This piece was inspired by Binyavanga Wainaina’s article “How to Write about Africa” and speaks to my frustrations of travelers’ accounts that erase the complex stories of a country that has come to hold such a special place in my heart. Throughout my gap year, whenever I talked about or shared a picture or post from Ecuador, I tried to emulate the motto of “complicate the narrative.” I believe that I did this well, although I acknowledge that I can always do better.
Begin by commenting on the mountains. Use vocabulary such as ‘breathtaking,’ ‘beautiful,’ and ‘stunning,’ --because they are. But don’t mention the indigenous folklore surrounding them; your readers won’t understand.
Show pictures of these mountains, and of the rolling, vast fields of crops in the valleys surrounding them. Also use photos of workers in these fields, too focused on their jobs to notice the beauty behind them.
Talk about the artisans in Otavalo’s famous Plaza de Ponchos, and how oh-so-nice it is that locals use their time and talents to create goods for us foreigners to buy.
Never, ever forget to mention the luscious Amazon Rainforest— did you know it’s incredibly biodiverse?
Your Ecuadorian characters may include the farmers, the artisans, the ranchers, the secluded tribes and their gruesome practice of shrunken heads, the old indigenous women without teeth in the tourist-heavy streets asking you for money, the Mestizos who speak rapid-fire Spanish while wearing too-tight pants and too much makeup, the traditional healers leading ayahuasca vision quests, the conservationists in the cloud forests and rainforest fighting for their land and the greedy government trying to take it away to mine it all bare. Yes, these people all have stories, but you only need to roll over them briefly because it’s too complicated to really get into.
Important among your characters are the thriving expatriates, because your readers will relate to the old Americans coming here for the temperate climate, the tranquilo lifestyle, and the infrastructure catered to them-- the primarily white restaurants, bars, and hiking destinations. After all, most local Ecuadorians in the mountainous regions don’t hike since they work too hard in the fields during the day to want to exercise after. But you don’t need to bring that up-- only speak of the beauty seen on the trails.
Avoid the topic of colonization at all costs-- you don’t want to make your readers feel guilty, now do you? Don’t remind them of the Europeans who came here in 1534 seeking to evangelize the local “savages” by enslaving them in Catholic compounds and forcing conversions. Don’t talk about the continued presence of these foreigners here, and how they wiped out the Inca Empire and repopulated the country, turning Ecuador into the majority Mestizo country that it continues to be today. Don’t focus on indigenous resistance and their thriving pockets of culture after the massacre of their people by— well-- your people. It’s far too difficult to think about.
Yet, do discuss the intricacies of indigenous spirituality, of Andean Cosmovisíon, and of the tradition of the four Raymis, because after attending one ritual you understand and feel connected to nature in the same way you know Ecuadorians do. Mention the “circle dance” that indigenous people always seem to be doing during festivals, and how it literally is only stomping in a circle and you just can’t understand how anyone can be enjoying it. But don’t say the fact that the dance is symbolic to wake up the souls in the underworld, in Kichwa called the “uku pacha,” --this is too savage and ungodly for the readers. There’s only so much deviation from Western religion that your audience can take, and remember, these indigenous people used to be savages. Speaking of which, never bring up how the deities that these people believe in such as the mother earth Pachamama and the sun god Inti trace back to the Incas-- who, as you remember-- committed atrocious human sacrifices. I’ll just leave it there.
Ignore the complexities, the hypocrisies, the injustices. Make your stories digestible, marketable, palatable.
Yet, never forget to conclude with just how much your experience changed your life. How seeing poverty opened your eyes to the struggles of the developing world. After all, you came here to make a difference-- why else?