What role do you think art can play in social change?
I am 100% sure that art will continue to change everything. Music is sometimes the only tool to fight from our artistic position, raising our voice for those who can no longer, or are denied the artistic path in spaces we also have the right to belong to. Music is a political act and will continue to be so in the new generations. It is our duty to create safe spaces for everyone from our positions.
How is your artistic practice is connected to amplifying social movements?
Through my art, I inspire women to dive into music and Afro-Peruvian zapateo. In an authentic experience, I highlight that women can not only participate but also make a living from music. The limited information on women practicing Afro-Peruvian zapateo prevents them from studying and performing, coupled with a lack of support from male counterparts unwilling to share the art with female zapateadoras. I focus on encouraging new generations to embrace their culture and understand it. Providing them with the knowledge they may need to navigate the art, drawing from my experiences with various groups over time. Giving them the push that YES, it is possible to live through the art they choose. Through my platforms, I sparked the interest of over 100 female zapateadoras, artists who believed in me to disseminate information during the pandemic when art was threatened, and the only solution was to keep trying.
What do you hope to achieve through this award?
It will give me the opportunity to continue executing directed and paid projects from my personal platform and “Perú Mujer,” a project that has been providing spaces for women making music in all its musical diversity with total freedom for the artists.
