ABSTRACT
Nicomedes Santa Cruz (1925-1992) is notably the foremost Afro-Peruvian poet of the twentieth century and one of the most important representatives of the African legacy and its contribution to Peruvian national culture. Through poetry, newspaper articles, and essays he challenged Peruvian intellectuals to rethink and redefi ne their conception of peruanidad. The offi cial discourses on peruanidad, up until the beginning of the 21st century, had essentially ignored the important role Blacks played in the formation of our national culture. Santa Cruz identifi ed and called attention to prevalent Peruvian cultural practices that are examples of the African cultural legacy, such as the procession of Our Lord of Miracles and La Marinera (Peru’s national dance). In doing so, Santa Cruz irrevocably transformed and decolonized our national imaginary by incorporating diverse and heterogeneous cultural histories. Furthermore, Santa Cruz paved the way for contemporary Afro-Peruvian writers such as Lucía Charun-Illescas, Delia Zamudio, Gregorio Martinez, Antonio Galves Roneros, José Campos Dávila, Maritz Joya, Máximo Justo Torres (Majustomo), and Mónica Carillo (Oru), among others. The purpose of this chapter is twofold: fi rst, to present Nicomedes Santa Cruz’s literary biography by highlighting his work in poetry, journalism/essays, and muscicology; second, to critically dissect aspects of Santa Cruz’ poetic language delineating the aesthetic and ideological evolution of his poetry; and fi nally, to argue for his full incorporation into the Peruvian literary canon.
