dissatisfied with having had to leave his country, his home, his family, his friends, his food, his climate, among many others, etc.

The Venezuelan who emigrated to Perú is perhaps even seen with arrogance below his shoulder since the average Peruvian does not know the riches that this beautiful country once had and the personal reasons of each of these people for having had to leave all this behind. 

Venezuelans miss their always warm climate, their white sand beaches, turquoise water and perfect temperature, their macaws flying through their blue skies, their arepas, their cheeses, their empanadas, their hallacas, their rum, their coffees, etc. They had to adapt the volume of their voice because Peruvians speak softer, Venezuelans had to change their pace of life to a faster one, they had to leave behind their loving way of speaking so as not to be misinterpreted or branded as disrespectful.

All of this causes the Venezuelan migrant to have no sense of belonging in the country where he lives, which for this specific case we will say is Perú. The frustration that this situation brings with it produces a bad mood, little tolerance towards the locals and of course sociocultural friction that the Peruvian understands as a transgression.

The Peruvian has generalized the worst of what he has seen and has drawn conclusions of presumptive criminality from Venezuelans who are not Venezuelans. Peru did not create an adequate immigration filter and let every migrant enter without first checking their background. It should be noted that not all Venezuelans who arrived in Peru are bad. The delivery workers, the taxi drivers, the doormen, the waiters, the salespeople, the electricians, carpenters, bricklayers, gardeners, domestic workers, factory and office cleaning staff, etc., all of them are Venezuelans and they are not stealing, they are working with dignity. and legally. I assure you that there are more delivery companies, taxi drivers, waiters and vendors than Venezuelan criminals.

Be careful, similar situations are also experienced in Scandinavia with the Syrians, in Chile with the Haitians and even in Italy with the Ukrainians.

In my personal experience, after living in Venezuela and being married to a Venezuelan woman, I must say that the average Venezuelan is perhaps the kindest and most supportive person I have ever met, in addition to being well educated, hardworking and with a high sense of loyalty.

This brief article does not seek to come out either in favor or against one or another nationality, nor to discuss the social situation of one country or the other, it only seeks to open a conciliatory door towards the understanding of various fronts that will lead us to reconciliation. transcultural with the aim of refraternalizing our nations from the social and psychological level.