Pedro Chamale, rice and beans theatre
Tuesday May 23rd, Wednesday May 24th 6:30 pm
Pedro (or Pedro's character?) was born to Guatemalan parents in Chetwynd
BC, population 3100. The only time
he experienced racism, he says, was when he was walking with his young
Portugese friend and some other kids called them "Pakis" and told
them to go back where they came from.
(aside: I remember there was a bullying attitude towards a couple of brown
kids in my small town rural community too. Maybe they weren't from Pakistan either? After I left that community I learned
the word is "racism."
But I still don't get why we were supposed to hate Pakis?)
Aside from this one experience Pedro paints a picture of an idyllic
small town existence where everyone knows everyone, in a place that's "a
throwback to a simpler time."
He doesn't remember any blatant hatred between the settlers and the
First Nations kids, though he does mention that they lived in their own
communities. There are parties (lots of parties) and the greatest challenge for
Pedro and friends is finding someone to bootleg their booze.
Pedro's tough life lessons begin when he moves to Vancouver. He had
previously seen himself as just another white guy, but in the big city he
learns that he's not so white after all.
He also learns that he's a bit racist himself, until he learns about
Canada's shameful history of Residential Schools, the Chinese Head Tax, and the
internment of Japanese citizens. Then his understanding of "Canada" begins to change. People want to know where he's from, and aren't satisfied
when he says "Chetwynd." He begins to ask the big questions ...
"Why is my lineage the thing that defines me?"
How can a person embrace the culture of their blood relatives when
they've had no experience, aside from plentiful guacamole, to learn that
culture? Pedro can understand why
his parents chose to leave Guatemala after the United Fruit Company (with help
from the CIA) took over the country, they wanted to build a better life for
themselves and their children. But
with no need speak his parents' language, no extended family to teach him the
history of the land and its people, no connection to the land at all, Pedro
struggles to understand why people see a Hispanic when they look at him.
The first night of Small Town Hoser Spic's Uno Festival performance was
sold out so if you want to witness a man tell this humorous and somewhat
disturbing story while chugging beer and vodka (no kidding!), go early. Or, you might look for it on YouTube or
Vimeo because someone was recording it on preview night.
No comments:
Post a Comment