Afro Peruvian leader Monica Carrillo visits Washington DC

Monica Carrillo is one of those human beings that don’t come around often enough. As an African descendant woman born in Peru, she has overcome racism and sexual discrimination to became a role model and a leader that is working to change the lives of thousands of Afro Peruvians.

Photo by MADRE

A writer, poet, singer, musician, community leader, journalist, human rights advocate, feminist and educator, she is working to empower her community, especially working with younger generations of Peruvian young people that live under poverty.

I have known the work of Monica Carrillo for a couple of years, and I am glad I will have the chance to meet her in person when she visits Washington, DC this weekend. Read more about Monica Carrillo at the end of this message sent to me:

Dear Friends,

We invite you to meet with Monica Carrillo at a briefing and discussion and afterwards a potluck hosted by Grupo Afro Descendiente. As an Afro-Peruvian woman, Monica Carrillo faces sexual and racial discrimination every day. Concerned about the effect of this discrimination on other young women like herself, Carrillo founded LUNDU, an anti-sexism, anti-racism, anti-homophobia organization focused on empowering a new generation of Afro-Peruvian leaders. It is currently the only group working on issues of gender, sexuality and human rights in Afro-descendent communities in Peru.

Please join us this Friday, August 29th at IPS.

Monica Carrillo in Washington, DC
Briefing, short film screening and discussion

Institute for Policy Studies - S.A.L.S.A
1112 16th St. NW, Suite 600
Washington DC 20036

Friday, August 29
4:00 pm - 5:30 pm

Reception-Potluck
Friday, August 29
8:00 pm - 10:00 pm

About Monica Carrillo

Peru is a country with a majority of Indigenous and African populations, and the mix of them with other European, Asian and Arab immigrants. Afro Peruvians make up about 12-15% of the general population, a data that is hidden and ignored officially by the Peruvian government and society.

Unfortunately, Black Peruvians still face problems of racism and class division as a consequence of over 3 centuries of Hispanic and European colonial oppression, even when their contributions to Peru’s social and cultural identities, idiosyncrasy, religion, arts, food, music, dances, literature, history, economy, etc. are rich, important, obvious and appreciated all over the world.

Monica Carrillo is trying to change that. As the director of LUNDU, the Center for Afro-Peruvian Studies and Advancement, which is a group of young leaders that is based in Lima, but that works in several towns of Peru, especially among black rural population. LUNDU (means successor in an African language) promotes recognition and respect for the African populations of Peru, fighting against racial and sexual discrimination, and for the defense of the rights of women and youth, including sexual and reproductive rights.

Its work is focused and intended to educate, train and empower young Afro Peruvians and it’s the only non-profit group working on issues of gender, sexuality and human rights among Afro-descendent communities in Peru, especially with anti-sexism, anti-racism, anti-homophobia programs.

El Carmen, a rural town south of Lima with a majority of black population, has seeing a growing sex tourism industry with a high rate of HIV/AIDS infections. LUNDU is training peer educators to provide with vital information on sexual and reproductive health to Afro-Peruvian youth.

Monica Carrillo in MTV Europe

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Monica Carrillo is also a journalist and advocate with focus on International Human Rights Law and African and Minority Rights, with studies at Oxford University (UK), she has given speeches and conferences in the US, South Africa, England, Brazil, Colombia trying to call the attention to the problems of her communities. Recently, she has been the recipient of the “Young women that fight for the future” award by the NYC-based advocate organization MADRE.

Also a performer, Monica goes by the name of Oru, creating music that mixes poetry, afro-beat, soul, hip-hop and Afro Peruvian music. Her group is conformed by Cristóbal Paz (Guitar) Roberto Arguedas (Bass y acoustic guitar) and Jhonatan Reaño (Afro Peruvian Cajón drum).

I have known the work of Monica Carrillo for a couple of years, and I am glad I will have the chance to meet her in person this weekend as she visits Washington, DC. My first contact with Monica was through the Internet, when I discovered one of her videos on Youtube.

Afro Peruvians
Photos by Martin Alvarado and Deiter Linares via racismonuncamas.com

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Later on when I was volunteering at a DC church, I helped organized an event to support her work with LUNDU, helping the victims of the earthquake that destroyed several towns in southern Peru. Afro Peruvians faced an unfair amount of help from the Peruvian government, as TransAfrica Forum (in Spanish) denounced. A year later, Monica showed the results of her work:

Message from Monica posted by MTV Europe:

As an Afro-Peruvian woman, I face sexual and racial discrimination every day. I’d like to tell you about two hours of my life walking down the street in Peru. At 5 PM, I walk past a father and his child. The father points at me. He is laughing. He says, “Monster, monster! Do you see the monster?” The child says, “Her skin is burned!” At 6 PM, I walk past two men. One of them asks, “Woman, are you African? My doctor tells me that you are the best medicine, because you can make a man so happy.” At 6:10 PM, A taxi driver starts following me. He tells me to get into his car: “Nigger, come on.” I get angry and yell at him. He says, “You should be grateful that I am even looking at you.” This isn’t just an especially bad day. This is every day. So imagine what happens to Afro-Peruvian girls younger than me, girls living in the poor, rural town of El Carmen or in a port called El Callao, based in Lima.

Tourists with money approach them constantly, asking them to dance for coins -or to have sex. And these girls think they have to say “yes.” They think that sex is the only way to get a better life. I founded my organization, LUNDU, six years ago, because I wanted young Afro-Peruvians to have choices. Since 2004, the Coalition has supported our work with young people in El Carmen. We work with children and adolescents-mostly girls-to develop skills to resist sexism, prejudice, and what we call internalized racism, which makes us hate our culture and our own bodies. One way we help children and young people appreciate their Afro-Peruvian identity is with an activity we call The Mask. We ask the girls in our program to make a plaster mask of their face. We then ask them to wear the mask, give the mask a name, and tell a fantasy story about the mask.

Esmerelda, who is 19 years old, tells this story about her mask: “I am Maria. I am white, with brown, straight hair. My eyes are blue. I have my own dance school. I travel abroad. Like most girls in the program, Esmerelda, who is Afro-Peruvian, created a character that is white, with straight hair and blue eyes. Esmerelda then takes off her mask, and tells her own story:

“I am Esmerelda. I am black. I don’t like my face. It is so big. And I hate dancing for coins.” When the girls compare the story of their mask with their own story, they become angry, or start to cry-their reality is so different from their dreams. So in groups of peers and with LUNDU staff, we work to build their self-esteem—to really love who they are, as beautiful black young women. We are establishing a new youth center in El Carmen. With this center, we can reach more young people who need our support. With the Coalition, we can empower more young women against violence, abuse, forced sex, unwanted pregnancies, and AIDS. Our girls believe their lives are worth something. When tourists ask them to dance, or have sex, our girls can say “no”. Our girls learn to live without wearing a mask.

Remarks by Monica Carrillo at the International Women’s Health Coalition Annual Gala:

January 2007

Thank you, Adrienne, and good evening to all of you.

When people think of my country, Peru, they think of Inca culture, white or Spanish ancestors. I'd like to share the stories of my people, the Afro-Peruvians, who are 15 percent of Peru's population.

As an Afro-Peruvian woman, I face sexual and racial discrimination every day. I'd like to tell you about two hours of my life walking down the street in Peru.

At 5 PM, I walk past a father and his child. The father points at me. He is laughing. He says, "Monster, monster! Do you see the monster?" The child says, "Her skin is burned!"

At 6 PM, I walk past two men. One of them asks, "Woman, are you African? My doctor tells me that you are the best medicine, because you can make a man so happy."

At 6:10 PM, A taxi driver starts following me. He tells me to get into his car: "Nigger, come on." I get angry and yell at him. He says, "You should be grateful that I am even looking at you."

This isn't just an especially bad day. This is every day. So imagine what happens to Afro-Peruvian girls younger than me, girls living in the poor, rural town of El Carmen. Tourists with money approach them constantly, asking them to dance for coins-or to have sex. And these girls think they have to say "yes." They think that sex is the only way to get a better life.

I founded my organization, LUNDU, six years ago, because I wanted young Afro-Peruvians to have choices. Since 2004, the Coalition has supported our work with young people in El Carmen. We work with children and adolescents-mostly girls-to develop skills to resist sexism, prejudice, and what we call internalized racism, which makes us hate our culture and our own bodies.

One way we help children and young people appreciate their Afro-Peruvian identity is with an activity we call The Mask. We ask the girls in our program to make a plaster mask of their face. We then ask them to wear the mask, give the mask a name, and tell a fantasy story about the mask.

Esmerelda, who is 19 years old, tells this story about her mask:

"I am Maria. I am white, with brown, straight hair. My eyes are blue. I have my own dance school. I travel abroad.

Like most girls in the program, Esmerelda, who is Afro-Peruvian, created a character that is white, with straight hair and blue eyes.

Esmerelda then takes off her mask, and tells her own story:

"I am Esmerelda. I am black. I don't like my face. It is so big. And I hate dancing for coins."

When the girls compare the story of their mask with their own story, they become angry, or start to cry-their reality is so different from their dreams. So in groups of peers and with LUNDU staff, we work to build their self-esteem—to really love who they are, as beautiful black young women.

IWHC is helping us to establish a new youth center in El Carmen. With this center, we can reach more young people who need our support. With the Coalition, we can empower more young women against violence, abuse, forced sex, unwanted pregnancies, and AIDS.

Our girls believe their lives are worth something. When tourists ask them to dance, or have sex, our girls can say "no." Our girls learn to live without wearing a mask.

This is part of a song I sing with the girls:

If you insult me
I defy you
I am divine
Thank you.

Useful links

• Monica Carrillo’s MySpace
• ORU Peru music
• Lundu Center for Afro-Peruvian Studies and Advancement (in Spanish)
• Monica Carrillo on her own words
• Celebrating the Afro Peruvian Culture Day (in Spanish)

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