“Discrimination and racism are disguised as humor. The same thing happens with machismo.”

Eight years ago, a scene stuck like a dagger in the memory of Ebelin Ortiz. It was August 30, 2014, the day Victoria Santa Cruz, composer, choreographer and designer who imbued the Afro-Peruvian legacy with pride, departed for eternity. That day, during the wake, the facilities of the National Museum looked practically empty. Ortiz could not understand why if only 25 days ago that same place was packed with people who wanted to say goodbye to Rafael Santa Cruz, nephew of the investigator, at that time everyone was conspicuous by his absence. The actress’s pain turned into protest and indignation, but by then there was very little she could do. This year, however, she will have her revenge. Her show “Victory through me” will be the first to celebrate in style the centenary of the birth of the sister of the decimist Nicomedes Santa Cruz and a Peruvian reference of feminism. “It is a joy that she is finally recognized for what she is, an advanced woman for the age she was when she began her cultural contribution and for the time in which she lived,” Ortiz comments on the festivities that various entities come preparing.

The bond that unites the also activist with the Santa Cruz goes back to her first years of life. Her mother and her uncles were part of the National Folklore Ensemble of the National Institute of Culture (INC), directed since the seventies by Victoria herself. Although the memories of that time are vague, a black and white photo shows little Ebelin running around the brothers Victoria and Rafael Santa Cruz during rehearsals at La Cabaña del Parque de la Reserva. The starting point for Ortiz’s tribute comes from a TED conference she was invited to last year. There she presented “I want to talk about my hair”, a talk that used excerpts from the poem “They yelled at me black” to account for the process of self-recognition she went through.

We are used to hearing phrases that sound like a joke, but actually hurt us. I am hopeful that my generation can initiate the change.

Ebelin Ortiz / Actress On the forms of intolerance in Peruvian society.

What do the verses of “Me shouted black” mean to you?

I’ve remembered it for as long as I can remember, it’s part of my DNA. My uncles and my family in general stopped me on the table to declaim it. But of course, over the years I begin to delve into it, to find the key, as Victoria says.

When did you begin to become aware of the truth that those lines contained?

Little by little and over time. I think that my presence on television and not falling within the stereotype that was sought there helped me a lot to understand its meaning. The poem goes beyond literally being called black. It talks about the individual and how aggressive we can become. From both sides of the human being, as aggressor and victim. Also how one begins to adapt to be liked, to fit into society. Until you understand that you don’t have to do certain things to be accepted but you have to find yourself and from there live a full life.

In a discriminatory and racist country like Peru, what experiences have made you feel uncomfortable?

Many, but there is one in particular that I remember. I had a crush who somehow ordered me to straighten my hair and I complied with my eyes closed. After a whole process, I understood that I don’t have to meet the expectations of anyone other than myself.

Sometimes it is difficult to recognize signs of racism due to its naturalization in society.

It is that it is absolutely ‘heated’. Discrimination and racism are disguised as humor. The same goes for machismo. We are used to hearing phrases that seem like a joke, but actually hurt us.. I am hopeful that my generation and those to come can initiate change.

life is a poem

When did you start creating this show?

I have always been linked to folklore and Victoria’s work. For me, both she and Susana Baca are important references. I’ve been thinking about this show since last year as a result of the Ted conference to which I was invited. In that talk I take the poem “They shouted at me Black” by Victoria and make a parallel with my life.

How do you define this job?

It has to do with the theatrical and the musical. It is not a musical per se. This is me telling my experience. It’s like a big conference that will be accompanied by anecdotes and Victoria’s music. I think that the result will make people leave with the feeling that there is something that we must change in us. I will also be accompanied by two musicians who have worked with her, Christian Aquije on the cajon and Carlos Ayala on the guitar. We are a trio, strings and percussion complemented by my voice. Victoria was a wonderful composer of proclamations and also of waltzes, her legacy is enough to put on at least three complete shows.

Victoria said that art is also a way to raise your voice, is that the spirit of your show?

Totally, because in the end what I’m talking about is self-acceptance. It is from this recognition that we can become better people.

Does the title, “Victory through me”, also allude to a personal triumph?

I think that confinement has also brought us the possibility of making a call to count and to look inside ourselves. To recognize ourselves, to make a self-reflection. And yes, bringing this show to the stage is a victory of mine.

Speaking of victories, what would you say has been the biggest in your life?

The greatest victory is yet to come. We are full of small victories. Whoever says that he reached his peak in the work or personal area, I think he is wrong because achieving it implies constant work.