Ric Francis

UNEXPECTED FACES

It is common knowledge that people of African heritage have deep roots in Brazil and Columbia. However there also exist Latinos whose ancestors were enslaved from Africa in Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile and Argentina. 'Unexpected Faces' is an ongoing project that will document the experiences of Afro-Latinos in the unexpected places of South America.

A coca farmer heads home in Tocana, a tiny community made up mostly of Afro-Bolivians in the lush Yungas Valley.
  
A group of Afro-Bolivians share conversation and drinks.
   
     
  
An Afro-Peruvian woman leaves the remnants of her home destroyed by a 2007 earthquake which devastated the region.
   
A young girl appeals to her mother to intervene on her behalf against a younger cousin who grabbed her orange.
   
Claudio Martin, 37, right, works as a doorman. Afro-Peruvian men are highly sought for such jobs under the belief that their skin color lends an aura of elegance to the position. Discrimination against blacks is strong hence job opportunities are limited.
     
  
Music and drinks are the order of the day after observing a local soccer match.
   
A musical troupe performs an Afro-Peruvian dance.
   
Students participating in a program honoring the musical contributions of Afro-Peruvians wield dolls which caricature blacks.
     
  
A rainbow paints the sky over El Carmen which is home to a large Afro-Peruvian community.
   
An Afro-Bolivian hunter returns home at the end of the day.
   
Exhausted from picking coca leaves Juana Vasquez, 71, chats with her 7-year old grandson.
     
  
An Afro-Bolivian dance troupe performs for churchgoers during 'Fiesta de San Benito'.
   
Afro-Bolivians participate in a ceremony marking 'Fiesta de San Benito'.
   
A churchgoer sits quietly during service.
     
  
During church service a young Afro-Bolivian girl appeals to her mother to let her go outside.
   
Afro-Ecuadorians make their way home.
   
An Afro-Ecuadorian woman relaxes in her window.
     
  
   
Afro-Ecuadorians spend an afternoon chatting.
   
Afro-Ecuadorian girls wash clothes in the river.
     
  
A young Afro-Bolivian girl carries her cousin.
   
is a tiny community made up mostly of Afro-Bolivians in the lush Yungas Valley.
  
Family members head home after a day in the field picking coca leaves.
     
  
As evening falls adults assist a younger family member with homework.
   
An Afro-Bolivian family waits for a bus to take them into town.
   
Two young Afro-Bolivian girls stroll home.
     
  
"My mother and father are negros and so am I - I'm proud," says Dayana Rene Ballivian, 9.
   
Oscar Valdez, 9, looks on as a couple of young girls loiter near the river.