September 19, 2024
The animal agriculture industry and the horrific suffering animals are facing, can make us feel devastated and paralyzed by grief. But the activist Diana Rivera Santiago reminds us that to be able to work for justice and animal liberation, we need to mobilize all our strength and power. Faced with a traumatic experience years ago, she almost gave up.
“I came to a point when I realized that I needed to work with my feelings and transform my trauma. In my mind I saw the cow again. But this time I went to her and hugged her. I promised her that I would use all my power to keep working for change and liberation for animals.”
From being a shy vegan, Diana is today speaking up for animals in every way she can. She shares her story, experience and what motivates her. Diana has experienced the transformational power of animal vigils and knows how it can change us.
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As a child, Diana Rivera Santiago was confused. Growing up in Lima, Peru, in the 80s and 90s, there were no alternatives to eating animal products. But all along she felt it was wrong to eat living beings. When her aunt got cancer and switched to a vegan diet, a world of new possibilities opened for Diana as well. She was 17 years old and has been vegan ever since.
“It was like a miracle; I didn't even know it was possible, and suddenly I was guided into this new diet by my aunt. It was something I had been longing for my whole life,” she says.
Diana is still grateful to her aunt. Today when she meets new people through vegan outreach, Diana often tells her own story to help others see how they can switch their diets too. Many are not even aware that there are alternatives to eating meat.
It was thirteen years later, at age 30, that she decided to be an activist. Before, her veganism was more of a personal thing, wanting to avoid difficult questions from others.
“Today I can see it was a big mistake, and something I discuss a lot with younger vegans and activists. How important it is to speak up for the animals in any way we can.”
When Diana moved to another part of Lima in 2017 things changed. She met activists from Lima Animal Save and other animal rights organizations doing outreach close to her home.
Animal vigils
“I started to join their activities, and they invited me to animal vigils. My first reaction was that it wasn’t necessary, I was already a vegan. But they kept inviting me, and one day I decided to come with them.”
Deep down she was afraid to go. “But let’s do it for the animals”, she kept telling herself. Finally seeing the animals arriving at the slaughterhouse in the trucks was a shock.
“The smell was unbearable and the heat inside the truck was overwhelming. A terrified pig was vomiting.”
This experience changed her and she began to start thinking in new ways.
“I realized being vegan is just the first step. How can I make more people come here and see this reality?”
Diana was still new to vigils when Lima Animal Save started to stand outside the slaughterhouse in Lurín, where all the Lima Animal Save vigils are held.
“We were standing outside the slaughterhouse and the trucks came with cows. The smell of blood and death made me feel sick, and I decided to sit down for a few minutes. On my way to the car, I saw a small window into the slaughterhouse. I decided to look inside.”
What Diana saw was a cow, still alive, being cut with a knife in her neck. The cow was then pulled up by one leg and hung from the ceiling. The cow was in full panic, trying to get down and blood was everywhere.
Diana was in shock for days. She felt awful and tried to forget what she had witnessed. For a period, she stopped going to the vigils, even if she continued as an activist.
“But I came to a point when I realized that I needed to work with my feelings and transform my trauma. In my mind I saw the cow again. But this time I went to her and hugged her. I promised her that I would use all my power to keep working for change and liberation for animals.”
Today she is grateful for the experience because it changed her life. It helped her transform from being a shy vegan into someone that speaks up for animals regardless.
To use our skills for the animals
Animal Save Movement was growing, and many more activists wanted to join vigils and outreach. But then the Covid 19 pandemic arrived. Many activists moved abroad or left the movement. Diana and the rest of the team had to start from scratch and decided to recruit new activists and volunteers.
Today they are a team of around twenty people who are completely committed to animal rights activities in Lima.
“Each member has their own skills and talents, something we want to use for the movement.”
A musician sings animal rights songs at vegan picnics. An engineer creates technical solutions and apps. A filmmaker is producing a documentary about their work. Diana herself contributes to the team with her background in design.
“I always tell new activists that our bosses are the animals. Everything we do is for them. We are tools for the animals and need to use all the skills we have.”
Diana works as an organizer for Lima Animal Save and as part of the Spanish social media team for Plant Based Treaty and Animal Save Movement. She also works as a freelance UX/UI designer and has a blog, "Vegan Souls". Diana shares vegan recipes, activism, new products, and interviews with vegan entrepreneurs and has thousands of followers on Instagram.
Another project Diana has been involved in recently is holding screenings of the documentary “Dominion” at different universities around Lima, together with a few others from Lima Animal Save.
“It was an amazing experience, and the film really had an enormous impact on people. We went twice to one of the universities and they now have a wide variety of vegan options. I like to think that our screenings made a difference”.
She describes herself as a shy person.
“It is only because of the animals that I have the motivation to go outside of my comfort zone,” she says with a smile. “Being on the right side of history is for the brave, and it is not always easy. Develop the best vegan version of yourself because you don't know how many people you could be inspiring without knowing it.”
At the last vigil there were around twenty people in attendance. She knows that vigils are transformative and recently she saw that taking place with one of the new activists, a young medical student.
“I encouraged her to come to a vigil and finally she did. At the slaughterhouse the driver opened the door to the truck, and we suddenly stood next to the cows. And they were crying. You could see the tears in their eyes.”
They were all very touched by this sad moment. After the vigil, this girl was a new person.
“She was suddenly strong and powerful. I could see the change. The frustration and sadness make you take your power and use it in action. The idea is not to be depressed by it, rather the opposite. You need to transform your frustration to be able to change the future of the animals. The animals need our strength and courage.”
You can find out more about Lima Animal Save on their Instagram and Facebook pages. To get involved, you can email them at limaanimalsaveoficial@gmail.com. To find a Save group near you, please visit our find a chapter page on our website.
Written by Anne Casparsson
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