If you are planning to attend a Spanish language program in Peru, it only makes sense to learn about the country’s cultural history. By doing so, you will be in a position where you can better appreciate the region’s political history as well as its various landmarks, museums and buildings. One of the key figures you may want to learn about in advance is Alberto Fujimori who was the President of Peru from 1990-2000. If you learn Spanish in Lima, you may very well hear Fujimori referred to at
some point during your stay.
While Fujimori was born in Lima, he was of Japanese descent. In fact, his parents immigrated to Peru in the 1930’s. As a result, Alberto Fujimori held dual citizenship for Peru and Japan. When he won the presidential election in 1990, he ran under the party Cambio 90. The word “cambio” means change. He received the nickname “El Chino” which means “Chinaman.”
One of the reasons that you should know about Alberto Fujimori before you learn Spanish in Lima is that he was somewhat of a controversial leader. In some ways, Fujimori benefited the city. For example, he helped to get rid of a great deal of terrorism in Peru and also made the economy more stable. Fujimori enacted reforms in his first term that were commonly known as “Fujishock.” The country was in a period of hyperinflation but Fujimori was successful in restoring economic balance. By 1994, the economy in Peru had grown at an impressive rate of 13%.
At the time that Fujimori became President, two terrorist groups were dominating Peru and some parts of the country were under the country of the insurgents. One was Sendero Luminoso, which was a Maoist insurgent group. The other was the Marxist-Leninist group Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement. Many Peruvians give Fujimori credit for ending the terrorism, as he ended up capturing leaders of both groups.