Journal, November 5

Last Tuesday, theory met practice at the Afro-Peruvian Roundtable’s discussion on “The Afro-Peruvian People and their inclusion in the Political Constitution of Peru.”  I was excited that my supervisor had invited me to attend, as the theme of the discussion was directly related to my INDEV 474 research paper on the collective identity and rights of Afro-Peruvians.  I looked forward to learning more about a topic that I had already researched extensively, and hearing from Afro-Peruvians themselves, rather than North American academics’ perspectives on Afro-Peruvian issues. 

 I arrived early at the Afro-Peruvian Museum, where the event was to be hosted, and so I had the chance to wander through the exhibits while I waited for the discussion to begin.  Historical drawings of African slaves waiting on their Spanish colonial masters gave me a glimpse of Afro-Peruvians’ long history of humiliation and exclusion from society, while rooms full of percussive music and videos of traditional dances filled me with a sense of their cultural richness and strength as a people, despite centuries of hardship.  After reading about their incredible political achievements in recent years, including the government’s 2009 Historic Apology, I entered the meeting with a feeling that Afro-Peruvians were riding a tide of success, and that there was much hope for their future.

However, as four o’clock came and went, and the small group of eight Afro-Peruvian civil society leaders realized that no one else would be coming to the event—not the congressmen who had confirmed, nor the Minister of Culture—the feeling of humiliation and exclusion became real.  The discussion was moved from a large event hall to an actual roundtable, at which I even had a seat.  At first, the discussion had a fairly negative tone, as the group felt somewhat defeated before they had even begun.  However, they soon turned to constructive conversation on the rights of Afro-Peruvians and strategies to realize them.

From what I understood of the rapid and intense discussion, the main issue regarding Afro-Peruvians’ inclusion in the Constitution is that they self-identify as a distinct racial and ethnic group, needing special civil and political, as well as economic, social, and cultural rights.  They do not, however, fit into the state’s definition of an “indigenous people” that would be guaranteed these rights, and so they do not receive the special protection that indigenous groups do.  My research paper explored the justification for their claims to racial and cultural group identities, and found that they were, in fact, justified in claiming both.  I wanted to go further in my analysis and make recommendations for policy changes; however, I struggled to determine which definitions of racial and cultural groups were of significance to Afro-Peruvians.  At this roundtable, I learned that the important definition is that of the International Labour Organization, which states that an “indigenous people” is one that was present during the period of conquest or colonization, or when the state’s borders were established.  Clearly, this definition excludes groups that are original to Peru, but that developed after the state was established.  This leaves no path for Afro-Peruvians to claim the kinds of rights they need for protection against past and present discrimination, and the preservation and development of their unique culture.  I now know that for Afro-Peruvians to be included in the Constitution, this definition needs to be expanded.

The Roundtable discussion was necessary for clarifying the group’s goal of modifying the state’s definition of a “people.”  However, it may be a struggle for the group to gain the political leverage needed to accomplish this, as government leaders clearly do not care enough to sit down and work together.  The vision for the Roundtable is to be a space for dialogue between the political administration and civil society, but it remains to be seen whether or not the political administration shares this commitment.