Criollo Culture 101: My Re-education in Carmen

I'm not going to lie -- if I had been asked 6 months ago what a Peruvian looks like, I most likely would have given the stereotypical answer of “an indigenous person.” Being in this country for just half a year has unwound everything I thought I knew about Peru, especially its culture and the background of its people.

This weekend, I went on a trip to Chincha, a city along the Southern coast that houses a community known as El Carmen, home to approximately 3000 Peruvians, the large majority of whom have African descent. The Afro-Peruvian community was formed as a result of the slave trade that brought more than 95,000 Africans to the Peruvian coast to work on plantations. This wave of slave trade was particularly brutal, as Africans were forced to relinquish all aspects of their culture by threat of mutilation – for example, they were told that if they sang their music, their tongues would be cut off. The remnants of such brutality today is present in the strong racism that exists against Afro-Peruvians. Oftentimes the only Africans seen in wealthier parts of Lima are doormen or bus drivers, because opportunities available to Afro-Peruvians are few and far between.

Amazingly, though, the Afro-Peruvian cultural fusion known as criollo has had a huge impact on Peruvian society. From criollo dishes to music (the famous Afro-Peruvian musician Zambo Cavera was greatly mourned with his recent passing), the African presence in Peruvian culture is undeniably unique and powerful.

I was blown away by the presence of African traditions in El Carmen this weekend. I learned how to dance zapateo and play el cajón, two uniquely Afro-Peruvian art forms that I had never heard of before travelling to Carmen. I even had the opportunity to watch a dance group of people ages 3 – 90,pouring their heart into zapateo.

The most incredible part of experiencing this culture, for me, is realizing how resilient people really are, because through centuries of repression and discrimination, there are still people dancing, drumming, and most importantly, sharing those traditions with their children.