Peruvian ambassador to the United States, Harold Forsyth, on Friday lectured at the Fifth Annual Utah Valley University (UVU) Global Spotlight that celebrates and explores Peru as this year’s featured nation.
Students and locals gathered to hear the Peruvian diplomat speak about the successes and challenges facing the Andean country.
Forsyth presented a short overview of Peru's economic development and highlighted the nation’s continuous economic growth over the last five years, largely attributable to revenue from the mining industry.
He said “only 10 percent of our country has been explored for minerals, and only 6 percent is being mined.”
The Peruvian ambassador went on to lecture students, and took the occasion to transmit the love that good citizens should have for their country.
“You have to love your country, you have to know your country, geographically, physically. You have to know the nature of your country,” he said.
The fifth annual Global Spotlight, is a yearlong celebration and exploration of a nation or region’s culture.
This year’s highlighted nation is Peru, from which over 40,000 Utah residents hail. Events throughout the school year will help UVU students and the community learn about the history, economy and culture of this South American nation.
The events will follow the theme “Te Llama La Llama,” a common Peruvian saying meaning, “the Llama Is Calling.”
“I am thrilled to showcase the history, economy, dance, literature, cuisine and many other things about Peru,” said UVU finance and economics professor Maritza Sotomayor, a native of Peru.
“With the spotlight, our community will learn that Peru is more than Machu Picchu. I am very proud of my country and the spotlight is a way to recognize the role of Peru in Utah, not just because we are the second-largest community of foreigners living in Utah but because of the large number of students who are Peruvian and of Peruvian descent,” she added.
The inaugural celebration on Sept. 11, the day before, kicked off the Global Spotlight with musical performances and lectures from UVU officials and members of the Peruvian community in Utah.
Further events on the Global Spotlight calendar include several lectures, conferences and workshops with a variety of experts from UVU and beyond, as well as artistic and culinary demonstrations celebrating the unique culture of Peru.
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Published: 9/14/2014