This is the title of a novel published in Santiago in which, with the testimonies of Ecuadorians plus a certain amount of fiction, their vicissitudes are narrated after arriving in Chile fleeing the crisis after the public holidays in 1999 and dollarization in 2000, in the government of Jamil Mahuad.. Thousands emigrated to the United States States, Spain, Italy, etc.; (estimated around 600,000 in the mentioned period). This promoted the disintegration of families with serious psychosocial consequences, on the one hand, and economic reactivation with remittances, on the other. Between 2005 and 2017, $34,850 million was received (an average of $2,904 million per year). This improved the social mobility of several families, which was mainly reflected in the construction of houses and buildings that changed the appearance of certain places.

Peace as a task

Today, Ecuadorians, marked by a similar “curse” of poverty, unemployment, physical and mental unhealthiness, exclusion and, above all, driven by enormous insecurity, are once again “fleeing” en masse. The journey and destination have different conditions; The obstacles are greater. The anxiety of a difficult journey is added to the fear that forces us to flee. An estimated 117,500 Ecuadorians were ‘found’ at the United States-Mexico border between October 2022 and September 2023; including 2,989 unaccompanied minors.

The turbulent present and the internal armed conflict declared by President Daniel Noboa, to combat insecurity, bind more compatriots to the Darién Gap and other routes, facing a possible escalation of violence, despite indications of relative calm after the measure. It is as if a curse has come upon a nation burdened by criminal, economic, social, work and health insecurity. The state is paying tribute to the accumulated mistakes that inherited a weak democracy; governments left “trips” and weakened institutions to their successors, in a country incapable of creating life opportunities, especially for young people; The results are visible.

Go for pessimism

Culture of prevention

Emigration eventually becomes a necessary “curse”, an attempt by desperate citizens to protect their integrity and the integrity of their loved ones, overcome their financial crisis, recover their mental health; The state cannot guarantee this. At the same time, their remittances supply the economy with oxygen. It is estimated that in 2023, about 5.3 billion dollars will enter Ecuador for this concept.

Real estate created by the labor of migrants since 2000 is now being offered to finance new departures: some through airports with passport in hand, others on dangerous routes left to luck or fate. And there are those who are excited about the 25,000 jobs in Israel announced by Vice President Verónica Abad, as part of a peacekeeping mission for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the region engulfed in flames. “Official exodus” for Ecuadorians who would leave one war to plunge into another. We hope for a happy ending and the return of peace in this story of complex characters and a harrowing plot where fiction mixes with reality. (OR)