African Diaspora In Peru
By: Anita Dugbartey
Slavery In Peru
The transatlantic slave trade introduced slavery to Peru and had a big impact on the way blacks in the country were lived as a result even in present day. Many slaves were brought to Peru by force with no knowledge of the culture and the world around them. They were brought to Peru to make up for the indigenous people being wiped out by disease. They were forced to work on plantations and many times worked in poor labor conditions. “Africans began to fill the role that the native peoples had played before, as hard laborers, especially as coastal natives in most countries including Mexico and Peru died after repeated waves of epidemic disease” (Contreras 1). When the Indigenous people succumbed to the diseases in Peru, the Spanish became more reliant on the African population in Peru as a result. (I) After slavery was abolished, Africans and Indigenous people were still treated poorly. The increase in mining has brought Peru a lot of money but at the expense of the blacks and natives that work in those mines. Many still continue to live in poverty like their African and Native ancestors. Blacks in Peru (as well as highlands Natives) continue disproportionally to suffer from poverty with very limited resources with which to escape it, roughly in the same ways and along the same lines as in its colonial past (Contreras 1). Slavery may not exist in Peru any more but the same groups of people that lived in poverty and struggled are the same groups of people who struggle now at the expense of the economic growth in Peru.
Resistance in Peru
Slaves during the transatlantic slave era in Peru found many ways to resist their slave masters. During the era of slavery in Peru, many slaves found creative ways to revolt against their masters. They would secretly practice their culture behind closed doors and disguise the practices as random objects or sudden movements. When slaves played Lando music with the Cajon drum they would disguise the sound of the drum as the sound of a seat or stool (Carrol 1). These secretive practices opened new ways and ideas in which slaves could keep their culture alive and revolt against their master’s orders. Some slaves took the obvious choice and ran away from plantations as a whole. Many slaves escaped plantations and moved to maroon communities and learned to defend themselves. Others escaped and committed suicide out of fear that their masters would find them (Valdez 1). The want for freedom gave slaves the confidence to revolt and disobey their masters. Many knew doing so would get them killed or beaten. Any act of disobedience was a risk for many slaves and some took it in order to give themselves a chance at a better life living in a maroon community or a chance to commit suicide and end it all.
African Culture In Peru
Music and Dance dating back to the transatlantic slave trade can still be found in Peru’s culture today. Many African slaves were brought to Peru with no knowledge of the cultures around them specifically in music. Because many slaves were imported from West Africa, the music they created often incorporated West African influence. During the era of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, an Afro-Peruvian slave population created a genre of music called Lando music. One of the instruments of Lando music is a drum called the Cajon. The Cajon drum originated from West Africa and is the main instrument in this genre. Lando music is a combination of Spanish and African music (Carrol 1). Because slaves were able to assimilate into Peruvian culture during the slavery era, Lando music later incorporated some Spanish influence as a result. In addition to the music, slaves had a big impact on the culture in terms of dance as well. When first brought to Peru slaves made sure to keep pieces of their culture alive. They continued to practice their dances even though the white colonists banned it. Some of those dances practices are still popular today like the Festijo and the Zapateo which all danced in different celebrations. The Festejo dance has the root word fest which usually stands for the festival or a gathering or show. This dance also ironically happens to be danced commonly at festivals with colorful costumes (Carrol 1). Additionally, the music and the dance of the transatlantic slave era still has a big impact today because the people keep it alive by dancing and singing to it and celebrating it on special days like Emancipation day (December 3rd) and Independence Day (July 28th).
Works Cited:
Ali, Omar H. “Afro Perú.” ReVista, 2014, https://revista.drclas.harvard.edu/book/afro-peru
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Valdez, Daniel G. “Cimarrones De Palenque, Guerreros De La Libertad.” La Soga | Revista Cultural, 10 Aug. 2018, https://lasoga.org/cimarrones-de-palenque-guerreros-de-la-libertad/
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Carroll, Tom. “Afro-Peruvian History and Its Influence on Peruvian Culture Today.” Luxury Travel to Peru, Galapagos & Bolivia, 6 Nov. 2018, https://www.kuodatravel.com/background-afro-peruvian-history-influence-peruvian-culture-today/
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