Afro-descendants in Bolivia fight invisibility with dance and memory

YUNGAS, Bolivia (AP) — Cielo Torres had always lived in Bolivia . Yet before moving at age 17 to the remote town of Tocaña — where much of the country’s Afro-descendant community lives — she had rarely encountered people who looked like her.

“Back in Santa Cruz, we were the only Afro,” said Torres, now 25. “But when I saw others like me, I told myself: This is where I want to be. Here I feel comfortable and understood.”