Miss Peru's Costume Ignites Tensions Between Peru and Bolivia
Posted on August 21, 2009
Peru and Bolivia are in the midst of a diplomatic incident, as tensions run high between the two countries. So what are they fighting about? Whether Miss Peru or Miss Bolivia has the right to wear the traditional Devil costume during the Miss Universe pageant. Wars have been fought over lesser issues than this.
It all started last week when Miss Peru Karen Schwarz (pictured above), wore an outfit inspired by a timeless Andean ritual known as La Diablada, the Devil's Dance. Bolivia's president then accused Peru of being a bunch of thieves, which Peruvian officials furiously denied, saying that Peruvians have been dancing La Diablada for many, many years.
La Diablada derives from ancient Andean ceremonies which remembered the local gods, which were eventually taken over by Christianity. During the modern dance a costumed St. Michael imposes his will over a group of dancing devils. The dance symbolizes the fight between good and evil, and the triumph of Christianity over the indigenous population's religion.
Surprisingly, Donald Trump has not yet weighed in with his opinion on who has the right to wear the Devil Dance costume.