Press Releases

Taking a Stand Against Racism in Peru

Posted on: Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Keywords: Peru, Latin America and Caribbean

MADRE's partner organization in Peru, LUNDU, is dedicated to promoting respect for Peru’s populations of African descent and to combating racism and sexism. Last year, they launched a major media monitoring and anti-racism campaign, and MADRE has been working with LUNDU to mobilize against the reproduction of racist and sexist stereotypes on television.

Although the racist "El Negro Mama" character was initially suspended by the television station, it has since been reinstated due to popular support on Facebook (numerous fan pages for the racist character cropped up following its removal). Rather than recognizing its power to shape entertainment and promote humorous characters without resorting to racist stereotypes, the television station has chosen to ignore human rights in favor of ratings.

Despite this setback, LUNDU and other social justice organizations are continuing their campaign against racism in the media. Recently, over 200 human rights activists gathered in Lima to protest the continued presence of the characters on the television program. The organizations and activists are now awaiting a response from the Grievance Committee of Peru's Society for Radio and Television.

Monica Carrillo of LUNDU said:

We have more than 50 organizations that are part of this cause, that are calling for humor without discrimination, a new way of doing television and a society that decides not to use programs with discriminatory content.

Listen to the BBC coverage of the campaign »

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