While thousands of people from Cusco continue their journey to Lima, to participate in the so-called ‘March of the four of theirs’, those who are about to leave receive substantial food rations. ”, summarizes the activist Rosa Quispe, while she puts potatoes, rice and some chicken in a deep plate.
Dozens of university students, volunteers and even mothers have taken the Tupac Amaru square in Cusco, as a meeting point and collection of all kinds of help that the people of Cusco can provide for the protesters who are heading towards the capital.
Sacks of rice are mixed with large pots, bags of bread and non-perishable items, in a large kitchen in the open field, the suffocating smell of burning firewood warns us that there are many rations that are prepared morning, afternoon and night.
“I am too old to protest, but I can cook. The boys are fighting for everyone, so I can’t stay behind, today I came just for lunch, but tomorrow I’ll stay all day”, says Eufrasia Chipana, who left her job at the Cusco picantería ‘El Sapito’, to prepare food in Tupac Amaru.
Until now, countless people from Cusco have departed from this mythical square located in the Wanchaq district. Many more leave from the provinces of Canchis, La Convención, Espinar, Chumbivilcas, etc. All will be concentrated in Lima this January 19.
“I spoke with my children and about the purchases we had made for the month, we are giving them a little, not everything, but we feel obliged to support, we did not like how they were shot just for protesting,” said René CS While He brought bags of noodles, oatmeal and other products to a storage tent in the middle of the square.
At different points there are little ‘support’ boxes, we saw how the people of Cusco do place their contributions, and not only in coins. The protesters mention that every night they gather the boxes and count the income “Everything is under the act and we sign the presents, don’t think that there is something crooked here, everything goes to the gasoline for the cars and what is left to stop the pot”, agrees solemnly Wilfredo Vargas, local leader.
The day before, the protesters settled in Túpac Amaru mentioned that they managed to collect more than 23,000 soles, these would have already been distributed among those in charge of the convoys that leave for Lima, the amount seems to be large, but they assure that in a couple of payments for food or gasoline that money disappears.
