The portrayals of indigenous communities in film and TV are scarce and often problematic. So when La Paisana Jacinta: en búsqueda de Wasaberto opened in theaters on November 23, 2017, people resurfaced the #YoNoSoyJacinta hashtag to protest the inaccurate and harmful stereotypes of indigenous women that take center stage in the movie.
Comedian Jorge Benavide created the offensive character that led a TV show on Latina Televisión starting in 1999. For years, indigenous communities fought to get the show off the airwaves. The network removed the program in 2015, thanks in part to condemnation from the United Nation’s Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and Centro de Culturas Indígenas del Perú (Chirapaq). “A quick profile of La Paisana Jacinta leads us to define her as a dumb person, with intellectual disability, ignorant, violent, dirty, vulgar, sloppy, and clumsy,” Chirapaq said in a report to the committee. Less than a year later, the show made its way back on air.
With the film’s release, the character continues to paint indigenous communities in a negative light. As the movie, which reportedly performed well on opening weekend, perpetuates stereotypes, #YoNoSoyJacinta is telling it like it is. Check out a few tweets below:
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https://twitter.com/gianpstm/status/935869839071203328