The Lopez Sisters: Musical Houses and Performance Geographies in Lima

This presentation sheds light on the different ways in which music and blackness are integral to the formation of the Black geographies of the South through the case of the López sisters, two Afro-mestizas who own and run a peña criolla—a criollo music venue—in Lima, Peru, since 1974. Criollismo or criollo culture is a mix of different popular traditional expressions of the coast of Peru mainly associated with Limeño's working-class cultural productions such as gastronomy, musical production, and everyday life. By analyzing the position of Afro-peruanas as peña owners and performers of criollo music, my research seeks to understand Afro-descendant women’s musical spatialities as essential to Lima’s urban blackness.

About the presenter:

Roxana Escobar Ñañez is an Afro-Peruvian Ph.D. candidate in Human Geography. She also holds a B.A. in Philosophy and a M.A. in Political Science by the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, and M.Ed in Social Justice Education from OISE-UofT. Roxana’s research focuses on the places Afro-Peruvian women hold in Lima’s sonic landscapes. With her project, Roxana seeks to contribute to the geographic knowledge production about black womanhood in Latin America.

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