Upcoming TV Documentary on Afrolatinos: The Untaught Story

Guest Post 
by Kayla Lattimore 
Social Media Manager for Creador Pictures LLC

Did you know that in Latin American there is an estimated number of 150 million people of African descent? Of that populations 92% live in extreme poverty and 70% of that number are women and children. Did you also know that 80% of Afro-Colombians live in extreme poverty, 79% of Afro-Nicaraguans do not have access to potable water and Afro-Mexicans are not included in the census? 

Afrolatinos The Untaught Story is a documentary television series independently produced by Creador Pictures, LLC. This is the story of the estimated 150 million invisible afrodescendants currently living in Latin America. Afrolatinos is a seven part series in English and Spanish, that shows the rich culture and shares the contributions of the enslaved Africans who arrived to the Caribbean, Central and South America. This history is seldom told or often omitted when talking about these regions of the world.


Our producers have traveled to over 18 different countries throughout Latin America and the Caribbean and conducted of 200 interviews in order to explore the full story of Afrolatinos. The program aims to better understand religious connections and distinctions between the Catholic Church and Yoruba and Voodoo traditions within Afrolatino Culture. We examine the significant influence of Afrolatinos in music. The drum is a very significant instrument used in Latin music but how many people know its history? We also have a segment on Afro-Latino gastronomy, which will show the many dishes with African influence seen in every day life. Identity and racial discrimination are just a few of the many social issues effecting Afrolatinos. We interviewed people from the U.S to Argentina about issues such as self-hate, the idea of good hair, bad hair, interracial marriages, oppression, and exploitation.

We have been working on the Afrolatinos documentary for over five years, traveled to more than 18 countries and have well over 200 interviews documenting all that is Afro culture throughout Latin America. This is an ambitious project. In January, unfortunately we had to stop production due to lack of funding. This is a self funded project and a labor of love. We have received no grants or financial assistance and have funded the project ourselves. We are inviting you to Un Llamado y Respuesta! A Call and Response! To you, our community, nuestra comunidad, for help to cross the finish line and bring these stories, nuestra historia, to the world!

This month we have started our Afrolatinos: The Untaught Story Un Llamado 60k in 60days Indiegogo campaign! We need your help to reach our funding goal and bring Afrolatinos to the world! With your help we can cross the finish line in production and go to major networks to distribute the series. The world needs to know that there is more to the history and culture of Latin America and that our story cannot be forgotten! We’ve gone as far as we can go by ourselves and we need your support to make this project a reality! Even a $1 brings us closer to sharing our rich story and culture with the world. 

Along with our Indiegogo campaign we’ve also started an Afrolatinos: The Untaught Story petition to get 100,000 signatures to show major networks that people want and NEED to hear this story. This is more than a campaign. This is movement and a call to our community and to the world that the voices of Afrolatinos will be heard! 

Hyperlinks to indiegogo campaign
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/afrolatinos-the-untaught-story-un-llamado/x/2883988
hyperlinks to petition
http://www.change.org/petitions/afrolatinos-the-untaught-story-un-llamado

Meeting a Black Carib from Honduras

Travel networking is one of the most wonderful experiences I've ever had. It gives me that homey feeling when I visit a foreign country for the first time. On my trip to Cuba, I was introduced to a wonderful family by a Cuban immigrant who lived down the street from me. On my trips to Ecuador and Perú, I've made an abundance of lifetime friends through Facebook who gave me tours, directions, advice, and home-stays. And today, I return that favor by helping others who want to travel to where I've been.


However, just last night, I was in a restaurant and made Spanish-speaking conversation with one of the servers, a Black woman from Honduras. I asked if she was Garífuna, a Black Carib, a descendant of African people who escaped British slavery and merged themselves with the Indigenous population known as the Caribs. I explained to her that as a hobby, I visit and learn about the African heritage in Spanish-speaking countries, and that her home village of Travesía, Honduras and another Garífuna village of Livingston, Guatemala were on my list of places to visit.

Later, as I was finishing my meal, this restaurant worker came over my table speaking perfect English. She gave me her number and wants to introduce me to the people in her town and give me a place to stay when I arrive in Honduras. She even went to her car and gave me a free CD of Garífuna (Black Carib) music of which she was selling for $10. Yes, travel networking is a wonderful experience!

Undercover Afro-Latinos

Any one or more of these young men could be Latino, but how would you know if they keep their heritage private while assimilating into the African-American community?

Antonio, a long time friend from Central America is of African heritage, and of course, speaks fluent Spanish. He blends well with African-Americans; after all, he was married to one, and his children are totally assimilated into the African-American community. However, with my being an admirer of Afro-Latino cultures, it's quite evident to me how Antonio tends to minimize his Latino heritage in his communication with others, and even with other Latinos. 

One evening, for my birthday, he took me to see an Afro-Peruvian dance performance, and I, not him, was the one engaging with the Peruvians who were present. For this event, I was wearing a t-shirt reflecting Afro-Peruvian culture as a conversation piece while circulating among the crowd. It worked as Antonio simply observed me with fascination as I answered people's questions in Spanish who thought I myself might be Afro-Peruvian. He showed no interest in engaging with others, besides eavesdropping. 

I've always been outspoken about the African presence in Latin America at local black heritage events and in my Toastmasters meetings. I feel that a lot of African-Americans, and surprisingly many Latinos, need to be educated to the fact that we African-Americans are not the only black population in the western world. In fact, we are indeed a minority because an overwhelming majority of the slaves ships went to Spanish and Portuguese speaking countries almost 100 years before they started coming the U.S.

When Antonio and I first met, I asked him why he is so reluctant to assert the Latino side of his heritage. Antonio only gave me a vague answer, and to this day, I still do not understand. He is not the only person of Latin-American heritage who tries to keep it on the down-low. I've seen Latinos of all colors do it, and I'm wondering why. I brought this topic up in a forum of which I'm a member, and here are are some of their comments: 

Dora: Sometimes you just don't want to be the representative educator. It's exhausting, and other times, it still doesn't matter. Adults with narrow minds will continue to have it.  I don't always broadcast my background unless I need to. My mother does the same. I usually lay low in Spanish speaking establishments to see if they'd talk !@#$ about me.

Rob: It could be that she identifies more with just being “black” due to discrimination she may have experienced in her country. I've had Afro-Latinos friends who  say that they were treated as second class citizens and not welcomed as fellow Hispanics, so they just align more with being “black.” 

Carlos: In America, so-called Black Latinos have to assimilate. We don't have a choice. Like my man Laz Alonso said, he is Cuban inside his house and African American outside. Its just the way it is in the US. 

Ayana: My dad is from Dominica, and my mother from St. Lucia,raised in French Guiana. When I started grade school I went to a school where the kids were mostly South American and Eastern European. My best friend was Colombian and I do have distant Colombian heritage as well. I speak Spanish fluently. I was always treated equally among my peers. 

In the 5th grade I went to a different school that was predominantly African American, West Indian, and Puerto Rican. I was treated horribly by the African Americans for being "an Oreo," a "Spanish girl wannabe," and other interesting things. One time, I got kicked in the head and blacked out.

I was very sorry to hear about Latinos who were severely persecuted in their youth by their African-Americans peers who resented their being different. That brings to mind of a black Panamanian who grew up in the hood in West Oakland. He told me that keeping his Latino heritage on the down-low was about survival and fitting in. 

Rob's comment about Afro-Latinos not being welcomed by fellow Hispanics suddenly triggered my memory of Juan, from Venezuela, who could not get a job in Venezuela after finishing journalism school because of his color. He then told me how Spanish-speakers in the U.S. would often answer him in English because they could not relate to a black guy speaking Spanish. This, of course, drove him closer to African-Americans.

I've known Antonio for over 10 years, and he never mentioned any of the abuses, mistreatment, or discrimination stated above. In fact, he seldom discusses his experience as an Afro-Latino, although at times, I've heard him talk about his background as Garífuna, a descendant of escaped African slaves who assimilated with indigenous people of Central America. Even then, he keeps such discussions to a minimum, even with me knowing that I'm planning trips to a couple of Garífuna villages. 

As one member of the forum puts it, there are many things out there that influence people's decisions to downplay an aspect of their heritage. My feeling is that people need to be made aware of the diversity in the “black” community. Right here in the U.S., I've met blacks who speak English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Dutch; not to mention the various languages and dialects from the Caribbean and the African continent. My blog, African-American-Latino World, is only a minor contribution to promote this awareness.

     

What is Sammy Sosa's Problem?

“It appears that Sosa is guilty of having a "colonial mentality.”

--Fela Kuti , Late Nigerian activist and musician

Many have been flabbergasted to see black Dominican retired major league baseball star Sammy Sosa with green contact lenses and bleached skin. It is so unfortunate that all over the African Diaspora, people have been so emotionally scarred by racism that they have learned to internalize it. Many of us bleach our skin, straighten our hair, and even deny our African ancestry. There was a time in the U.S. when we African-Americans would feel insulted to the point of physical combat to be referred to as African or black. Although, this attitude changed to a degree by the black-is-beautiful movement of the 1960s, many of us still have never recovered.

 

I'm not “black,” I'm “Do-min-i-CAN,” said actor/comedian Doug E Doug in the film “Hanging with the Homeboys.”

I have to respect the fact that people in Latin-American countries see themselves by their nationalities first and their race second. Marcus Garvey, whose United Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) included branches in Latin-America, was told by a Cuban delegation that they were Cubans first and blacks second. Does this sense of staunch patriotism stop racial discrimination in these respective countries? Obviously not. From my personal travels to Cuba and other Latin-American countries, I've noticed a blatant absence of blacks, Asians, and indigenous people working in shops, as police officers, and in transportation, let alone those working in office and corporate settings. Just pick up a newspaper and you can count the people of color, if any, who are featured unless they are criminals, athletes, or entertainers.

In Sammy Sosa's home country, 90 percent of the people have African ancestry. Yet only 11 percent identify themselves as black. Despite this denial, black Dominicans, Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian ancestry still face discrimination, poverty, and lower education and health standards. Under the Dominican government's Hispanidad movement, white, Spanish, Catholic heritage was stressed, and the African and indigenous portion of the culture was neglected. I even heard a rumor that Sammy Sosa had Taino Indian on his passport to indicate his race. Many black Dominicans never realized they were black until they came to the United States.


Afrocentric citizens of the Dominican Republic tried to start a movement similar to the black is beautiful movement in the U.S. to embrace the African heritage prevalent throughout their country and found it to be a lost cause due to lack of interest.


Sammy Sosa's problem is that he is just another victim of his upbringing and culture where looking pretty means looking as less black as possible. The one-drop rule works opposite of what is practiced in the United States; with one drop of non-black blood, you are considered a member of a race other than black. Therefore, black Dominicans most often identify themselves as Indian, burned Indian, dirty Indian, washed Indian, dark Indian, cinnamon, moreno (colored/dark), or mulatto. The old adage, “if you are white--you're all right, if you're brown--stick around, if you're black--stay back certainly applies in Latin America, particularly in the Dominican Republic. Black Dominican feminist Sergia Galván points out that black is associated with dark, illegal, ugly, and clandestine.

I was talking to an African-American woman who speaks fluent Spanish and spent quite a bit of time in the Dominican Republic, and asked her, how would Dominicans react to me if I insist that I'm black or African-American. Her response was that educated, probably upper class Dominicans who also speak a bit of English and have family in New York City or Miaimi will understand, but it gets complicated when you are talking to the general population (spanish only) who may or may not be educated, have little knowledge of people outside of the country. She went on to explain that everyone will assume that I am Dominican until I convince them otherwise. Even if my Spanish isn't that good or I speak fluently with a foreign accent they will think that my parents are Dominican. Again, if I prove otherwise, they will think that, perhaps, I immigrated to the US from another country. 

She further stated that if I insist on calling myself black, they will think I'm Haitian and only Haitians are black. The preferred term is “moreno” a Latino way of saying “colored.” While she was there, she continued, she  just went with the flow as far as labels were concerned. Sometimes she was even referred to as Indian.