The Hidden Page

Bringing Afro-Peruvian historical memory to schools: The Hidden Page and the vindication of figures forgotten by Peruvian history
LUNDU, Center for Afro-Peruvian Studies and Promotion, and Cheil Peru join forces in an educational project, distributing 50,000 copies in Lima, Callao, Ica, Lambayeque, and Piura.
For decades, official Peruvian history was narrated from approaches or perspectives that relegated or rendered invisible the contribution of the Afro-Peruvian population to the country's construction—especially that part of history related to the "colonial" era and the early days of the republic, which is reflected in school textbooks through references to the enslaved or "enslaved Black person" brought from Africa.
This way of narrating Peru's history overlooked the stories of those men and women of African descent who, through their example, managed to remain in the memory and oral tradition of communities that historically had a significant concentration of Afro-Peruvian population.
To address this gap, the project "The Hidden Page" by LUNDU, Center for Afro-Peruvian Studies and Promotion, and Cheil Peru recovers and disseminates four stories of Afro-Peruvian heroes and heroines whose paths, struggles, and contributions were left out of predominant historical narratives. Since October 2025, members of this Afro-Peruvian culture research collective have been distributing printed copies of "The Hidden Page" to schools in Lima, Callao, Ica, Lambayeque, and Piura.
"With this initiative, we want to help bring visibility in schools to those key figures of the freedom and emancipation processes of the various Afro-descendant communities of the 19th century," states LUNDU Project Director Brenda Garay, who has led various educational initiatives such as the school contest "For a Peru Without Racism" and the audiovisual project "My Story Matters."
"When we have shared copies of The Hidden Page with students, we have seen it awaken children's and adolescents' curiosity to learn more about aspects of Peruvian history. We truly feel that we are achieving a change in the perception of Afro-Peruvian figures, beyond those related to music, cooking, and sports," explains Brenda Garay.
This educational and Afro-Peruvian historical memory project has been documented audiovisually by Cheil Peru, accompanying Lundu's team through the different stages of the project, including the research process by historian Maribel Arrelucea. During this stage, and thanks to the historical and family references of the figures, Cheil's creative team was able to recreate the faces of Ildefonso, Francisco Congo, Catalina Buendía de Pecho, and Alberto "Grumete" Medina, as well as handle the layout design and the printing of 50,000 copies.
The project's documentary video is now online across the social media channels of LUNDU, Center for Afro-Peruvian Studies and Promotion. It reflects the creative and historical documentation process, with a musical score by percussionists Carlos Yamasaki Ayllón and Gustavo Silva. The documentary includes commentary from former members of Lundu: its founder Mónica Carrillo, as well as singer and communicator Ysabel Omega. It also features analysis by the former General Director of Intercultural Citizenship of the Ministry of Culture, current Senator Susana Matute.