A Young Latina's Introduction to the African Diaspora

It was during my first trip to El Carmen, Perú when I met thee-year-old Daniela. My heart automatically connected with her. Although, I'm generally a very logical person, I have no explanation as to why I developed such an immediate fondness.

After returning to the US, I would call Daniela's family from time to time. When Daniela got to be about five years of age, I told her over the phone that she is my “niece.” She immediately asked me if she could be my “daughter.” I was so touched by that request that I now refer to her as “mi hija (my daughter)” to members of her community, and Daniela refers to me as “su papi en Estados Unidos (her daddy in the United States).” 

Daniela at age 7 and me during my second trip to Perú

I always try to find creative ways to educate and enrich Daniela's life during my limited contact with her by phone and during my Peruvian vacations. I teach her a little English and basic computer skills. I have even drilled her on her math, and taught her to play Scrabble, Monopoly, and Chess.

When people contact me through my blog or on my Facebook and Couchsurfing accounts expressing a desire to connect with Peruvian members of the African Diaspora, I always connect with them Perú's famous black musical family, the Ballumbrosios; Daniela's next door neighbors. This is the family I stay with when I make my my visits to El Carmen, Perú. Each of the visitors that I refer to the Ballumbrosios are encouraged to meet Daniela and show her some love; even buy her favorite ice cream. These visitors, primarily are blacks from the United States, England, and Nigeria.

 

Daniela at age 8 with Danielle of Great Britain

I want Daniela, in particular, to connect with African-Americans and get a good feeling about my community here in the US. So many people around the world, including blacks, are fed a lot of negative stereotypes about black Americans. Blacks from foreign countries have told me that the reason why so many of them keep African-Americans at a distance when they come to this country is because they believe what they see and hear through the media and through personal messages.

Kumbi (R) of Nigeria with Daniela's next 
door neighbor Maribel Ballumbrosio (L)

Fortunately Afro-Peruvians, from my experience, have positive views African-Americans. Many, like Rinaldo Campos, the late founder of the world famous dance troupe Perú Negro (Perú's version of Alvin Ailey's Dance Theater of Harlem) was inspired by the African-American black pride movement of the 1960s. And there is Monica Carrillo, leader of Lundú—one of Peru's civil rights organizations who was inspired by the US's civil rights movement..

As Daniela grows into maturity, I want her to have the same positive views of the African Diaspora outside of Perú, and above all, the African-American community. I want her to remember the love that she received from cultured, African-American people who visited her, and if she ever hears any of the negative stereotypes, she will know better from personal experience.

Women's History: African Flamenco Singer from Spain

Concha Buiki

Poet, Composer, Music Producer

Maria Concepción Balboa Buika, known by her stage name is “Buika” is famous for her flamenko singing mixed with jazz and funk. Concha (short for Concepción) was born in the Balearic Islands of Spain and is the daughter of political refugees from the only Spanish-speaking West African nation of Equatorial Guinea (formerly the colony of Spanish Guinea). Buika ‘s family was the only black family in the Spanish island of Mallorca where she grew up in a gypsy neighborhood. She started singing in a hotel bar as a teenager because the pay was good, and did a stint as a Tina Turner impersonator in Las Vegas, and was voted one of the World's Best 50 Voices by NPR wining a Latin Grammy in 2010.

It has been said that Buika combines all the musical styles along with her emotionally charged lyrics and such broken sensuality in her voice, making her an unparalleled artist. Her audience spans the world. Concha has never found language an obstacle, and has no limitations when interpreting the different genres of music in her collaborations with musicians and singers whether in Spanish, Catalán, English, French, or Portuguese. Buika has even collaborated on the sound tracks of several films.

In 2000, Buika began in the music industry with her first album Mestizuo, a presentation in the form of piano and vocals. Later, this was followed by Buika, and the trilogy produced by music producer Javier Limón, Mi niña Lola (My Baby Girl Lola), Niña de Fuego (Girl of Fire,), which included her first book of poems, and El Último Trago (The Last Drink).

Buika, who now lives in Miami, Florida, considers the role of "mother" her paramount priority. She credits nature and her life’s experiences for her most profound lessons.

This clip of Buika had over 5 million views

 

Women's History Month: BLACK LATIN AMERICA

Women's History Month is an annual declared month celebrated during March in the United States, corresponding with International Women's Day on March 8. However, on this blog, I will spend the month of March celebrating the black women I admire in Latin America. In March 2011, in my post Celebrating Latinas I celebrated the likes of the following:

Monica Carrillo of Perú, head of a black Peruvian civil rights organization Lundú.

Piedad Cordoba, Colombia's first black senator.

María Chinquiquirá, a slave women who won her freedom by outsmarting her slave master in an Ecuadorian courtroom.

Adelina Ballumbrosio, Perú, mother of the late great master of Afro-Peruvian music Amador Ballumbrosio.

Toña Negra, México, singer known for her interpretation of boleros, sones, and rumbas.

Victoria Santa Cruz, Perú, composer, choreographer and daughter of the greatest exponent of Afro-Peruvian culture Nicomedes Santa Cruz. 

Lucresia, Spain (by way of Cuba), singer who mixes of traditional Cuban music with, salsa, jazz, and boleros.

María Elena Moyano, Perú, community organizer and activist who courageously stood up in the face of death to protest violence and abuse against women.
 
 

Not Latino Enough and Not Black Enough

The Need for Bi-Cultural Awareness

 

I have so often entertained the idea of bringing my Afro-Peruvian goddaughter to live with me in the US, and wondered how well she would fit with US blacks and US Latinos considering that so many in both communities are unaware of the existence of millions of Afro-Latinos.

While doing business with a vendor who was simultaneously chatting in Spanish on his cell phone, I noticed how he insisted on speaking to me in English even though he acknowledged that I can speak Spanish. I said to him, “hey, I didn’t want to interrupt your flow; you were speaking Spanish!” His reaction to me, however, was understandable because I am indeed not Latino. 

What is not so understandable is when Latinos react the same way with fellow Latinos who do not fit the stereotypical profile of a Latino. It never ceases to amaze me how people who come to the US from Spanish-speaking countries could be so oblivious to the racial diversity in their own communities. As I stated in another blog article, I’ve personally met native Spanish speakers of African, Chinese, German, Italian, Japanese, Jewish, and Middle Eastern ancestries during my own travels. So, where have these folks in the US been all of their lives being so quick to judge fellow Latinos based on looks?

Juan, an Afro-Venezuelan, told me that many brown and olive-skinned Latinos do not want to relate to him in Spanish and make it a point to respond to him in English. Vladimir, an Afro-Cuban healthcare worker in a Spanish-speaking community of Oakland approached a patient offering assistance in his native tongue, Spanish, and the patient's response was, “I need to talk to someone who speaks Spanish, Duh! Latin-American media also reinforces their lack of racial diversity.
 
Unfortunately, we have the same lack of awareness in the African-American community. In my own experience, more than one black American have looked directly at me and asked if I’m black due to my ability to communicate in Spanish and my having a large collection of salsa music. Joaquín, an Afro-Colombian, was told by members of the African-American community that he is not black enough. I wrote a blog article about the baseball player who referred to black Latino ball players as imposters, and of a black, adolescent Panamanian girl being referred to by her African-American classmates as a “confused n…(expletive)” simply because Spanish is her first language.

I asked Afro-Latino friends, like Antonia of Costa Rica who grew up immersing herself in the African-American community, why aren’t they speaking out and educating people, and the general response I get is that they’ve been doing it all of their lives and are a bit worn out trying. Mariela of Panamá.is slow to reveal her Latin-American ancestry around non-black Latinos to see if they would talk trash about her, and if they do, she would assertively let them have it in Spanish.

I grew up one block away from a major black research and cultural center  in Harlem, NY, which was named after a Puerto Rican of African ancestry who specialized in Black history. As a blogger and public speaker (Toastmasters), I’m very outspoken about Latin-American diversity, particularly the African heritage. I find myself inadvertently educating both Latin-American and African-American people on bi-cultural awareness.

Controversy over Black Girl Winning a Latina Beauty Contest

  

From looking at a wonderful photo of a young Afro-Dominican beauty queen, Jakiyah McKoy, 7, crowned Chiquita Delaware (Little Miss Hispanic Delaware) posted by journalist Dash Harris, there was some speculation expressed about the controversy surrounding the pageant winner. As I myself explored this matter, I learned that the eight finalists, all very intelligent with pleasing personalities, had to demonstrate their talents by dancing or singing, modeling along the catwalk, and answering questions. Ironically, Jakiyah was the only contestant of African heritage, and the only contestant required to prove her lineage as a Latina.

After being announced the winner, there was an uproar stating that she is not the best representative of Latin beauty. It never ceases to amaze me how so many Latinos that I meet in my personal life who are so oblivious to the racial diversity in their own community. I hate to bust some folks bubble, but not all Latinas look like Jennifer Lopez. I’m not Latino, yet I myself have personally met and rubbed elbows Latinos who look like Denzel Washington, Merryl Streep, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and Sun-Young-Moon. Where have these folks who criticized the winner been all of their lives assuming you have to be a certain color to be Latino. As I stated on another blog post, I’ve been in Latin-American restaurants and grocery stores in the US, Perú, and Venezuela that were owned and staffed by Chinese, and if I didn’t speak Spanish (or Cantonese), I didn’t eat. It was simple as that!

The pageant winner’s Latin-American bloodline goes back to her grandmother who was born in the Dominican Republic. Jakiyah herself was born in Brooklyn, New York where her mother currently lives. The little Miss Hispanic Delaware currently stays with her father in the city of Wilmington, Delaware. She likes to sing, dance and watch movies with her grandmother. Jakiyah McKoy has one brother, Shad, and a sister, Jamiyah. She loves spending time with her aunts, uncles, and her cousins and loves her godmother Relly. Her favorite pastime is drawing.

My Interactions with Latin American Women

Above is Pieadad Cordoba, Colombia's first Black senator

Below id Cuban jazz singer Lucresia 

Being a single male, I always like the female energy around me, even if it is nothing more than a platonic friendship. In fact, throughout my life, an overwhelming majority of my closest friends have been females. As I interact with Spanish-speaking people through my work, social activities, and travel while using my Spanish, I get to meet many women. I generally find Latin American women, particularly those not born in the US, much friendlier and more approachable. Seldom do I encounter the paranoia and defensiveness that I encounter among so many US women, especially here in the Oakland, California area where I live. When I am speaking Spanish to monolingual Spanish-speakers, it is almost as if they consider me one of them, and they generally ask where I am from.

Although, I relate well to Latin American women of all colors, my greatest preference is for Afro-Latin Americans. I find it ironic, however, that it is usually the non-Black Latin Americans who show the most interest. I remember while in Mexico City, I was rushing to catch my next flight to Havana, and how a very attractive Mestizo women gave me the “the hottest” eye contact and smile I have seen in my entire life. Maybe she thought I was Denzel Washington—HA! Even on my Spanish-speaking Facebook account where all my friends are in Latin American countries, two Black women and four Mestizo women have been throwing cute lines at me, giving me the impression that they want more than just an online friendship. They could be attracted to me in particular or they could be attracted to the US and see me as a way in, or both; I do not know. What I do know is that when it comes to settling down, I would much more prefer to be with a woman who is already in the US (legally). My purpose for establishing a Spanish Facebook account in the first place was so I can have warm contacts in the event of my arrival in their respective countries. Latin American travel is a major hobby of mine right now.

While visiting Cuba, Ecuador, Perú, and Venezuela, I had good company and from sisters (Black women) who showed me around and went out of their way to make me feel at home. When I was in Venezuela, I found the women of all colors to be extremely warm and conversational. Almost every time I would smile at a woman she'd give me a warm, enthusiastic smile in return. My only problem with Venezolanas (Venezuelan women) is that had I stayed long enough, I would have defeated my whole purpose for being there. See my post Fond Memories of Venezuelan Women.

As in every Latin American country that I visit, my purpose is, 1) to improve my Spanish, 2) to explore and experience Black cultures, and 3) to have a fun and relaxing vacation. The folks I meet during my travels have become lifetime friends. You might ask, if I connect so well with Latin American women, why I am not married to one? The answer to that question is in another post: Why I’m Not With a Latina.