The 'Nobodies' Interviews Peruvian Women in Struggle

On Thursday, "The Nobodies" (Los Nadies), a TV show hosted by teleSUR President Patricia Villegas, interviewed Martha Mamani Huacca.

She is one of the millions of anonymous women who have participated in the protests that erupted in Peru since December 2022 when the Congress ousted President Pedro Castillo, a humble rural teacher who remains imprisoned and accused of attempting a coup d'état.

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"I saw her walking the streets of Lima, wearing her small hat and colorful skirt. Then, while she was rallying people from a monument, Martha was assaulted by the police," Villegas said, recalling her first encounter with this Peruvian Indigenous woman.

Mamani Huacca was abandoned by her parents as a child and grew up in an impoverished rural area where the local school provided very basic education. When she came of age, she ran for the position of mayor in her locality.

Currently, this mother of two children lives in Puno, a region where security forces, under orders from President Dina Boluarte, harshly repressed citizens who were demanding her resignation, the closure of the Congress, the formation of a Constituent Assembly, and the release of former President Castillo. The police brutality resulted in over 50 deaths.

Mamani Huacca acknowledges the beatings she endured during the police repression, which has intensified since the beginning of the protests in December 2022.

"The administration has not listened to us. Instead, we have been repressed," she pointed out and expressed sadness about the situation her country is facing.

"We love Peru, and we are Peruvians. We are Indigenous peoples who have resisted for 500 years," she said, recalling that this popular resistance became more challenging since Alberto Fujimori's dictatorship, as he established a "looting" political system.

"Nevertheless, the struggle is worth it because we need to make our voice heard," she stated, emphasizing the fight against racism and the defense of all the constitutional rights.

Mamani Huacca accused the political and economic elites, as well as those who control the judiciary and the mass media, of being responsible for the country's ongoing crisis.

She believes that the popular resistance seeks to achieve "true independence for Peru to avoid being subjected to Yankee imperialism."

Although these goals are not easy to achieve due to State terrorism, "we will stand strong," Mamani Huacca said, emphasizing that all the sufferings have not been in vain.

She considers that the deficient leadership of traditional political parties is being compensated by the emergence of the "Unitary National Coordinator of Struggle," which is uniting workers, teachers, transporters, traders, farmers, and residents.

When asked how she manages to overcome the nostalgia caused by her son's absence, Mamani responded that "her condition as a woman helps her cope with the repression."

"The strength for the struggle emanates from Mother Earth, the Pachamama. No one has the right to take away what belongs to us."