In Cantagallo, Karoly has been documenting her community's struggle to get answers from the mayor's office about their impending displacement. They were promised relocation as the former mayor laid plans for a 15-hectare park, Río Verde, prematurely hailed the "new lungs of the city." But mayor Luis Castañeda Lossio has cancelled the Río Verde project, and instead plans to build a freeway bypass. Many limeños are outraged at the prospect of so much green being forsaken for so much concrete; and Cantagallo and its many supporters are raising their voices to ensure they are not forgotten in the process.
"Yo sí grito," Karoly says with pride. Behind the literal pronouncement that she indeed shouts when she participates in these ongoing protests is the assertion that she is willing, ready, and unafraid to do so.
I am honored to share her powerful writing and photographs here.
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"Yo sí grito," Karoly says with pride. Behind the literal pronouncement that she indeed shouts when she participates in these ongoing protests is the assertion that she is willing, ready, and unafraid to do so.
I am honored to share her powerful writing and photographs here.
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Ésta es mi comunidad shipiba, donde todos nos apoyamos.
This is my Shipibo community, where we all support each other.
This is my Shipibo community, where we all support each other.
La comunidad ha estado acá desde el 2000. Durante este tiempo hasta el 2013 estuvimos acá sin problemas. Más o menos 2 años ya, 2013 y 2014, estuvimos con todo esto de la reubicación. Con el proyecto del gobierno, Cantagallo tiene que salir del sitio donde está porque allí, esa parte también va a ser del Via Parque Rímac. Así que tenemos que ser reubicados. Este proyecto lo llevaba la alcaldesa Susana Villarán. Con turno de tiempo que ella estuvo en la alcaldía, hizo cosas buenas. Y nos íba a dar un terreno; un departamento en que todo Cantagallo nos reubicáramos allí.
...Hasta que ingresó el alcalde de ahora, Luis Castañeda Lossio, que no nos quería dar la reubicación. Más o menos quería botarnos de Cantagallo y no darnos terreno.
The community has been here since 2000. We’ve been here until 2013 without any issues, until about 2 years ago, when this whole relocation thing began. With the government’s Project, Cantagallo has to leave its current site, because that area is going to become part of Via Parque Rimac. So we’ll have to be relocated. The former mayor, Susana Villarán, initiated this project. In her turn as mayor, she did good things. She was going to give us land; apartments where all of Cantagallo would be relocated together.
…Until the current mayor, Luis Castañeda Lossio, took office. He didn’t want to help relocate us. Basically, he wanted to kick us out of Cantagallo without giving us anywhere to go.
...Hasta que ingresó el alcalde de ahora, Luis Castañeda Lossio, que no nos quería dar la reubicación. Más o menos quería botarnos de Cantagallo y no darnos terreno.
The community has been here since 2000. We’ve been here until 2013 without any issues, until about 2 years ago, when this whole relocation thing began. With the government’s Project, Cantagallo has to leave its current site, because that area is going to become part of Via Parque Rimac. So we’ll have to be relocated. The former mayor, Susana Villarán, initiated this project. In her turn as mayor, she did good things. She was going to give us land; apartments where all of Cantagallo would be relocated together.
…Until the current mayor, Luis Castañeda Lossio, took office. He didn’t want to help relocate us. Basically, he wanted to kick us out of Cantagallo without giving us anywhere to go.
Donde quedaríamos nosotros? Nosotros, los indígenas, los shipibos? Nos negaron el terreno y nosotros coordinamos con toda la comunidad que haríamos una protesta de lucha para que nos aprueben el terreno.
Where would that leave us? We, the indigenous Shipibos? They denied us land and so we as a community coordinated that we would have a protest, so they would approve the land we were promised.
Where would that leave us? We, the indigenous Shipibos? They denied us land and so we as a community coordinated that we would have a protest, so they would approve the land we were promised.
Así que nos acercamos al Palacio del Gobierno a hacer una protesta. Llegamos al Palacio del Gobierno con nuestra abogada. Ya habian llegado madres shipibas y artesanas, con sus vestuarios, con el traje típico de la selva. Así que la policía ya sospechaba, hasta que se aceró hacía tres madres de la comunidad, y dijeron que teníamos que irnos. Ahí fue donde que todos nos pusimos nuestro traje shipibo, incluyéndome a mi.
So we marched to the Palacio del Gobierno to protest. We arrived at the Palacio de Gobierno with our attorney. Some of the mothers of the community, Shipibo women and artisans in traditional dress from the jungle, had already arrived. So the police already suspected something, and they approached three of the mothers from the community, telling them we had to leave. That’s when we all put on our traditional Shipibo clothing, including myself.
So we marched to the Palacio del Gobierno to protest. We arrived at the Palacio de Gobierno with our attorney. Some of the mothers of the community, Shipibo women and artisans in traditional dress from the jungle, had already arrived. So the police already suspected something, and they approached three of the mothers from the community, telling them we had to leave. That’s when we all put on our traditional Shipibo clothing, including myself.
En ese momento nos identificamos con eso porque aunque tengamos el traje de shipibo, queremos que nos traten igual que a todos. Que no seamos discriminados. Queremos sentirnos igual que todos—ni mas, ni menos. Como somos shipibos las personas piensan que somos malos, que no sabemos nada.
Queremos que los limeños nos traten igual.
At that moment we decided to identify ourselves like that because even though we wear Shipibo dress, we want to be treated just like everyone else. Not to be discriminated against. We want to feel equal to everyone—not more, not less. Because we’re Shipibo, some people think we’re bad, or that we don’t know anything.
We want limeños (people in Lima) to treat us equally.
Queremos que los limeños nos traten igual.
At that moment we decided to identify ourselves like that because even though we wear Shipibo dress, we want to be treated just like everyone else. Not to be discriminated against. We want to feel equal to everyone—not more, not less. Because we’re Shipibo, some people think we’re bad, or that we don’t know anything.
We want limeños (people in Lima) to treat us equally.
Piensan que vamos a venir a la protesta con palos, con piedras. Y no es así. Nosotros hemos venido a hacer escuchar al gobierno nuestra voz. Para que no nos mienten mas. Piensan por eso, por nuestra cultura, porque somos diferentes, piensan que nos van a agarrar de personas que no saben. Y nos han mentido durante 2 anos . y ya no queríamos mas eso. Así que nos fuimos y hicimos una protesta, donde hasta niños fueron.
People think we’ll arrive at a protest with sticks and stones. But it’s not like that. We went to make our voices heard by the government. So that they won’t lie to us anymore. They think that, because of our culture, because we’re different, that they can treat us like we’re ignorant. They’ve been lying to us for 2 years, and we don’t want that anymore. So we went and staged a protest, where even children participated.
People think we’ll arrive at a protest with sticks and stones. But it’s not like that. We went to make our voices heard by the government. So that they won’t lie to us anymore. They think that, because of our culture, because we’re different, that they can treat us like we’re ignorant. They’ve been lying to us for 2 years, and we don’t want that anymore. So we went and staged a protest, where even children participated.
Estuvimos desde las 9 am hasta las 12. Durante este tiempo la policía decían que éramos asháninkas ; y dimos a entender que éramos shipibos. Y la policía se burlaba de cómo hablábamos, de cómo estábamos vestidos.
Tambien fueron periodistas que nos apoyaron durante todo este tiempo. Nos dieron entrevistas para hacer no solamente que nos escucharan los del palacio del gobierno sino que la gente toda la gente sepa donde vivimos quienes somos y para que estamos luchando. Los periodistas, personas que ni siquiera nos conocíamos, personas limeñas, nos apoyaron. Y hasta turistas nos apoyaron.
We were there from 9am until noon. During this time the police called us Asháninkas [1] ; we explained to them that we were Shipibos. And the police made fun of how we spoke, of how we were dressed.
There were also journalists who came to the protest and supported us. They interviewed us, so that we would be heard not just in the Palacio del Gobierno, but so that everyone else would know where we live, who we are, and what we’re fighting for. The journalists, people who we didn’t even know, people from Lima, supported us. And even tourists supported us.
Tambien fueron periodistas que nos apoyaron durante todo este tiempo. Nos dieron entrevistas para hacer no solamente que nos escucharan los del palacio del gobierno sino que la gente toda la gente sepa donde vivimos quienes somos y para que estamos luchando. Los periodistas, personas que ni siquiera nos conocíamos, personas limeñas, nos apoyaron. Y hasta turistas nos apoyaron.
We were there from 9am until noon. During this time the police called us Asháninkas [1] ; we explained to them that we were Shipibos. And the police made fun of how we spoke, of how we were dressed.
There were also journalists who came to the protest and supported us. They interviewed us, so that we would be heard not just in the Palacio del Gobierno, but so that everyone else would know where we live, who we are, and what we’re fighting for. The journalists, people who we didn’t even know, people from Lima, supported us. And even tourists supported us.
Yo y toda mi familia que es Cantagallo, le agradecemos a todas las personas, a los periodistas, que nos apoyaron, y que nos vieron gritar para la defensa de nuestra comunidad. Y ya no mas al rechazo, ni a la mentira!
I, and my Cantagallo family, thank everyone who supported us, who came to see us shout for the defense of our community. No more rejection, no more lies!
I, and my Cantagallo family, thank everyone who supported us, who came to see us shout for the defense of our community. No more rejection, no more lies!
Soy Karoly Bautista Pizarro, hija de Isaiah Bautista Pizarro y Delia Pizarro, y tengo 13 años. No me gusta que nos discriminen. Me gusta la actuación, siempre cuando lleve también de mi cultura. Me gusta mi comunidad. Me gusta ser shipibo. Me da orgullo. Y quiero que todas las personas de Peru se quieran entre todos. Que todos somos iguales.
I am Karoly Bautista Pizarro, daughter of Isaiah Bautista Pizarro and Delia Pizarro, and I’m 13 years old. I don't like for people to discriminate against us. I like to perform, especially when it's related to my culture. I like my community. I like being Shipibo; it makes me proud. And I want all Peruvians to love one another. We are all equal.
I am Karoly Bautista Pizarro, daughter of Isaiah Bautista Pizarro and Delia Pizarro, and I’m 13 years old. I don't like for people to discriminate against us. I like to perform, especially when it's related to my culture. I like my community. I like being Shipibo; it makes me proud. And I want all Peruvians to love one another. We are all equal.