Black Argentina—Making Their Presence Known!

The makers of the film Afro-Argentino (Black Argentina) seeks

to rebut the myth that there are no blacks in Argentina

Argentine President Carlos Menem was asked during his visit to the United States if there were persons of African descent in his country. Menem was quoted as saying, there are no blacks in Argentina; Brazil has that problem. Now, for the first time in a century and a half, Argentine descendants of African slaves are organizing and going public to assert their identity. In the documentary Afroargentinos (Black Argentina). The film producers seek to rebut Menem’s racism and ignorance using extensive interviews, photographs, and video footage to show the history and ongoing African presence in Argentina, including the following:

• African origins and history of Argentine tango and candombe music
• Twentieth-century West African immigration to Buenos Aires
• History of black slavery in Argentina
• Black involvement in the Argentine military since the 19 century
• Offensive media representations of blacks in Argentina
• Continued social marginalization and political invisibility of Argentina’s diverse black population, especially women.  

 

Guitarist and Tango composer Enrique Maciel

The film presents interviews with black Argentine descendants of slaves as well as black immigrants from Uruguay and West African countries to illustrate both the unity and diversity of the black community. You will even see black features of those who claim European ancestry. You will also see discussions of the current hardships endured by black women in Argentina, particularly in fighting against the stereotype of sexual availability. 

With Argentina being considered the whitest country in South America, there was once a much larger black presence in Argentina, and  that presence has faded over time. “We've been exiled from the collective memory of Argentina,” said Juan Suaque, president of the Association Misibamba, the leading Afro-Argentine cultural organization, and a seventh-generation descendant of Argentine slaves. Suaque adds, “It’s as if you pass someone in the street and you have to explain your whole life, and what and who you are.”

 

Afro-Argentine Revolutionary War Soldier Antonio Ruiz

In the early 1800s, black slaves were 30% of the population of Buenos Aires, and an absolute majority in some other provinces. The first president of Argentina had African ancestry, and so did the composer of the first tango. Now, for the first time in a century and a half, Argentine descendants of African slaves are organizing and going public to assert their identity.

My Brand, My Job Search, My Spanish.. for 2014

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Though not a native speaker, Bill made the effort to speak, read, and write in Spanish. Additionally, Bill is bi-cultural as his desire to learn the language and develop proficiency stems from his love of Latin-American soccer, dance, travel, people, and culture. Our Spanish-speaking clients feel as comfortable and welcoming working with Bill in Spanish as our English-speaking clients.

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Excerpt from my performance evaluation working
as an educational-vocational specialist.

Since the Thanksgiving holidays, I’ve been gearing up for a hard-sell job search campaign for 2014, which includes a professional brand that will be so glaring that employers will either love me, reject me, or question me to see if my brand is flexible enough to fit their agenda. Thankfully, along with my side business as a professional résumé writer, I am happily employed, i.e., in a sense that I’m well-liked, a good fit, and most importantly, able to pay my bills. However, my current position is not in my beloved industry of workforce development, and certainly not using my best skills on their highest level, as Richard Nelson Bolles, author of the bestseller What Color is Your Parachute states so eloquently.

In my industry, the ability to speak Spanish has increasingly become a plus. That along with my other extensive experience and skills made me a virtual shoo-in for my last workforce development position. Because of my passion for the Spanish language and Latin American culture(s), which, to date, inspired my travels to nine Spanish-speaking counties, Spanish will be apart of my brand in my 2014 job search, although that would not be the absolute deciding factor in accepting a job offer.

The problem is that my Spanish has gotten pretty rusty since my last position held from 2008 to 2012 where I spoke the language daily because of the abundance of monolingual Spanish-speakers that my agency served. I even taught a one-hour job search workshop in Spanish. This is not to mention the fact that I spent all of my vacation time during those four years traveling to various countries in Latin America being totally immersed in the language and the culture{s).

                                                                    

The ambivalence I am having with marketing my Spanish is that it tempts employers to interview me in that language. I once sat in on a panel interview where one of my native Spanish-speaking co-workers  was designated to question the job candidate in Spanish while the rest of us were to question her in English. The native Spanish speaker literally grilled that candidate, and I’m afraid that one day the same could happen to me. 

I was once interviewed by two managers, both of whom happened to be Latino. As usual, I handled myself quite well until one asked me a question in Spanish. For for the first time in my working life, I began stumbling over my words. Finally, I was able to blurt out the following statement in fluent Spanish: “hey, there is a problem! I speak better Spanish with those who speak Spanish only. Bilingual people, make me nervous!” That response worked like a charm as it has done in other interviews letting me off the hook. They were so impressed with how I said it that they told me not to worry because, once I get going, my Spanish is really OK.

However, there was one job interview where such verbal antics did not work. Again, I was being interviewed by a native Spanish-speaker, and fortunately, it was only three months after my return from Cuba where I attended a Spanish language intensive training at the University of Havana sponsored by  Global Exchange, Inc., based in San Francisco. Once the hiring manager was convinced of my qualifications, it was time to test my Spanish. To my pleasant surprise, I passed with flying colors and was hired.

As I go into 2014 ready to approach a very competitive job market with my marketing presentation ready, orally and in writing, I’m developing a marketing presentation in Spanish as well just to be on the safe side. In addition, I’ve been working on my Spanish grammar and listening to Spanish music like salsa, bachata, and Cuban hip-hop (wish me luck on the Cuban hip hop).

My New Revelations on Black Perú

Until today, the focus of my Afro-Peruvian experience and observations has been on the province of Chincha in Southern Perú, dubbed as the hub of Afro-Peruvian culture. It is here, where every February, people from all over Perú, and different parts of the world, come in droves to party in celebration of black heritage, and it’s here where I myself have family-like connections and visit every chance I get. 

However, on a couple of occasions, I started receiving comments on my blog from Afro-Peruvians informing me that Chincha is not really the hub of black culture; that most of the black people live in Northern Perú. Most recently, an African-American currently living with his Afro-Peruvian wife in the northern town of Zaña confirmed this to be true. He explains that due to Chincha’s heavy influx of migrants from the Andes and resulting interracial marriages, the African presence is not as strong as before. And this is further exacerbated by the fact that many of Chincha’s blacks moved to major cities, like Lima, seeking better job opportunities. I have to admit that when I first arrived in Chincha, I hardly saw any black people. It wasn’t until I arrived in the District of El Carmen where I saw a heavy black population, and even El Carmen itself has a large population of Mestizos from the Andes.

The greatest Afro-Peruvian populations of the north coast are found mainly in the regions of Piura and Lambayeque where there are large rice fields and mango plantations. The colonial city of Zaña in Lambayeque, once the Peruvian capital, is famous for being the second most important Afro-Peruvian city in the north. It is here where you will find the Afro-Peruvian museum, not to be confused with the National Afro-Peruvian Museum in Lima.

Recently it has been verified that the community with the greatest concentration of Afro-Peruvians is Yapatera in Morropón (Piura), made up of around 7,000 farmers who are largely descended from African slaves of "Malagasy" (Madagascar) origin. They are referred to as "malgaches" or "mangaches".- See more at: http://travelerspress.com/visit-northern-peru/#sthash.mAlgItGq.dpuf

With my new African-American friend living in Zaña with his wife, and my love for Afro-Peruvian culture, Piura and Lambayeque are in Northern Perú are now on my itinerary the next time I enter Perú

Some Unspoken Truths about Afro-Latinos

Statue of Venezuela's Pedro Camejo, one SimónBolívar's 

Lieutenants in the war of independence from Spain

My younger brother, a true world traveler, and I got into a disagreement about discussing race with Afro-Latinos. I myself am very reserved around Afro-Latinos on this subject because too many of them are unaware that they are indeed black. However, my brother is bold and dives head on into the subject. He told me of a conversation he had in Mexico with a black woman who denies having any African roots. She seriously claimed that her lineage goes back as far as Spain. Then there are those of mixed African heritage who insist on referring to themselves as Indio (Taino Indian), which to me, has more to do with internalized racism . They completely overlook the fact that the Tainos were exterminated by the Spaniards either by disease, violence, and overwork. This is why African people were imported; to replace of the dying Tainos in the physically demanding business of slavery. 

As for those blacks and browns who take such pride in their Spanish ancestry, they might want to keep in mind that it was the result of brutal rape of African women by Spanish slave masters, and not romantic love. African-American comedian George Mooney, in one of his monologues, alluded to the fact that just because he speaks English that does not make him look like Queen Elizabeth of England. The same principle applies to Latinos. Just because one speaks Spanish does not make her look like Queen Isabela of Spain.

Many Latinos, including Afro-Latinos, who come to this country and turn their noses up at African-Americans are simply clueless to the history of the civil rights movement, and how black (and white) Americans sacrificed their lives and were jailed so all people, regardless of color or national origin would have better lives in a country that preaches liberty and justice for all. I wonder how many of these Afro-Latino baseball players realize that were it not for an African American by the name of Jackie Robinson who broke the color line and endured humiliation by teammates and fans that they would not be enjoying the opportunity to play major league baseball today. Where would the likes of Dominicans like Sammy Sosa, who bleached his skin beyond recognition, and who allegedly claims “Taino” heritage, be today were it not for Jackie Robinson and star members of the segregated Negro baseball league.

Fortunately,  throughout my travels and online interactions with Afro-Latinos throughout Latin-America, I’m meeting more and more blacks from places like Bolivia, Ecuador, Perú, Uruguay, and heck, even Argentina who recognize and celebrate their black heritage. I recently met a friend who was surprised that I was surprised that a black pride movement has begun to spring up in the Dominican Republic.

Dominican Republic’s Persecution of Haitians

Demonstrators outside Dominican consulate in New York City protesting 

the persecution of Haitians in the Dominican Republic.

 

The hatred of Haitians in the Dominican Republic reaches back decades, if not centuries to the point of death and deportation. Recently, the Dominican government issued a court order that may force tens and thousands of Haitians to be deported even if they were born in the Dominican Republic. Hundreds have already returned to Haiti amidst anit-Haitian violence whom police officers have escorted about 600 across the border for protection, per their request. Many of these Haitians who were born and or raised in the Dominican Republic speak only Spanish and not Haitian creole. They may not have any family in Haiti, and in addition, face extreme economic hardships. This ruling has led Caribbean leaders to defer an application from the Dominican Republic for membership in Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the region's largest trade and cooperation bloc.

Due to the deep-seated racism against blacks in the Dominican Republic, even the average black Dominican will state, I’m not black, I’m Dominican. They refuse to identify as black because they do not want to be identified and persecuted as Haitian. Most black Dominicans, such as Sammy Sosa (allegedly) have gone as far as declaring Taino heritage. The Tainos are the indigenous people who were enslaved by the Spanish after Columbus' arrival and perished through overwork and disease before African slaves were brought in to replace them.

Haiti and the Dominican Republic share the island of Hispaniola, where Christopher Columbus established the first European settlement in 1492. Despite their shared history of colonialism and slavery, dictatorship and oppression, a physical and emotional border has long separated the two countries. By 1801 the famous ex-slave, Toussaint L'ouverture, had freed all the slaves on the island of Hispaniola and united it under his governorship. In 1808, five years after L'ouverture' death, a group of rebels started a war to return the eastern part the island to what is now the Dominican Republic– the west by this point was the republic of Haiti. By 1822,  Haiti had established control of the whole island once more. Indeed, the Dominican Republic gained its independence from Haiti, and not Spain, in 1844.

Modern times have demonstrated no less hostility. In 1937, Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo ordered the massacre of 10,000 to 25,000 Haitians in border areas where many worked cultivating sugar.  Recently, there has been talk of African-American travelers boycotting the Dominican Republic, and there has even been demonstrations, such as the one in New York in front of the Dominican Republic embassy to pressure the Dominican government to stop the persecution. 

 

What really needs to be addressed here, in my opinion, is the reason why so many Haitians flee their homeland in the first place for places like the Dominican Republic, the USA, France, and Cuba. I even met Haitians during my trip to Venezuela. While CARICOM and so many others are damning the Dominican government, what about the corrupt  Haitian government that has a long history of persecuting its own people? If Toussaint ‘L Overture were alive today, he’d be absolutely appalled with what is going on in the country he risked his life to liberate from France, and become the first black independent nation in the western world.

Afro-Ecuadorian Outsmarts Her Slave Masters

María Chinquiquirá (pronounced Cheen-kee-kee-RAH), a former black slave in what is now Ecuador's largest city, Guayaquil, is today an important symbol in Ecuador, particularly among Afro-Ecuadorians whom from my observations during my two visits, and from my correspondence with Afro-Ecuadorian Facebook friends, are raising their consciousness and pride in their heritage. Someone in an Afro-Ecuadorian forum referred to Ecuador's black movement as being in the spirit of María Chinquiquirá.

María, born in Guayaquil had a history of being mistreated by men. She lived during the 16th century, a time when being black meant being a slave in Ecuador. Her intelligence, knowledge, and determination along with a thorough understanding of her rights according to Ecuadorian law, changed the course of her history and those of thousands of women in Ecuador as she became the first slave in Ecuador to win her freedom and that of her daughter through a legal battle in May 1794. She won her freedom by accusing her masters of dishonorable acts including, siring children with slave women, requiring work on Sundays, withholding time for mass, and failing to provide instruction in the faith. Her portrait hangs in the Museum of Nahim Isaias in Guayaquil.