All the books published by Antonio Orjeda. Photo provided by Antonio Orjeda and used with permission.

It's important to recognize and highlight women's performance in society. So, in 2004, Peruvian journalist Antonio Orjeda launched “Mujeres batalla” (Battle women), a series of interviews of hundreds of women that ended up changing his life. Back then, he was a journalist working at one of the most read Peruvian newspapers, El Comercio, and, each Tuesday, in full-page stories, he transcribed his conversations with businesswomen, managers, and social entrepreneurs. Later, his interviews were with hundreds of women from different walks of life.

Some interviews from “Mujeres batalla” series in El Comercio newspaper. Photo provided by Antonio Orjeda.

With easy-going interviews, Orjeda introduced women who have with lot to share and teach. The women are of all ages, from everywhere in Peru, but with something in common: personal drive and pride in their experience.

Antonio Orjeda entered the book publishing world in 2007 with “Mujeres Batalla,” a selection of interview archives. He sold over 10,000 books. “Mancha Brava” (“Tough pack”), the collection for children, encompasses six books, launched yearly since 2019. Since 2020, the books are first launched for free online and later in paper copies.

We talked with Antonio Orjeda about this 20-year experience highlighting the work of so many diverse women.

Global Voices (GV): How and when did the idea of Mujeres Batalla come about, and how did people first react?

Antonio Orjeda (AO): La idea del libro fue consecuencia de un correo electrónico. Una mamá me escribió para contarme que estaba coleccionando las entrevistas que cada semana venía publicando en El Comercio y que guardaba algunas para que su hija las leyera cuando creciera. Le agradecí, le pregunté por la edad de su hija y resultó que era una bebé de seis meses de nacida. O sea, esa mujer iba a esperar unos años para sacar esas páginas de periódico y dárselas a leer. Ahí nació la idea del libro, porque sentí por primera vez en mi vida como periodista que mi labor podía ser útil. Y en el proceso de seleccionar las 30 entrevistas que integrarían el libro, surgió el nombre: “Mujeres batalla”. El libro fue un éxito, vendió más de 10.000 ejemplares. Hoy está agotado, aunque en 2018 se publicó una segunda versión.

Antonio Orjeda (AO): The idea of the book came after an e-mail. I got a message from one mother who told me she was collecting the interviews I published weekly in El Comercio, and that she was saving them so her daughter could read them when she was older. I thanked her and asked how old her daughter was, and it turned out she was a six-month-old baby. I mean, this lady was going to wait years to retrieve those newspaper pages and give them to her daughter. That's when the idea of the book was born, because, for the first time in my life as a journalist, I felt my work could be useful. And in the process of selecting the 30 interviews for the book, the name came up, “Mujeres batalla.” The book was successful, it sold more than 10,000 copies. Nowadays, it's sold out, although a second edition was launched in 2018.

GV: As a man journalist, why did you decide to focus on women's experiences?

AO: No lo decidí yo. En mayo de 2004 se lanzaría en la sección Economía de El Comercio una serie de páginas temáticas semanales y, por alguna razón, querían una dedicada a la mujer. ¿Por qué? Nadie lo supo explicar, y como yo era el “sensible” del grupo, el que trabajaba “temas raros”, desde perspectivas inusuales, me encargaron esa tarea que en realidad, sentí como una carga, y por eso propuse algo para salir del paso: como se trataría de toda una página, planteé realizar una entrevista semanal a una mujer destacada; y bastó la primera entrevista para “descubrir” un mundo inesperado que terminaría alterando mi vida para siempre.

AO: I'm not the one who decided it. In May 2004, the economics section of El Comercio launched a weekly series of themed pages, and for some reason, they wanted one dedicated to women. Why? No one could explain it, and as I was the “sensitive” one in the group, the one working on “unusual topics,” from unusual perspectives. I was appointed as responsible for a task that, in fact, I felt was a burden. That's why I proposed something just to get off the hook: as it would be a whole page, I suggested a weekly interview of a prominent woman. It took just one interview to “discover” an unexpected world that would end up changing my life forever.

GV: How do you choose the women you interview?

AO: Me guío por la trascendencia de su labor, o porque haya algo ejemplar o peculiar en su historia. La facturación no es determinante.

AO: I tend to take a look at the significance of their work, or if there is something enlightening or different in their stories. How much money they earn is not decisive.

First three “Mancha Brava” books. Photo proviedad by Antonio Orjeda.

GV: Tell us about “Mancha Brava.” In Perú, “mancha” means group or pack, and “bravo” is brave. We can say then that it's a brave pack.

AO: “Mancha Brava” es una colección de libros que, a través de historias de mujeres ejemplares, procura servir de herramienta para sembrar equidad de género desde la infancia. Esta propuesta pertenece al género del libro informativo, que en la literatura infantil y juvenil se caracteriza por narrar hechos reales, cero ficción; y por ser visualmente atractivos.

Cada año, desde 2019, publico una nueva selección de diez casos. A partir de la segunda, “Mancha Brava – Las heroínas de la pandemia”, cada selección es temática. “Mancha Brava – Campeonas” es el quinto título, se publicó en 2023 y ofrece las historias de deportistas de élite peruanas.

AO: “Mancha Brava” is a collection of books that, through the stories of exemplary women, aims to be a tool to foster gender equality from childhood. This series belongs to the informative book genre, which in children and teen literature typically tells real facts, no fiction at all, and is visually attractive.

Every year since 2019, I publish new stories. Since the second one, “Mancha Brava: Las heroínas de la pandemia” (“Brave Pack: Pandemics Sheroes”), each book is about one topic. “Mancha Brava: Campeonas” (“Brave Pack: Champions”) is the fifth title, published in 2023, and presents stories of elite Peruvian sportswomen.

GV: Do you follow up your stories?

AO: A algunas, pues tras la experiencia por lo general se establece un vínculo, que incluso ha llegado a la amistad.

AO: With some of them, we even consider ourselves friends. After the interviewing experience, a bond is usually formed.

GV: What's the story that has impacted you the most?

AO: De los seis títulos de la colección “Mancha Brava”, diría que más que alguna historia en especial, me han marcado dos títulos: el tercero y el último, que presentan a colegialas y a maestras, respectivamente. El primero, porque me encantó comprobar que hay menores de edad con historias poderosas y, mejor aún, que ello es consecuencia de haber recibido afecto en sus hogares. Ese resultado se obtiene así haya o no dinero en casa, eso me sacó de cuadro. ¿El otro libro? Me conmovió constatar el grado de amor que pueden tener las educadoras por su profesión. El sacrificio que han realizado con el propósito de brindar la mejor formación posible a sus chicas y chicos.

AO: From the six titles of the “Mancha Brava” collection, I'd say that more than a particular story, two titles have impressed me: the third and the last one, which feature schoolgirls and teachers, respectively. The first one, because I loved to confirm that there are young girls wth compelling stories and, even better, that it's a result of having received love at home. That result is there, whether there is money or not at home. That puzzled me. The other book? I was moved to verify the extent of love that women educators can have for their profession, the sacrifices they have made in order to provide the best possible education for their girls and boys.

GV: In these 20 years that have passed of interviewing women, do you notice any evolution of how women are seen in Peruvian society?

AO: La revolución la están haciendo ellas, día a día y desde diferentes escenarios, pese a vivir en un país machista, clasista y racista. En estos 20 años se han creado una serie de gremios en los que las mujeres que han crecido en sus respectivos rubros les abren camino a las que recién empiezan. El trabajo es arduo, pero ahí están, dando batalla.

AO: They are the ones leading the revolution, day by day and from different settings, in spite of living in a sexist, classist and racist country. In these 20 years, women have grown in their various respective industries and are opening up a path to those who are just starting. It's hard work, but there they are, putting up the fight.

GV: What do you take with you from this journey?

AO: Es difícil quedarme con un solo aspecto, pero diría que me impresiona la tarea de algunos maestros rurales, por ejemplo. Tenemos mucho que agradecerles; y no se está haciendo. Es triste, y pese a todo, persisten en esa labor.

AO: It's hard to get just one thing, but I'd say I'm impressed by the task of some rural teachers. We have so much to thank them for, but we are not doing it. It's sad and, in spite of everything, they are still embracing their work.