What do Mexico and Slovakia have in common? Other than absolutely nothing, they occupy the top slots on a very dubious list recently published by the World Economic Forum; but luckily for our central European brothers, Mexico actually reigns supreme as the number one most corrupt country in the OECD.
But this isn’t the first time la tierra del nopal has made a splash on some international corruption ranking or other, and most Mexicans would readily agree that corruption is one of the biggest problems plaguing the country’s politics and society at large. But how on earth do you go about combating habits that are so deeply ingrained in the country’s social fabric?
Well you can start by calling a spade a spade – or to be precise, putting together a extensive dictionary of culturally specific terms related to everyday corruption practices. And that’s exactly what a number of NGOs have come together to do with the Corrupcionario: a satirical dictionary of mexicanismos like “aceitar la mano,” or “ayudame a ayudarte,” that go to the heart of Mexico’s corruption culture.
The initiative is the brainchild of Opciona – an NGO dedicated to constructing civic culture in Mexico – in an effort to go beyond the usual academic papers and reports on the subject. The authors rightfully believe that through humor, the conversation can go beyond preaching and invite the broader public to reflect on how corruption is embedded into daily life.
And indeed, with a grand total 300 terms, it shouldn’t be hard for anyone to appreciate the thousands of small gestures that add up to something like a national crisis. The team behind the book even complimented their campaign with the hashtag #EmpiezaPorTi, making their message unmistakable: fighting corruption starts by changing our own habits.
Featuring a prologue by Diego Luna and playful illustrations by some of Mexico’s greatest cartoonists, the Corrupcionario is published by Random House and available on Amazon and bookstores throughout Mexico.
H/T Fusion