From We Were Always Here - Prologue ' The Mystery of Disguised'. Courtesy of the artist.
Raquel Villar-Pérez [C&AL]: When and how did We Were Always Here emerge?
Koral Carballo: Initially, the project developed in a very unconscious way. In 2014 I was working as a photojournalist and one day I decided on impulse to visit Coyolillo, a town in the north of the state of Veracruz, in Mexico. Once I arrived and began to talk to the people in the town, I also began asking questions about myself, getting to know and understand myself and my identity. Five years later, I am starting to realize that the impulse that led me to Coyolillo came from an urge to search for myself. For me, this has meant uncovering Afro-descendancy, something that had always been with me and my family, but was never talked about.
In Coyolillo I find very familiar references, and, in a sense, myself. I come from a humble family where we didn’t have access to photography and in fact we don’t even have a family album. So when I take pictures of the people of Coyolillo I feel like I’m photographing all the things I was never able to see. My symbolic family.
From We Were Always Here - Chapter I 'Hidden'. Courtesy of the artist.
C&AL: Do you think there is an awareness of the Afro-Mexican past in today’s Mexico?
KC: I think we are going through an awakening of the Afro-Mexican consciousness, but there is still much to be done before the historical debt of the Mexican State to the Afro population can be repaid. At the moment, the main drivers of this awareness are Afro-Mexican activists, and we are grateful that they are mobilizing this kind of epistemology among ordinary citizens. While academia generated a lot of research on the Afro-descendant population, the knowledge kind of just stayed there. In a way, I want to apply my project within artistic activism, because at the end of the day, it talks about black history and people of African descent should have access to their own history.
From the series We Were Always Here - Chapter I 'Hidden'. Courtesy of the artist.
C&AL: The title for the first chapter of your project is 'Hidden', and it refers to the denial of African roots in Mexican society. How prevalent is that denial today?
KC: In Mexico we have people who openly identify as Afro-descendants, but there are also those who don’t. There are people with dark skin who will insist, that “No, there are no blacks here!” In the popular vocabulary, the expression “You are black” basically means “you are ugly”. The good thing is that, at least in Coyolillo, young people are promoting an acceptance of Afro-descendants and questioning the traditional canons of beauty.
This year is going to be historic because a population census will take place, and so, for the first time in over 500 years, people of African descent are going to be registered. On July 31, 2019 there was constitutional recognition, but the census will be crucial for public policies to move forward. That being said, there is still a long way to go before people begin to self-identify and stop denying our African roots.
C&AL: How has your work received by the Mexican art world and is there an interest or concrete plans to create inclusive spaces for Afro and indigenous artists?
KC: Actually, last year was the first time my work was exhibited in my country.
For the presentation I chose the Zócalo [main square] of Puebla, a town with a large population of Afro-descendants. Because it was presented in a public space, the work challenged a lot of people; it was a very interesting experience.
From We Were Always Here - Chapter III 'The Afromexican Path'. Courtesy of the artist.
