WikiPeru • The Encyclopedia of Peru
The AIgorythm project
Playwright and actor
Novelist
Writer and poet
Volleyball player
Italian-Peruvian naturalist and geographer
Singer and percussionist
Last Inca emperor
Politician, former prime Minister
Journalist and TV host
Poet
Inca warrior
Actor and comedian
Biophysicist
Poet
Doctor and researcher
Businessman, Interbank group
Journalist and writer
Poet and writer
Singer and songwriter
Writer
Film director, Berlin Golden Bear winner
Football player
Writer and journalist
Doctor and scientist
Photograph
Chess player
Industrialist
Former general
Specialist in public health
Actress and singer
Afro-Peruvian music singer
Mathematician and engineer
Indigenous chronicler
Neurologist and anthropologist
Painter
Football player
National hero, military leader
Intellectual and reformer
Chef and entrepreneur
Fashion designer
Singer-songwriter
TV presenter
Marathon runner
Indigenous Peruvian chronicler
Theologian
Former national team captain
Economist and former health minister
Inca princess
Writer and television host
Folk musician
Poet and guerrilla
Former UN secretary-general
Chef, known for fusion cuisine
Football player
Peruvian aviation pioneer
Poet and artist
Marxist philosopher and writer
Industrialist and businessman
Novelist and ethnologist
Painter and muralist
Opera tenor
Fashion designer
Cardinal of Lima
Peruvian tennis player
Football coach
Leader of the indigenous rebellion
Military hero
War of the Pacific hero
The youngest mother in history
Politician
Creole music singer
Tennis player
Musician
Writer and politician
Politician and founder of the Christian Democratic Party
Founder of Sodalitium Christianae Vitae
Archaeologist and anthropologist
Military leader and politician
Television host
Actress and singer
Contemporary sculptor
Women’s rights activist
Beauty queen
Astrophysicist
Heroine of independence
Mathematician and archaeologist
Historian and anthropologist
Military figure and historical figure
Fashion photographer
Writer, Nobel Prize in Literature, Politician
Revolutionary leader
Environmental activist
Leader of the indigenous rebellion
Musician from Gaia band
War hero
Military leader and politician
Chef, known for Nikkei cuisine
Volleyball coach and former player
Environmental activist
Television personality
Writer
Football player
Epidemiologist and former health Minister
Inventor and aerospace pioneer
Soldier and inventor
Rock singer
Chef and co-owner of Central restaurant
Painter
Football player
TV presenter and actress
Actor
Writer and historian
Journalist and lawyer
Archaeologist, founder of Caral site
Monk and Saint
Saint, patron of Latin America
Physicist and engineer
World champion surfer
Actress
Oncologist
Singer, Latin Grammy winner
Former mayor of Lima
Singer
Actress
Former football player
Painter
Former football player
Painter
Inca leader
Archbishop, saint
Leader of the indigenous rebellion
Revolutionary indigenous leader
Diplomat and intellectual
Sculptor and painter
Political leader, founder of APRA
Lawyer and Former prime minister
Chef of Central restaurant
Former head of secret services
Popular singer
Fashion designer
Exotic music singer
Susana Baca, born on May 24, 1944, in Chorrillos, a district of Lima, is a Peruvian singer, composer, and researcher. She is widely recognized for her role in preserving and promoting Afro-Peruvian music. With her soft and moving voice, Baca has made a mark on the international music scene while bringing new recognition to Afro-Peruvian culture. In addition to her music, she served as Peru's Minister of Culture in 2011, becoming the first Afro-Peruvian woman to hold a ministerial position in the country.
Born into a modest family, Susana Baca grew up listening to Afro-Peruvian songs passed down by her mother and community. From a young age, she was immersed in the musical traditions of her African ancestors, blended with Andean and Spanish influences. These sounds shaped her musical style, characterized by gentle rhythms and poignant lyrics often centered on Afro-Peruvian history and culture.
Baca began her professional career in the 1970s, but it wasn't until the 1990s that she gained international fame with the album Afro-Peruvian Classics: The Soul of Black Peru, produced by renowned musician and ethnomusicologist David Byrne. This album brought the richness of Afro-Peruvian culture to a global audience.
Susana Baca's music is deeply rooted in the history and struggles of Afro-Peruvians. Her songs address themes related to identity, the African diaspora, and the social and political challenges Afro-Peruvians have faced over the centuries. Her interpretation of the lamento negro, a musical genre that expresses the pain and resilience of the Afro-Peruvian community, is particularly moving and has become a signature of her repertoire.
Among her most famous works are songs like Maria Lando, which portrays the difficult lives of Black laborers in sugar cane plantations, and Negra Presuntuosa, a tribute to the pride and strength of Afro-Peruvian women. Through these compositions, Susana Baca has successfully combined poetry with cultural activism.
In 2011, Susana Baca entered politics when she became Peru's Minister of Culture under the presidency of Ollanta Humala. She became the first Afro-Peruvian woman to hold a ministerial position in the country's history. During her brief tenure, she worked to promote the arts and culture while emphasizing Afro-Peruvian heritage in national cultural policies.
Beyond her musical career, Susana Baca is also a passionate researcher. Together with her husband Ricardo Pereyra, she founded the Instituto Negrocontinuo, a cultural center dedicated to preserving and promoting Afro-Peruvian culture. The center offers workshops, performances, and research on Peru's African roots, aiming to raise public awareness about this often overlooked part of Peruvian history.
Thanks to her efforts, Baca has helped revive musical traditions that were at risk of disappearing and has inspired many young musicians to embrace their cultural heritage. Her role as an educator is just as important as her role as an artist, and she is respected not only for her artistic contributions but also for her commitment to social justice and cultural education.
With a career spanning several decades, Susana Baca remains a key figure in Peruvian music and a symbol of cultural resilience. Her voice, both gentle and powerful, continues to resonate with current and future generations. Her concerts and recordings invite listeners to discover not only the beauty of Afro-Peruvian music but also the stories of a community that has significantly contributed to Peru's cultural diversity.
Today, Susana Baca continues to perform internationally, sharing the richness of her musical heritage with audiences around the world. She remains an iconic figure in Peruvian music and a global ambassador for Afro-Peruvian culture.