Afro Peruvian Women – Remarkable!

The UN Information Centre (UNIC) Lima organized a presentation of the essay “Black Woman, slave resistance” by Zelmira Aguilar to commemorate the International Day Remembering Victims of the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

Zelmira Aguilar cited the black woman as leading the fight to liberate mid-nineteenth century slaves. During her investigations, she uncovered achievements of black women during the time of slavery that were almost unimaginable, such as the reduction of working hours during pregnancy and improvement in food and housing conditions.

“It’s time to search the files of the nation to change the history of this badly told story” she said.

International Day Remembering Victims of the Transatlantic Slave Trade

Her work included a series of portraits of black enslaved women in Peru whose life stories were testimony to the social process that brought the abolition of slavery to Peru in 1854.

Dr. Fernando Leanes, Resident Coordinator (ai), presided over the event as part of the “Youth for Tolerance” project being implemented by UNIC Lima. Dr Leanes commended the essay as an indispensable tool that challenges everyone to engage in the struggle against racial and all types of discrimination.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon message on the occasion of the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade was read out.

At the end of the presentation, the author engaged in a lively discussion with the audience, which encompassed representatives of the education sector, the Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations, civil society organizations and United Nations agencies.

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