By Gonzalo Ruiz Tovar, DPA
Lima : Since a massive earthquake struck this week, the people of Chincha in Peru have abandoned their traditional pursuits, such as the wooden cajon or box, the percussion instrument that is the city’s contribution to the world.
Instead, the only wood that is on their minds is that of the coffins they need to bury some 80 neighbours who died in Wednesday’s 8.0 magnitude earthquake, which took more than 400 lives across Peru.
The beat of percussion instruments has earned Chincha the title of “capital of Peru’s black folklore”, and residents of Lima and other parts of the nation like to plan holidays in Chincha in the hope of capturing some of the joy that is characteristic of Chinchanos.
Residents’ ancestors of African origin brought their distinctive beat with them when they settled in the area after the abolition of slavery.
In exchange for a tip, children under the age of 10 often offer tourists a contagious dance or a masterful performance on the cajon.
The Ballumbrosio family, synonymous with Afro-Peruvian culture, hails from Chincha. Visitors have long arrived here in search of a good time and found it. But now is no time for music or dancing.
One resident, Nataly Lopez, is only asking for a white coffin to bury her three-month-old daughter, whom she continued to rock in her arms several hours after the quake had killed the child.
“The adobe fell on my back and I dropped her without meaning to. When I stooped to pick her up a piece of adobe had already fallen on her,” Nataly told the daily La Republica.
She felt guilty, even though she was not responsible for the child’s death.
Similar stories could be heard across the province, which was hardest hit by the quake.
Even the sea seemed to conspire against the nearly 200,000 people of the province, as the water level rose and soaked the ground, particularly in the district of Tambo de Mora, ruining the few belongings that locals had managed to rescue from their collapsed homes.
“Five minutes after the earthquake, strange sounds were coming out of the sea. The waves started to get rough,” said Ana Maria Lopez, who lost everything in the process. “Suddenly the water started to enter my house and kept rising, rising. We ran away before the waves drowned us.”
But a few prisoners in Tambo de Mora were likely happy about the results of the quake. A wall in the local jail collapsed and 598 of the 683 inmates fled. The authorities were able to recapture 29 prisoners, but there has been no sign of the others.
Peruvian Justice Minister Maria Zavala said the incident did not start as a flight attempt, but was a natural reaction of people who saw the place where the were staying fall to pieces and flood.
Chinchanos are used to suffering, and throughout their history they have known how to alternate it with joy. Although the cajon may be silent for now, Peruvians are confident that it will soon be heard again.