Me gritaron negra (They shouted black at me)

Me gritaron negra' is a filmed performance of poetic self-emancipation from the late African-Peruvian poet and choreographer Victoria Santa Cruz. Joined by a chorus of voices and a cajón (a box-shaped percussive instrument) accompaniment, the artist launches into a powerful and expressive performance with language and spoken word at its core. Me gritaron negra emerged after years of internalised shame catalysed by an early childhood experience in which Cruz first became aware of her Blackness. The artist was shunned from playing with a group of children for the colour of her skin and the psychic consequences of this incident stayed with her long after. This performance is emblematic of Cruz’s uncompromising work, which made the reality of Black culture a topic of public debate in Peru, holding space especially for Black women living within a colonial, racially oppressive, and patriarchal society.

Cruz was interested in liberating ceremonies and performances involving song, dance and music. Her pioneering work as director of the Conjunto Nacionale de Folclore of the Instituto Nacional de Cultura made a space for Afro-Peruvian expression in theatre, to publicise Black stories of the African diaspora in Peru.