element: monica
This episode has been selected for the United Nations’ Stories from the Field Film Festival
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Want to write to Monica? Here’s her address:
Message from Monica (academic, human rights worker, internationally published poet and performer):
As an Afro-Peruvian woman, I face sexual and racial discrimination every day. I’d like to tell you about two hours of my life walking down the street in Peru. At 5 PM, I walk past a father and his child. The father points at me. He is laughing. He says, “Monster, monster! Do you see the monster?” The child says, “Her skin is burned!” At 6 PM, I walk past two men. One of them asks, “Woman, are you African? My doctor tells me that you are the best medicine, because you can make a man so happy.” At 6:10 PM, A taxi driver starts following me. He tells me to get into his car: “Nigger, come on.” I get angry and yell at him. He says, “You should be grateful that I am even looking at you.” This isn’t just an especially bad day. This is every day. So imagine what happens to Afro-Peruvian girls younger than me, girls living in the poor, rural town of El Carmen or in a port called El Callao, based in Lima.
Tourists with money approach them constantly, asking them to dance for coins -or to have sex. And these girls think they have to say “yes.” They think that sex is the only way to get a better life. I founded my organization, LUNDU, six years ago, because I wanted young Afro-Peruvians to have choices. Since 2004, the Coalition has supported our work with young people in El Carmen. We work with children and adolescents-mostly girls-to develop skills to resist sexism, prejudice, and what we call internalized racism, which makes us hate our culture and our own bodies. One way we help children and young people appreciate their Afro-Peruvian identity is with an activity we call The Mask. We ask the girls in our program to make a plaster mask of their face. We then ask them to wear the mask, give the mask a name, and tell a fantasy story about the mask.
Esmerelda, who is 19 years old, tells this story about her mask: “I am Maria. I am white, with brown, straight hair. My eyes are blue. I have my own dance school. I travel abroad. Like most girls in the program, Esmerelda, who is Afro-Peruvian, created a character who is white, with straight hair and blue eyes. Esmerelda then takes off her mask, and tells her own story:
“I am Esmerelda. I am black. I don’t like my face. It is so big. And I hate dancing for coins.” When the girls compare the story of their mask with their own story, they become angry, or start to cry-their reality is so different from their dreams. So in groups of peers and with LUNDU staff, we work to build their self-esteem—to really love who they are, as beautiful black young women. We are establishing a new youth center in El Carmen. With this center, we can reach more young people who need our support. With the Coalition, we can empower more young women against violence, abuse, forced sex, unwanted pregnancies, and AIDS. Our girls believe their lives are worth something. When tourists ask them to dance, or have sex, our girls can say “no”. Our girls learn to live without wearing a mask.
www.racismonuncamas.com
and www.oruperu.com
With thanks to Madre: madre.org
Monica’s Element relates to:
Millennium Development Goal 3: Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women
Millennium Development Goal 4: Reduce Child Mortality
Millennium Development Goal 5: Improve Maternal Health
Émission Amandla du 13 juin 2007/ Amandla show from June 13th 2007 « CKUT’s news collective blog said on June 20th, 2007 at 5:09 am:
[…] Présentation de l’artiste afro-péruvienne, Oru, dont le vrai nom est Monica Carillo - en anglais. Artiste que notre collaborateur Roberto a rencontré au Pérou. Vous pouvez entendre des extraits de sa musique pendant l’émission. Elle est aussi une activiste qui s’implique dans la communauté afro-américaine en amérique latine, notamment, les enfants. Elle est extrêmement critique envers les péruviens qui sont racistes envers les afro-péruviens. On peut aussi voir sa video ici. […]
Element : Action on Earth » Blog Archive » Element Gets Festive said on July 2nd, 2007 at 5:52 pm:
[…] www.element-tv.net/news/2007/04/episode-4 […]
ywkvbhfzum said on August 1st, 2007 at 12:14 pm:
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Joanne said on August 22nd, 2007 at 11:07 am:
As a Peruvian-American who has always recognized the inherent racism in Peruvian culture, but who feels that change will not take place because Peruvians do not want to recognize this racism and subsequent discrimination, (especially its effect on women), I applaud Monica for speaking the truth and doing creative and effective work on the subject! I will show this video to family and friends who continue to deny racism and sexism taking place in Peru. Education is the first step.
You have all my support chica!!!
From one woman to the other.
Arnold said on October 13th, 2007 at 1:45 pm:
As a man from the body of an African-American woman, and the father of an African-American girl…I appreciate the work that you are doing. I strongly believe that as woman become empowered and conscious of what the female principle has to offer…our families, our nations and our world will benefit immensely. Please keep up the good and righteous work.
Shadcar said on January 16th, 2008 at 12:58 am:
hmmmm…very interesting!
Thanks google
milagros medina said on March 8th, 2008 at 4:37 pm:
monica gracias por hacer conocer al mundo la injusticia de nuestra prpia gente que nos discrima y no solo a los de color sino tambien a los pobres cualquier tipo de discriminacion es condenable todos somos iguales y si no a ceptamos esto el mundo nunca va a cambiar,y despues nos quejamos de lo que nos pasa
cultures said on May 27th, 2008 at 2:27 am:
hello, j’aime beaucop ton blog
on y trouve souvebnt quelques perles. Je me demandais pourquoiavoir fait cette pécision : ‘academic, human rights worker, internationally published poet and performer’ 