The global interest and commercialization of Ayahuasca isn’t something that I’m a total stranger to, on the contrary, I’ve experienced it first hand and questioned it for a long time. For that reason, I found this week’s readings to be eye-opening and in some way, managed to put in words the series of questions I had been unable to communicate through the past years. Peru’s income depends greatly upon the tourism sector, so its focus on Indigenous communities and traditions has always been present, yet in the midst of constructing the tourist experience, much of the traditions are lost. I found the interview with Dr. Smith to pose this concept in a really interesting manner, especially when discussing “authenticity”. given that paradoxically enough, it doesn’t really reflect authentic Indigenous practices. Upon listening to the interview, it was clear to me what the value of authenticity meant for the Western visitor, and that it stems from their need to escape the cosmopolitan way of life, at least temporalily. There is a longing to be a part of something ancient, and an urge to give in to the spiritual, even if it doesn’t resemble the traditional healing rituals. I find this paradox to be really interesting, and looking at it whilst thinking about our readings from Unit 1, especifically the Insider/Outsider problem, I believe that even though these tourists are looking for authenticity, by doing that, they are separating themselves even more as outsiders, given that they will never be able to experience in the same way the Shipibo experiences Ayahuasca.

Something that has also prevailed in the Shipibo-Konibo landscape is the fact that they’re are also invested in the tourism industry, as explained by the podcast lecture. Most Shipibo peoples are aware of the interest of foreigners in their art and culture, so they have been able to adapt to great lengths to generate income. As indicated in the podcast lecture, globalization has brought many changes to the Shipibo-Konibo peoples, and I particularly thought that the idea of the youths straying away from their culture to be extremely present nowadays. For instance, when I visited Iquitos last year, there were many tourists sites where Shipibo-Konibo communities would perform their ritual dances such as the Anaconda, a tribute to the serpent. During this performance they would be dressed with their traditional Kené clothing and native instruments, which captivated the tourists. Yet what surprised me the most, was that once the toursits were leaving after the performace, the dancers would quickly change into regular clothing, grab their backpacks and leave for the city. I managed to talk to a girl that was performing and she told me she was studying for a politics degree in the local university, and in order to pay for her tuition, she would perform for tourists, yet she told she didn’t connect with her community in the same way her parents did. I found this to be shocking, given that it completely contradicts the “authentic” experience that the tourists are getting, and manages to show that ancient cultural traditions are ultimately becoming a business.