Cameron Diaz Apologizes to Peru
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Female celebrity Cameron Diaz was recently seen touring an Incan city in the Andes of Peru with a drab green handbag with the slogan “Serve The People” written in Chinese Letters and a bright red star printed on the bag. The actress was not trying to set a new celebrity fashion trend, merely enjoying tourist purchase while touring China. The celebrity’s new purse contained a popular political slogan of Mao Zedong, a Chinese Communist leader. While this accessory is a hot fashion item in some parts of the world, the slogan on Cameron Diaz’s purse only brings back painful memories to the people of Peru.
The slogan evokes memories of an insurgency by the Maoist Shining Path that battled against the Peruvian government during the 1980s and 1990s and left almost 70,000 individuals dead.
Cameron Diaz was very upset about the incident and offered a heartfelt apology to the people of Peru. In an email statement sent to the Associated Press, Diaz wrote, “ I sincerely apologize to anyone I may have inadvertently offended. The bag was a purchase I made as a tourist in China and I did not realize the potentially hurtful nature of the slogan printed on it.”
The apology failed to impress at least one Peruvian activist who was reported to have said that Diaz should be a little more conscience of cultural sensitivities when choosing her personal accessories.
Cameron Diaz is best known for her role as the beautiful and intelligent “Mary” in ‘There’s Something About Mary’ and as the voice of the animated Princess Fiona in the “Shrek” movies. Diaz stated that she was staying in Peru to take part in a new TV show to promote Peru’s people and culture. The show, titled 4 Real, is produced by a Canadian production company and is intended to feature young social leaders across the globe.
Cameron Diaz also said of her incident in Peru, “I’m sorry for any people’s pain and suffering and it was certainly never my intention to reopen what I now know is a painful would in this country’s history.”
