I will admit that previously, I associated ayahuasca to VICE, Joe Rogan, and others that have introduced themselves into the modern ayahuasca narrative. I didn’t know what it was and couldn’t understand why it was legal in countries where most drugs are not. Upon a quick Google search after reading the articles, I found a couple of naturopaths based in Vancouver that offered ayahuasca in local retreats.
Upon reading Homan and Rumrill’s articles on the diffusion and dilution of ayahuasca throughout the world because of its appropriation by Westerners, I began thinking of similar experiences, hallucinogens, foods, or other practices and commodities that have been commodified and cheapened throughout the world because of increased globalization and the resulting cultural appropriation. Even though I thought of many examples, the one that was most relevant to the theme of the course was quinoa. Because of the popularization of quinoa as a “superfood” in the Occident, the increase in demand has resulted in the malnutrition of Peruvians, the only country which produces this grain. Here is a quick video on the subject for anyone interested.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hdl8tzldsDY&ab_channel=Channel4News
I think that although Rumrill especially seemed to have some contempt for the tourists visiting ayahuasca regions to participate in the practice and essentially contributing to the cultural dissolution of the practice, these sorts of activities are often marketed as good for the region, and therefore it makes it hard to see the harm in them if you are only staying there for a short amount of time. Also, he points to the fact that Westerners want quick fixes, and the fact that ayahuasca has obviously been marketed to them in a way that they think will provide magic solutions should moreso be attributed to the owners and operators. These articles enlightened me to the fact that there should be more regulation of how ayahuasca is operated, especially considering how dangerous it can be to people who are not ready to experience coming face-to-face with past traumas.
Thank you for passing on the information that you learnt! It’s really interesting to see just how far ayahuasca has reached, and I would have never imagined that they would offer it in Vancouver too.
In terms of the quinoa, I didn’t know the effect it was having on local peoples, and that it could only be grown in Peru. As a person who doesn’t eat meat, I consume quite a lot of it as it’s a nutritional grain, but it seems like nothing is ethical or sustainable anymore.
Another example about this which you might be interested in is avocados and the effects they have on towns. The farms use so much water that the people living around them are now having to buy water and get it delivered to them in trucks. They used to be able to walk to the nearby rivers and consume it. It’s also become problematic in Mexico with the cartels, and many farm owners are endangered because it’s such a profitable business.
It seems that globalization has its perks in connecting us, but at the same time these connections become too intense when there’s too much demand of one thing.