The final cultural organization I want to write about is the Museo afroperuano de Zaña. Located in the city of Zaña, in the northern coastal region, it has been extremely active over the past several years in activities intended to preserve and publicize Afro-Peruvian culture, including the music and dance.
Founded in 2005, their first major effort was the reconstruction of one of the percussion instruments developed by Afro-Peruvians, a drum called the tambour de botija. "Botija" means "treasure." It´s a bit unclear to me if they mean these instruments are treasures, or if it refers to one specific kind of drum.
In any event, they made a video in which people, mostly youth, are playing various of the drums and other percussion instruments of the Afro-Peruvian community, plus there is some dance, including a long section of the Dance of the Devils (son de los diablos). It´s pretty interesting.
More recently, the museum (which is also very much of a cultural organization) began promoting a come-back of the percussion instrument called the "checo," made out of a gourd which has the same name. This included planting the vine on which the checo grows, turning the gourds into percussion instruments, giving classes in its use, making a video about it, and petitioning the Peruvian government to declare the checo a national, cultual treasure.
And even more recently, they have published a book about Afro-Peruvian musical instruments. This organization is definitely doing a lot to maintain Afro-Peruvian culture, and rescue some elements that were about to disappear.
OUR NEXT POST will announce that for future information about Afro-Peruvian culture, and other aspects of cultural diversity on which we focus, you should go to the blog Palomino Productions.
