Peruvian shamans gathered Thursday to perform an end-of-the-year ritual and tell the world what lies in store for 2017.
Beating percussion instruments and chanting over pictures, the medicine men sang and danced on a sandy Lima beach. The shamans used the chance to look into the future, predicting that 2017 would be a turbulent year.
One of the shamans, Juan Osco, said the administration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump would fuel continued war in the world and an alliance between Washington and Israel.
“We have seen that the entire world will not be content, will not be in peace, because there will be problems, especially in Donald Trump's administration. He has said he would get rid of the immigrants, the illegal ones, but I see him leaning more toward supporting Israel, whom he will favor. He will support other countries regarding conflicts. We do not want that. We want there to be peace,” he said.
In Latin America, Osco predicted a difficult year for Venezuela, which has been embroiled in a political and economic crisis, and for Chile.
“I see that [Venezuelan President Nicolas] Maduro will not have a good year. He is not favored because he completely refuses to call for good elections or put his country in order. Famine will continue. Chaos will continue.
[Bolivian President] Evo Morales' government will have favor [in 2017]. He will once again try for another re-election, and it will go in his favor. Authorities will give him access to the sea. And we also see, aside from Nicolas [Maduro], the year will be favorable for [Ecuador President Rafael] Correa.
"What does look a bit gloomy to us is Chile. It will not be favorable for it. There will be earthquakes. There will be attacks. Something like that that will affect the country,” he said.
Chile lies on a convergent plate boundary that causes regular earthquakes. On the Pacific “Rim of Fire,” it also has the second-largest chain of volcanoes in the world after Indonesia, including around 500 that are potentially active.
Last year, the shamans predicted unnecessary attacks in France and throughout Europe, a year of struggle for Venezuelans under Maduro and economic growth for Argentina under Mauricio Macri.
However, they also predicted the U.S. would lift its embargo on Cuba and that Trump would lose the election.
