Thursday, July 29, 2010

Afro-Ecuadorian Poetry

Black-American & Black Ecuadorian Contemporary Poets





















Two poets, from two different cultures, who speak two different languages, but inspired by the same passion, which influenced world-class poetry on the same issues. They were the late Nelson Estumpiñan Bass of Ecuador and the late Langston Hughes of the USA.

Negro, negro renegrido... Black, black, blackened
Negro, hermano del carbón... black, brother of charcoal,
negro de negros nacido... black of blacks born
Negro ayer, mañana y hoy... Black yesterday, tomorrow, and today
Algunos creen insultarme... Some believe they insult me
gritándome mi color... mocking my color,
más lo mismo yo pregono... but I myself proclaim it
con orgullo frente al sol... with pride in the place of the sun

Negro he sido, negro soy... Black I was, black I am
negro vengo, negro voy... Black I come, black I go
negro bien negro nací... black, real black I was born,
negro negro he de vivir... black black I must live
y como negro morir... and as a black I must die


~~~Nelson Estumpiñán Bass






Nelson Estumpiñán Bass, like Langston Hughes (below), wrote about the black experience in his country Ecuador.















 
Langston Hughes, an African-American poet, novelist, playwright, short story writer, and columnist was a contemporary of Nelson Estumpiñán Bass. Like Estumpiñaán Bass, Hughes was proud his African heritage as he explored the black experience from many different angles.















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