GRIOTS REPUBLIC - AN URBAN BLACK TRAVEL MAG - JULY 2016

Susana Baca,
Ambassador of
Afro-Peruvian
Music and Peru’s
First Black
Cabinet Minister
People come from all over Perú,
and different parts of the world to
El Carmen, which is in the province
of Chincha, to celebrate with the
slogan, “Vamos Pa’ Chincha, Familia,
meaning “Let’s Go To Chincha,
Brothas and Sistas.” In Perú, blacks
are often referred to as “familia
(family).” One day, I went into a
rough neighborhood in Lima, the nation’s
capital, and I was greeted with
a loud, “qué pasó, familia,” which in
essence means “what’s up, bruh?”
Back in El Carmen, I had the pleasure
of eating home cooked Afro-Peruvian
meals as well as meals served
at the famous black-owned Mamainé
Restaurant. This “soul food” is prepared
with recipes that black Peruvian
women saved and passed down
from slavery.
According to unofficial estimates,
10-15% of Peruvians have African
ancestry and face perceptual racism
and discrimination. Monica Carrillo,
head of a Peruvian civil rights organization
known as LUNDÚ is pushing
for Peru’s rich African heritage to
be an equal part of Perú’s national
identity.
Some of the well-known Blacks who
contributed to Peruvian society include
St. Martin de Porres and his
tireless work on behalf of the poor;
Nicomedes Santa Cruz, a writer,
poet, and musician who helped raise
public awareness of Afro-Peruvian
culture.
Then we have Teófilo Cubillas, Perú’s
greatest soccer player ever, and of
course, the world renown singer Susana
Baca, the former Peruvian Minister
of Culture. In 1969, a man by
the name of Ronaldo Campos de la
Colina founded the world famous
dance troupe, Perú Negro (Black
Peru), which is billed as the Cultural
Ambassadors of Black Perú.
Teófilo Cubillas,
Perú’s greatest
soccer player ever.
As El Carmen has become my home away from home,
more and more people in the community are getting
to know me, or at least, have become familiar with my
presence. In fact, I’m even flattered that people who
didn’t have any communication with me on a prior
trip remembered me vividly upon my return. There is
a drawback, I’ve found, to all of this familiarity; especially
with my reputation as an American with a pocket
full of money. Some are beginning to think that
I’m a walking ATM. One woman showed me her gas
and electric bill and asked for my help. A young man
whom I tipped handsomely for showing me the ropes
around town frequently e-mails me asking for more
money. He is now in my spam folder.