Op-Ed: From Valparaiso to the White House

By Valerie Sanabria | Published by February 17, 2020

During the fourth annual Women’s March in Washington D.C., thousands of people sang “Un violador en tu camino ” or “A Rapist in Your Path” in front of the White House. But the performance that went viral started in Valparaiso, Chile and has become a feminist anthem around the world. 

The first time I saw a video of Lastesis-the feminist collective that created the performance- together with many other women in Chile I got goosebumps. Then, the second time I saw a video and did research about the hidden symbols in the protest song/chant I cried. I cried because as a Latinx woman it was hard to learn about the horrendous things that happen every day to girls and women just like me. 

In Latin America, there are laws that are supposed to protect women, but these laws don’t protect them. Latin-American countries are dangerous for women and the violence against them is hardly changing. According to the United Nations, 14 out of the 25 countries with the highest number of femicides are in Latin America and the Caribbean. It is painful to hear that girls and women are killed every day around the world because of their gender. 

The now known feminist anthem was performed a second time on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women in Santiago, the Chilean capital. Thousands of women gathered to point at all the rapists including those who are supposed to protect women.  

I was shocked when I saw the video of women in unison dancing and singing “Y la culpa no era mía, ni dónde estaba ni cómo vestía. El violador eras tú.” (And it’s not my fault, not where I was, not how I dress. And the rapist was you.) Why wouldn’t I be shocked? Not only I but many other women have been blamed for wearing “revealing clothes” but rape is not our fault or a reaction to our actions.   

Lastesis created “Un violador en tu camino” in an intent to bring feminist theories to life. The song talks about femicide, rape, women’s disappearance, and impunity for killers. It talks about issues that affect women around the world, but it also references what women in Chile go through. 

One of the hidden messages in the choreography that impacted me the most was seeing women with hands behind their heads and squatting down. Squatting is part of the choreography because women in Chile, when detained, are forced to squat and sometimes they must do it naked. How scary and unbearable it must be for women to go through this, not forgetting that they can easily be raped. 

The performance went viral because women everywhere suffer from violence and are victims of rape, femicide, and patriarchy. Around the globe, thousands of women have performed their own version of the feminist anthem. 

Women in London, France, Mexico, Berlin, Buenos Aires and other countries including the U.S. have pointed their finger and screamed to those in power and to everyone who has hurt a woman. Violence against women is a massive problem and that is why we can’t be silenced. 

When I heard that Lastesis were going to be leading a performance of “Un violador en tu camino” in front of the White House at the Women’s March, I was proud of my Latinx sisters and what they have done for women, not only in Latin America but for women all around the world. I was planning on protesting in New York but when I heard they were going to be in D.C. I knew I had to be part of that. 

On the day of the Women’s March, I woke up at 3 a.m. and went to D.C. on a Rally Bus. When I finally got to Freedom Plaza (where the march was going to begin) I was feeling happy and excited to be part of that. It was cold, then it started snowing, and then freezing rain but I just kept thinking as many of the posters said, “Rise Up.” 

Not only was I marching with my blood sister Naomi, but I was marching with my feminist sisters. We were marching all together for our planet, for our reproductive rights, for immigrants. We were marching for equality. 

As a woman, an immigrant, Latinx, and feminist I felt so powerful to be singing in Spanish and English in front of the White House. It is a scary time for minorities and the feeling of performing a feminist anthem that was created and started in Latin America made me so proud of who I am and where I come from.  

There is nothing like the feeling of being part of something. Seeing women in Washington who don’t speak Spanish trying to sing, seeing women helping each other, dancing and walking and marching for what we deserve will always be one of my favorite memories. 

 

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