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Alejandra Ballón and Ángel María Manrique in conversation with Víctor Vich

About the political crisis, and the difference between hearing and listening

Arequipa 2023, Sunday 12 November 2023

The current political crisis being experienced in Peru, triggered in December 2022, has involved a series of protests in different regions around the country, with lethal consequences for over 60 people. An audio-visual artifact lasting around 15 minutes has motivated this session involving the participation of Alejandra Ballón, a Doctor of Social Anthropology from the School of Higher Studies in Social Sciences in Paris, and Ángel María Manrique, former Ombudsman in Arequipa. Together with Víctor Vich they will try to clarify the testimonies of the people who experienced, as participants or as affected individuals, these difficult days of protest and their terrible consequences. On 12 and 13 July 2023, managed by the Grupo Impulsor de Arequipa and a citizen coalition, and with the financial support of the United Nations and the Ford Foundation, dozens of representatives from peasant communities, trades, trade unions, villages and managers from various industries, both for and against the protests, were invited to give their opinions before a dedicated panel in Arequipa city. This round table reflects the need to (re-)learn how to listen if we want to overcome the country’s serious problems.