Celebrating Afro-descendant women

The temporary exhibition hall of the National Museum of Anthropology (MNA) houses an unprecedented exhibition that honors African, Afro-descendant and Afro-Mexican women.

Activist and senator Susana Harp, a tireless voice in the fight to recognize these communities, expressed her joy and satisfaction at seeing this effort come to fruition.

This is a very important activity. After many years of searching for a space for Afro-Mexican peoples, they are finally given the place they deserve in one of the most important museums in the country.said the singer in an interview with The Day.

“The exhibition African, Afro-descendant and Afro-Mexican women. International Decade for People of African Descent 2015-2024 It is a milestone that celebrates and makes visible the rich cultural heritage of Afro-Mexican communities, especially that of their women, who have been fundamental pillars in the construction of our society.

Music and visual arts, like the photographs in the montage, can complement and reinforce each other in the task of preserving and disseminating the cultural wealth of Afro-Mexican peoples.

Organized into seven thematic axes, the exhibition offers a tour of the history and contributions of women of African origin in Mexico, from their forced arrival during the viceregal period to their contemporary role in the Afro-Mexican movement.

In more than 50 images, renowned visual artists Hugo Arellanes, Rosario Nava, Héctor Careaga, Koral Carballo, José Luis Martínez, José Luis Vergara and Susan Luna reflect with their lens the unique sensitivity of everyday life, the resistance and the strength of Afro-Mexican and Afro-descendant women in various regions of the country, including Oaxaca, Guerrero, Coahuila, Veracruz and Mexico City.

A saya de embrocar (a type of skirt, in whose opening the head was placed), oil paintings, among other accessories used by Afro-descendant women complement the collection on display in the room.

However, African, Afro-descendant and Afro-Mexican… It is not limited to aesthetics, but goes beyond that and encourages a dialogue between the visual, history and current events to reflect on inclusion and identity in our country.

Exhibitions, musical productions, among other artistic manifestations, and even books and educational texts, should contribute more to the inclusion of the history of Afro-Mexican peoples, since for several centuries they were victims of discrimination. Despite the progress, there is still a long way to go.emphasized Susana Harp.

Separately, María Elisa Velázquez Gutiérrez, director of ethnohistory at the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) and head of the National Research Program on Afro-descendants and Cultural Diversity, stressed that the exhibition is the result of decades of research and work on populations of African origin in Mexico.

“This exhibition is part of the activities of the Africanías colloquium, which has been held for two decades at the INAH International Book Fair. In this edition, the discussion will focus on the progress and challenges of the International Decade of People of African Descent, proclaimed by the United Nations.

“One of the aims of this activity is to make known the importance of women of African origin in Mexican society, without resorting to classic stereotypes and prejudices. For this reason, emphasis is placed on their economic contributions in daily work in private homes, convents, farms, mines and workshops.

It is essential that Mexican society knows and values ​​the participation of African origin in its past and present in order to fight against ignorance, racism and discrimination. In this sense, visitors will be very interested in learning about this part of their history that has been silenced and forgotten.

With free admission, African, Afro-descendant and Afro-Mexican women. International Decade for People of African Descent 2015-2024 It can be visited from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the temporary exhibition hall of the MNA (Paseo de la Reforma Avenue and Gandhi Street s/n) until August 30.