Imagine.. . . . . being dipped like a trial spoon into a culture of many flavors. You find yourself pleasantly surprised by some - enchanted that such a combination of tastes could make you feel so warm inside - and equally repulsed with an obscure aversion to others. Surprisingly, you discover some flavors that aren't exotic or egregious. You are not surprised by their commonness, for they aren't common. You are surprised by the familiarity of these flavors whose appearances are foreign, yet whose savors seize your senses in the most intimate way. Surely you must know them!? Ah, you say... as you slowly realize that these flavors have been a part of you since the inception of self. Yes.. . . Your discovery could be life-changing, or life-giving perhaps. It may just be life-revealing... like the removal of a veil. Whatever it is, it proves to be something contemplative and momentous; a powerful truth. Imagine.. . . . .
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My experience in Peru surprised me in many ways. I was elated to discover that security guards were so much more agreeable there! I felt like I actually wanted to befriend them! Haha. I also enjoyed Peru's affinity for a tasteful blend of the old and the new. However, one particular aspect of my experience that struck me was the subtle, structural racism present in Peru. The existence of a racial hierarchy in their society, as portrayed by Peruvian media outlets, and as sung by the lowly taxi drivers, is considerably noticeable. This motivated my work:
While in Peru, my primary project was to lay the groundwork and to commence research for the initiation of an Afro-Peruvian radio station/program, an idea spawned by Afro-Peruvian Luis Bilbao. Since Afro-Peruvians are largely discriminated against in terms of job opportunities, they have negligible presence in the media. As a result, a negative system of racial self-consciousness is created within Afro-Peruvian communities due to a lack of positive images of Afro-Peruvian culture. This radio program aims to promote cultural unity among the Afro-Peruvian population of the Chincha Province.
My second project was the implementation of a small-scale barbershop in the poor marginalized Afro-Peruvian community of Cruz Verde, Tambo de Mora, Peru. The focus of this project was to give the community a means of generating revenue, through a barbershop, by teaching select individuals hair cutting skills with clippers, as well as basic principles of entrepreneurship.
My time in Peru was constructive, in every way. I took in all that I saw and sensed, drinking their culture like a Slurpee [no brainfreeze.] I was able to help people like me, the descendants of African slaves with real-life issues. Issues that, no matter if they differed in magnitude, were of a familiar taste.
One of the most memorable times of the trip was my impassioned discussion with Luis Bilbao, and Ghanaian MIT graduate student James Habia, at a quaint restaurant where we stopped for lonche. We talked of many things, but eventually our conversation settled on historically how each of our three respective peoples differed. Luis pointed out how similar he and I were, in the fact that our nations had been colonized. We had been stripped of our mother tongues and traditions, and forced to go through slavery - a painful process. James on the other hand, has retained his native languages, and most of his traditions (save those lost to globalization.) However, we were essentially the same people, going through comparable struggles.
Our intense discussion made me think about the knowledge that I gained from taking World Literatures at MIT, a class taught by Prof. Alisa Braithwaite showcasing literature by international authors who comment on race, gender and identity as related to history. From noting the effects of the system of colonization on Afro-Peruvians, African-Americans, and native Africans, I've internalized much of post-colonial theory and the grave impact of colonization and slavery. It both amazes and disgusts me how the raping of a nation through the imposition of one culture upon another can so acutely affect the victim, forever changing their future. I am rightfully confused how a process so inconsiderate and selfish in nature has also created so many beautiful things.
I remember that as a child, I would proudly conjure up fair-skinned, wispy-haired superheroes in my head, depicting their 'perfect features' in my sketchbook and beaming with achievement. These were the products of a juvenile mind who had unknowingly capitulated to a system that prefers light to dark, white to black, [good to evil?!] Was it my fault that at one time in my life I seemed to be more attracted to girls of Anglo Saxon origin, than to girls of my own race?? People like me??
Yes, it's true. From a young age this society has attempted to brainwash me into believing that white is superior to black - well truly, that any hue is superior to black. Historically, Blacks have been perceived as evil, primitive beings. And to this day, these perceptions can be found hiding in the minds of Americans of all flavors, even if they are manifested in a subdued form. The classic archetype of black signifying evil, darkness, and depravity found its way easily into the psyches of the founders of American social mores, giving a fallacious legitimacy to this kind of ignorance. It is an ignorance that yields a system resulting in benightedness, debasement and self-hatred of Blacks. Well, black is beautiful.
And while my ranting may seem acrimonious in nature, note: I am not bitter. I must in turn be grateful for the past, for it has molded me into the individual that I am today; it has created a world that is interconnected in a way that is indeed beautiful.
Going to Peru and working with the people of Cruz Verde was an uplifting experience for me. I have a renewed vigor for learning about other cultures, and it has also caused me to care more for issues within my own culture. I felt blessed to be able to provide the people of the community with a way to help themselves to overcome the poverty and marginalization they have undergone. Through the rich, mutual sharing of cultures we experienced, and the common bond of our ancestry, we established a certain rapport that I will never forget; one that has given me a keen connection to people of the African diaspora everywhere. I just hope that they too recognize that familiar flavor that I've come to love so much.
in Lima I came across a stencil of the thin-lipped and mustachioed Adolf Hitler saying, "Adolf Hitler Tenía Razón," which translates to: "Adolf Hitler was right." Now I disagree wholly with this statement. It infuriates me to ponder the hatred in Hitler´s soul that fueled his crazed ideologies, or to consider the atrocities he caused against Semitic peoples. But the image of this stencil has been chiseled into my mind´s eye to remind me that art is powerful, art speaks, and is ultimately tantamount to freedom.
