hey guys I'm fada and today we're going to be talking about the African diaspora in Peru now before I start some of you will know that I work in different Latin American countries offering African Diaspora tours including Peru so if you're interested in doing my black history tour in Peru then please do get in touch now let's get to it when people think of Peru they think of the Incas Machu Picchu alpacas llamas and possibly the cutest guinea pigs in the world which are also a national delicacy but they don't think of blackness which is funny because when you look at the National Peruvian football team you see a whole lot of melanin so let's set the record straight and take a look at the African diaspora in Peru the exact size of the afro-peruvian population is unknown credible sources state that up to 3 million people that's 10% of the Peruvian population are afro-descendant the regions with the highest concentrations of afro-peruvian are found in and around the capital of Lima the neighboring district of lkl along the southern coast and ginger and Canada and in the northern region of pura particularly in Sanya and yamadera from the 1503 to the mid-1800s the slave trade flourished in Peru thousands of enslaved Africans were trafficked to Peru mostly to nkl just outside of Lima which was a major slave trading port in major cities in urban areas enslaved Africans worked in the construction of buildings and roads as well as domestic work such as cooking cleaning and Oh pairing enslaved Africans in rural areas worked on cotton plantations as well as in vineyards processing wine and pisco Peru's national drink across Peru today you can visit former Sen bass or plantations where Peru's wealthy elite once lived here you'll find secret slave tunnels many of the haciendas sit on top of a secret labyrinth of tunnels that stretch for many kilometers under the ground these tunnels were used to smuggle in enslaved Africans so that slave owners could avoid paying tax on their products the abolition of slavery in Peru came in two main stages in 1821 and the Cree was passed called freedom of the womb which meant that anyone born to an enslaved mother from then on was born free it wasn't until 1854 that slavery was totally and officially abolished the first afro-descendants st. in Latin America was a mixed-race Peruvian man named Matt Dean it was today known as San Martin de Porres he was born in 1579 to a Spanish father and an afro Panamanian mother who had formerly been a slave San Martin de Porres was renowned for three supernatural abilities miraculous healing powers levitation and the abilities to communicate with animals Sandman theme was dearly beloved and it said that when he died in 1639 the whole of Lima attended his funeral he was canonized by the Pope in 1962 and today is one of the most cherished and revered saints in Peru San Martin de Porres is often depicted holding a broom a symbol of his humility with a group of animals at his feet a dog a cat and a rat this represents his ability to unite animals of different species and men of different races he is the patron saint of mixed-race people and those seeking racial harmony from the 1950s onwards there was a resurgence of black consciousness in Peru in part influenced by the civil rights movement of the United States two major pioneers of the afro-peruvian social movement of the 1960s and 70s were victorious Santa Cruz and her brother Nick O'Mara Santa Cruz nickel Manus was a songwriter a musicologist who researched and performed afro-peruvian folk music his older sister Victoria was a poet choreographer and activist together they formed the seminal afro-peruvian dance and theater collective come on Ana both siblings had illustrious careers in their own rights and were instrumental in reviving a collective identity among Africans Amador by ambrósio was the legendary afro-peruvian musician and dancer who worked to preserve over 20 afro-peruvian folkloric songs and dances with his wife Guadalupe he had 15 children all of whom he taught his ancestral music to today the by ambrosial family continued to perform worldwide as well as in their family home in El Carmen Susana Baca is an afro-caribbean singer musician and two-time Latin Grammy Award winner in 2011 she became the Minister of Culture for Peru and was the country's first for a Peruvian government minister afro-peruvian culture manifests itself most prominently in food and music the two best known styles of afro-peruvian music and dance are Sabadell and festival because of instruments are key to both genres and include the checkol the Kahala and of course the Cajon examples of afro-peruvian cuisine include the beloved dish anticucho made from cows heart and the Quran a biscuit base dessert flavored with aniseed and decorated with hundreds and thousands one of the most revered chefs in Peru was Paris is Kiera Doyle nicknamed the mother of Peruvian cooking chef and businesswoman mama in a has a long-standing a popular restaurant in wobble in 2009 the Peruvian government formally apologized to its afro-descendant community for centuries of abuse exclusion and discrimination while this was a landmark moment for the black community in Peru there is still a long way to go racist and degrading depictions of black people remain an issue in Peru caricatures of black people in art and culture as well as black face on TV is still widely seen and accepted though there are groups who openly contest it racism remains ingrained into Peruvian society and many afro-caribbeans continue to face discrimination while indigenous Andean culture is celebrated in Peru and heavily marketed to tourists as a cornerstone of Peruvian identity afro-peruvian culture does not receive the same level of recognition or attention every year June the fourth is celebrated as afro-peruvian day the Ministry of Culture holds an annual event in December called Samus Familia which unites afro-peruvian organizations across the country organizations such as Ashanti a sauna and the Peruvian Rastafarian society continue to do grassroots work among the community when it comes to the younger generations bloggers activists artists and entrepreneurs like chica afro piranha La Jolla negra las responders Eileen my day styler and el Banat afro Piranha del cayo work to foster a Peruvian culture consciousness and pride among Peruvian Millennials [Music]