On June 4 Peru celebrates the Afro-Peruvian Culture Day.
The date was chosen in tribute to the remarkable writer, musician, poet and cultural icon Nicomedes Santa Cruz (1925-1992.)
Afro-descendants make up between 10% and 15% of the population of Peru, according to unofficial estimates. Still black Peruvians do not have the visibility they deserve within Peruvian society, they face racism and discrimination as their civil rights are not fully respected.
Map of the Afro-Peruvian population.
Courtesy of CEDET
San Martín de Porres, Nicomedes Santa Cruz, Victoria Santa Cruz, Pancho Fierro, los hermanos Rafael y Octavio Santa Cruz, Julio Algendones, Lucila Campos, Amador Ballumbrosio y sus catorce hijos, Pedro Carlos Soto de la Colina, Andrés Soto, Teófilo Cubillas, Héctor Chumpitaz Gonzáles, Julio Meléndez, Gerónimo Barbadillo, Julio César Uribe, Cecilia Tait, Luis Sanchez Cerro, Luisa Fuentes, Mauro Mina, Jefferson Farfán, Susana Baca, Lucha Reyes, Juan Joya, Zenaida Uribe, Mónica Carrillo, Ronaldo Campos de la Colina, Abel Ramirez, Oswaldo Bilbao, Carlos Lopez, José Izquierdo, Zenaida Uribe y María Elena Moyano, are some of the recognized Afro-Peruvians who have contributed positively to Peruvian society.
Today, Peruvians of African descent live mostly in the coast of Peru. Afro-Peruvians live in valleys away from the coast in the north, in big coastal cities and ports where they migrated, and in southern small towns of rural character.
The majority lives in the Peruvian regions of Lima and Callao but there are also large communities in the regions of Ica, Lambayeque and Piura. In Callao they live in the districts of Carmen de la Legua, Ventanilla and Cercado, where migrated from the south and northern Peru. Within the city of Lima, blacks live in different areas but particularly in the district of Puente Piedra, Chorrillos, Rimac, La Victoria, Azcona, Surquillo, Villa Maria del Triunfo, San Juan de Miraflores, Villa El Salvador, Pamplona, San Martin de Porres and San Miguel.
These are the towns and cities where black Peruvians can be found today, per region. In Piura: La Tina, Las Lomas, Yapatera, Talandracas, Chapica, Ingenio de Morropón, Santa Rosa de Pacaipampa, Chulucanas, Chapica del Carmelo, La Matanza, Hacienda Pabur, Salitral, Buenos Aires, San Juan de Bigote, Canchaque y Tambogrande. In Lambayeque: Zaña, Tuman, Capote, Cayalti y Batan Grande. In La Libertad: Trujillo, Santa Catalina. In Ancash: San Jacinto, San José y Motocache. In northern Lima: Chancay, Aucallama y Huaral.
In southern Lima: San Luis de Cañete, Tambo de Mora, El Carmen, San Regis, El Guayabo, San José, Punta de la Isla, Alto Larán, Hoja Redonda, Sarandango, El Hornillo, El Juncal, Lurinchincha, Pinta Viña Vieja, Huamapalí, Cañapay, Canyar, La Calera. In Ica: Pisco, Independencia, Ica, San José de los Molinos, Manzanilla, Acomayo, Nazca, El Ingenio, La Banda, Changuillo, Cahuachi, Coyungo, Vista Alegre y Cabildo. In Arequipa: Acarí, Caraveli y Mollendo. In Tacna: Locumba, Sama, Inclán y Las Yaras, and the valley of Moquegua.
Although Chincha and Cañete are famous for being the birthplace of most Afro-Peruvian music and dances, the population of those cities is now mostly indigenous and mestizo black, because of the migration of Andean peoples to the coast and of blacks toward the big cities.
There are also Afro descendants in the tropical valleys of Cerro de Pasco and Huanuco. Likewise there is a large Afro-Peruvian community abroad, especially in the United States and Chile.
Africans have influenced Peruvian identity in all its aspects and in all activities of our nation, especially in our music, food, literature, dance, arts, religion, science, accents and idiosyncrasies. This is noticeable in the entire coast and some Andean towns. An important part of our history and heritage have been built with the efforts of people of African descent. Certainly Peru would not have its cultural richness without the contributions of black people.
VIDEO
"NEGRA"
Poema de Victoria Santa Cruz
(hermana de Nicomedes Santa Cruz)
I was barely seven years old
just seven
What seven!
I wasn't even five years old!
Suddenly some voices in the street
they called me Negra! [black girl]
Negra! Negra! Negra! Negra! Negra! Negra! Negra!
Perhaps I am a black girl? I asked myself - yes!
What is being black? Negra!
And I didn't know the sad true that was hidden
Negra!
And I felt I was black. Negra!
As they were shooting. Negra!
And I stepped back. Negra!
Just as they wanted me to. Negra!
And I hated my hair and full lips
And I looked at my toasted skin with sadness
And I backed off
I went backwards. Negra!
And I stepped back.
Negra! Negra! Negra! Negra! Negra! Negra! Negra!
Negra! Negra! Negra! Negra! Negra! Negra!
And time passed
And I was always bitter
I continued to carry in my back
a heavy burden
And was it heavy!
I stretched my hair
I put white on my face
And within my guts the same word resonated
Black woman! Black woman! Black woman! Black woman!
Neeegra!
Until one day I was retreating
and regressing and I was about to fall
¡Negra! ¡Negra! ¡Negra! ¡Negra! ¡Negra! ¡Negra! ¡Negra!
¡Negra! ¡Negra! ¡Negra! ¡Negra! ¡Negra! ¡Negra! ¡Negra! ¡Negra!
So what? I am
So what? Yes a black woman I am
I am a black woman!
Negra! I am a black woman
From now on I don't want
to stretch my hair
I won't
And I will laugh at those
that to avoid
according to their ideas
they refer to us blacks as colored people
to save us of a bad time
And what color? Black!
And how nice it sounds! Black!
And what is its rhythm? Ay
Black! Black! Black! Black! Black! Black! Black!
Black! Black! Black! Black! Black! Black! Black! Black!
At last!
Finally I understood . At last!
I don't retreat hide anymore. At last!
I step forward with confidence. At last!
I step forward with hope. At last!
And I thank heavens because
God wanted
that my skin were dark black
And I understood. At last!
I already have the key:
Black! Black! Black! Black! Black! Black! Black!
Black! Black! Black! Black! Black! Black! Black! Black!
I am a black woman!
June 4: Day of the Peruvian Negritude
Luis Martin Valdiviezo Arista
University of Massachusetts
School of Education
Article taken from Cimarrones, translation by Carlos Quiroz.
In May 2005, Peruvian Congress approved unanimously the Law No. 6692 declaring June 4 of every year, which is the birthday of Nicomedes Santa Cruz Gamarra, as the "Afro-Peruvian Cultural Day". Nicomedes Santa Cruz Gamarra (1925-1992), is one of the greatest exponents of afro descendant poetry and music in Latin America.
This law states that the "the Afro-Peruvian ethnic group, through its own effort and daily sacrifice, has contributed along with other ethnic groups to forge the Peruvian nation in a context of cultural diversity."
Ricardo Palma placed in front of the Peruvian society a truthful mirror, when he said in late 19th. century that "in Peru, who doesn't have of Inca [heritage] has it of Mandinga", but although we are in the 21st. century, Peruvians still reject those mirrors that reveal our entire Peruanidad before our very eyes.
One of the most important reasons for this rejection is the European colonial prejudice against the non-Europeans. The nearly 3 centuries of European colonization didn't end by July 28, 1821 [independence day] and we still maintain racism, among other remnants of pre-modern collective beliefs. That is why we Peruvians deny or hide as much as possible our Indigenous, Africans, Asians, Jews or Arabs ancestors , even when those ancestors are reflected in our pores and hair. The names and the photos of grandparents and great-grandparents who had darker skin are often "lost" in our family trees and albums. Something similar happens in the books of our national history. The sad thing is that individual and national identities built on omissions and denials are often more insecure and prone to crises.The [Indigenous mestizo chronicler] Inca Garcilaso de la Vega wrote "the best thing that has happened to the Indies... are the Spaniards and blacks." However, historians who came after, tried to hide our African past, although Africans and people of African descent have been present since the time that emerged, as the result of confusion and misunderstandings, the very concept of Peru. That's because there were brown-skinned people next to the 13 [invaders] of the Isle of Gallo, as well as in almost all rebellions against the Spanish crown, in the mutinies within the farm haciendas or estates, in the rebellion of [Native leader] Tupac Amaru II, in the armies of Jose de San Martín and Simón Bolívar, in the Huascar [warship] of Miguel Grau, in the national football team that defeated the Austrians in the Berlin Olympic games of 1936 , in the best moments in Peruvian sports, as well as we exist in all regions of the country and in most of our families.
Además de su participación política, militar y deportiva en nuestra historia, lo africano impregnó nuestra religiosidad con San Martín de Porres y el Señor de los Milagros; nuestra música y danza con la Marinera, el Tondero, el Festejo, el Landó, las danzas de negritos y morenadas; nuestra literatura con Ricardo Palma, López Albujar, Nicomedes Santa Cruz, Enrique Verástegui, Gregorio Martínez, Lucía Charún y muchos otros.
In addition to its political, military and sports participation in our history, the African impregnated our religiosity with San Martin de Porres and the Lord of Miracles; our music and dance with the Marinera [Zamacueca], Tondero, the Festejo, the Landó, Negritos and Morenadas dances; our literature with Ricardo Palma, Lopez Albujar, Nicomedes Santa Cruz, Enrique Verástegui, Gregorio Martinez, Lucia Charún and many others.
Therefore, the Day of Afro-Peruvian Culture should also be a day of tribute and appreciation to the black-African roots of our country, a day for us to look in the mirror and appreciate the ethnic diversity that has shaped Peruvian society.Peru, based in a socio-cultural indigenous base, is carrying a fusion of world views and biotypes of the entire planet. In our past and present are located peoples from every continent. In one way or another, this process of fusion are being followed gradually by peoples from all over the world.
We must look ourselves in front of a mirror with honestly and appreciate our universal mestizaje that began about 500 years ago when Mandingo, Angola, Congo, Moors, Berbers, Sephardic, Visigoth, Basque, Catalan (and maybe even Persian) peoples came to the Tawantinsuyo [Inca civilizaction].
Peru has to offer through its culture and popular traditions, valuable examples of original and creative combinations of the socio-cultural diversity of humanity. But to achieve a dialogue, a free and dignified communication between all our cultures, we only lack only of two things that are like the two sides of the same coin: to love our diversity and to leave racism behind.
AN AFRO PERUVIAN
CONGRESSWOMAN
Congresswoman Martha Moyano talks to Peruvian Times
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