african day celebration

8/13/2019 African Day Celebration

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(O.A.U. SUMMIT MAY 25th 1963 ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA)

On April 15, 1958, in the city of Accra Ghana, African leaders and politicalactivists gathered at the first Conference of Independent African States. It wasattended y representatives of the govern!ents of "thiopia, Ghana, #ieria,#iya, $orocco, S%dan, &%nisia, &he 'nited Ara (ep%lic )which was thefederation of "gypt and Syria* and representatives of the +ational #ierationront of Algeria and the 'nion of Ca!eroonian -eoples. &his conference wassignificant in that it represented the first -anAfrican Conference held on

African soil. It was also significant in that it represented the collectivee/pression of African -eople0s disg%st with the syste! of colonialis! andi!perialis!, which ro%ght so !%ch s%ffering to African -eople. %rther, itrepresented the collective will to see the syste! of colonialis! per!anently

done away with.


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After 5 years of the !ost r%tal s%ffering 2nown to h%!anity, the rape ofAfrica and the s%se3%ent slave trade, which cost Africa in e/cess of1,, of her children, the !asses of African -eople sing%larly,separately, individ%ally, in s!all disconnected gro%pings for cent%ries hadsaid, 4eno%gh6 7%t in 1958, at the Accra Conference, it was eing said inways that e!phasied oint, coordinated and %nified action. &his conference

gave sharp clarity and definition to the -anAfrican $ove!ent, the totallieration and %nification of Africa %nder collective sec%rity. &he conference aswell laid the fo%ndation and the strategy for the f%rther intensification andcoordination of the ne/t stage of the African (ede!ption, for the lieration ofthe rest of Africa, and event%al and co!plete %nification.

&he Conference called for the fo%nding of African reedo! :ay, a day to,4!ar2 each year the onward progress of the lieration !ove!ent, and tosy!olie the deter!ination of the -eople of Africa to free the!selves fro!

foreign do!ination and e/ploitation.

ive years later after the irst Conference of Independent African States in thecity of Addis Aaa, "thiopia another historical !eeting occ%rred. On $ay ;5,19.I.$. "!peror >aileSelassie I.

infor! the African !asses ao%t their respective str%ggles for tr%e lierationand develop!ent.

-artic%larly for So%thern Africa, African #ieration :ay played a critical role inthe defeat of colonialis! and apartheid. It inspired others to s%pport thro%gh

vario%s progressive organiations, lieration co!!ittees and !ove!ents othin Africa and the socialist co%ntries aro%nd the world, the %ilding of anticolonial and national lieration !ove!ents y generating ar!s for the

7y then !ore than two thirds of the continenthad achieved independence fro! colonial r%le.

At this historic !eeting the date of Africareedo! :ay was changed fro! April 15th to$ay ;5thand Africa reedo! :ay was declared

African #ieration :ay )A#:*. African #ieration:ay has een held on $ay ;5th in every cornerof the world since.

African #ieration :ay has contri%ted to thestr%ggle to raise the level of political awarenessand organiation in African co!!%nitiesworldwide. It has f%rther een %sed as a tool toprovide a platfor! for !any African and otheroppressed peoples to


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freedo! fighters, offering a platfor! where the world co%ld receive politicaled%cation on the nat%re of the str%ggle, and providing a !ass asse!ly wherethe spirit and !oral of the freedo! fighters co%ld e reinvigorated.

African #ieration :ay has helped to e/pose '.S. led i!perialis!, ?ionis!and colonialis! as ene!ies of Africa. I!perialists for decades have atte!pted

to distance African #ieration :ay )and the African (evol%tion in general* fro!the str%ggle for socialis!. (e!e!er that it was, and is, capitalist "%rope,and not the Soviet 'nion, C%a, +orth @orea, China or ietna! whichocc%pied, colonied and e/ploited Africa. Several states in Africa today standindependent eca%se of !ilitary and other assistance fro! socialist co%ntries.

ro! the first A#: held in Accra, Ghana where Osagyefo @wa!e +2r%!ahplanted the first seed to the h%ndreds of African #ieration :ay oservanceswhich have occ%rred all over the world. African #ieration :ay stands

co!!itted to the str%ggle for national independence, African rede!ption,African lieration, African %nification and scientific socialis!.

&oday African #ieration :ay activities are eing organied thro%gho%t Africaand all over the world where African people are living and str%ggling. &he

o%rney down the (ede!ption path can only e acco!plished y oining aAfrican :iaspora organiation )i.e.B ".A.7.I.C.* wor2ing for the people. &hefreedo! of Africa and African people de!ands revol%tionary action thro%ghinternational organiation.

(FOUNDING FARTHERS OF THE ORGANIZATION OF AFRIAN UNITY)(O.A.U. ! A.U))


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His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I

STATEMENT ON ARFICA DAY 1963

"It has been five years since every year this day of April 15, was decreed to

becelebrated as Africa's Independence Day. This day is celebrated throughout

Africa. It reinds !s of the struggles for independence during the last twelveonths and of our African brothers that are still engaged in the fight forfreedo.or several years in the past, as !%st e re!e!ered, a large part of the

African continent was %nder colonial r%le. In the co%rse of that ti!e,colonialists have stripped the Africans of their freedo! and nat%ral rights, and%sed their reso%rces for the enefit and prosperity of their own co%ntry. "ven

today, colonial !asters spea2 ill of Africans y e/aggerating their poverty inthe press. Africans are also la!ed for the aid they receive. &his aid cannot fillthe needs of their peoples overnight. ro! %nder s%ch h%!iliation, Africansrose %p to safeg%ard their right and started to str%ggle to otain theirindependence. &his str%ggle egan to ear fr%it after Dorld Dar II.

&he first African Independent States Conference was held in Africa in 1958.&he independent states at that ti!e were only eight. +evertheless, thefreedo! fight in Africa contin%ed with !ore vigo%r and fervo%r and today then%!er of independent states has reached =;. &his is fo%r ti!es the sie ofthose independent co%ntries which participated in the Accra Conference. #astyear alone (wanda, 7%r%ndi, 'ganda, and Algeria achieved theirindependence and eca!e !e!ers of the Independent African states.

Altho%gh it had een d%ly e/tended at the appropriate ti!e, we will againvent%re to e/press o%r congrat%lations to these friendly co%ntries.

In o%r neigho%r co%ntry, @enya, a new political trend is ta2ing shape andelections are e/pected to e held soon. It is o%r earnest wish that @enyaachieves independence i!!ediately after the concl%sion of a s%ccessf%l

election. &hat @enya otains her independence witho%t the dis!e!er!ent ofher regions is the policy that "thiopia strongly s%pports. "thiopia opposes allthose who try to dis!e!er @enya %nder the clai! of trialis!.

Congo has een in t%r!oil after independence. It has een gratifying to 's tosee @atanga reintegrated last year into the central govern!ent to for! a%nited Congo (ep%lic. De are especially pleased, eca%se "thiopia has senther troops to Congo in the na!e of the 'nited +ations and !ade s%stantialcontri%tion to the %nity of that co%ntry.

In Central Africa too, political !ove!ent is 3%ite enco%raging. 'nder thee!inent leadership of :r. @a!%a 7anda, +yasaland achieved local


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govern!ent %nder its nationals and the day of her independence is an/io%slyeing awaited in the very near f%t%re. It has also een !ade clear in a recent#ondon Conference that +orthern (hodesia has sec%red its right of secessionfro! the colonialistr%n ederation, and it is fast !arching towardsindependence.

$eanwhile, the fate of Africans in So%thern (hodesia is in a precario%ssit%ation. $any Africans and their leaders are fo%nd aritrarily i!prisoned andconse3%ently, the co%ntry is in chaos, De will not hesitate to re!ind the7ritish Govern!ent to !a2e %se of its responsiility to hand over a%thority tothe African !aority so that So%thern (hodesia will also e independent. 'ntilnow the 7ritish Govern!ent has shown wisdo! and so%nd %dg!ent inproviding independence for Africans, in a !anner constr%ctive and oective.

&he So%th African racial govern!ent apartheid policy has deterioratedinstead of effecting leniency and i!prove!ent. A large n%!er of Africans,fighting for their freedo!, are fro! daytoday ha%led into ails witho%t d%eprocess of law, and are !ade to s%ffer %nder severe conditions. :efying worldopinion, rea2ing international laws and disrespecting the 'nited +ationsCharter, the So%th African govern!ent contin%es practicing its atrocio%s andodio%s policy. +evertheless, "thiopia will not deny assistance to o%r rother

Africans who live in that %nfort%nate co%ntry.

De shall not pass witho%t e/pressing o%r regret to the -ort%g%eseGovern!ent, that the fate of Africans in its colonies has not een %p to nowi!proved so as to have prepared the! for independence. Dhat De wo%ld


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again re!ind the -ort%g%ese Govern!ent, is to prepare Africans in its colonialterritories for selfgovern!ent in order to c%rtail heavy loodshed. "thiopiawill not refrain fro! endeavo%ring to assist in finding sol%tions y which

Africans %nder -ort%g%ese colonies will otain independence.

In general, De e/tend o%r good will greetings to all o%r African rethren who

are still %nder the yo2e of foreign r%le, and wish that their str%ggle for freedo!will ear fr%it so that they wo%ld e !asters of their own fate. O%r help willalso reach the!.

inally, De wo%ld li2e to spea2 ao%t the $ay Conference of African >eadsof State to e held here in Addis Aaa. All the =; heads of state in the entirecontinent have accepted o%r invitation and e/pressed their willingness toparticipate in the Conference. De are specially pleased y the response andcooperation shown y o%r neigho%r sister, So!alia, for her reconsideration to

ta2e part in the conference following o%r reco!!endation and advice.

&he p%rpose of this conference is to strengthen African %nity. Since "thiopiaEshospitality is historically 2nown, it is the vol%ntary d%ty of every individ%al"thiopian to e/tend the %s%al co%rtesies to o%r disting%ished g%ests who willco!e for the conference. De entr%st, therefore, to yo% all that each one of yo%e/tend the est reception to o%r hono%rale g%ests.

#et Al!ighty God help %s in the f%lfill!ent of o%r wishes.


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N"#th A$#%&' I*++*+&+

AlgeriaIndependence from France: 1962

rench con3%est of Algeria egan in 18= and ythe end of the cent%ry rench settlers had ta2en!ost of the est land. Dar was declared againstthe colonial ad!inistration y the +ational#ieration ront in 195F. In 19


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egan. Independence was achieved in 195 withproposed %nion to the new state of G%inea7issa%. In 1981 Cape erde finally split away tofor! an independent rep%lic.

*am!iaIndependence from Britain: 1965&he region ca!e %nder the infl%ence of Isla! inthe 1=th cent%ry. :%ring the 18th and 19th

cent%ry, the region attracted the attention ofoth the rench and the 7ritish. It finally eca!ea 7ritish colony in 1888. Independence wasachieved in 19


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Central African Independence

Camer""%Independence from France and Britain:

1960!61&he region was inhaited y northwestern 7ant%societies and was typified y the :io%la who hadestalished the!selves as a centralied state inthe 18th cent%ry. It was %nder the no!inalinfl%ence of the 7ritish %ntil it was anne/ed yGer!any in 188F. In 1919, following the irstDorld Dar, Ca!eroon was divided etween therench and the 7ritish. In 1955 the rench 2illed1, locals d%ring a revolt, and the contin%eddist%rances res%lted in the rench sectordeclaring independence in 19


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and f%ll independence achieved in 19%t% in thefo%rteenth cent%ry and arrival of the &%tsi in thefifteenth cent%ry res%lted in a &%tsi lordH>%t%serf society. &his &%tsi do!ination wasreinforced y Ger!anH7elgian coloniation fro!

189. Independence otained in 19


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Independence from $ite minority rule: 199.In 1


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HIM with leaders of East and Central Africa

In her long and glorio%s history, "thiopia, hasti!e and again, had to str%ggle againstoverwhel!ing odds to preserve intact hertraditional freedo! and independence and to

g%arantee fro! generation to generation theright of free!en to wor2 o%t their own destinywitho%t interference or hindrance. &he world isonly now co!ing to realie what "thiopia andAfrica have long recognied, that peace,independence and the prosperity of mankind can

be achieved and assured only by the collective

and united efforts of free men who are prepared

to maintain eternal vigilance and labor

unceasingly to protect these most precious of

Gods gifts. &he sy!pathy and s%pport which"thiopia received fro! other African peoples

when she was invaded twentythree years ago isa!ple testi!ony of the strong senti!ents which%nite all free African co%ntries.In o%r own lifeti!e the world has %ndergonechanges !ore sweeping and stri2ing than thoseseen d%ring any si!ilar period in history.&echnical and scientific advances have co!inedto raise !an2ind to a level of !aterialachieve!ent never efore realied. It is the d%tyand responsiility of the Independent AfricanStates to f%rther this develop!ent and to ringthe enefits of !odern civiliation toincreasingly large n%!ers of people in Africa.

>owever, as !anEs capacity to i!prove his ownlot has grown, so has his power to spread havocand destr%ction correspondingly increased. &heIndependent African States !%st ass%re that thegrowing weight of Africa is enlisted on the sideof peace and %stice to the end of avoiding athird holoca%st which co%ld well eng%lf theentire world and res%lt in the total destr%ction of!an2ind.7%t dwarfing even !anEs !aterial achieve!entsin the twentieth cent%ry has een the e!ergenceof peoples all over the world into freedo! andindependence. &oday, for the first ti!e, !en

everywhere to who! freedo! and independencewere, %t a short ti!e ago, only words, and forwho! econo!ic and political selfdeter!ination

were no !ore than fardistant goals, haveachieved the stat%s of free !en and are directingtheir efforts and energies to their ownadvance!ent. De are partic%larly gratified andpro%d that this develop!ent has een so !ar2edand widespread on the great continent of Africa.Africa will no longer e the %n2nown continent,for its h%!an and !aterial reso%rces are eyond!eas%re, and this great continent now stands onthe verge of an econo!ic, political and c%lt%raldevelop!ent which, when realied, will ewitho%t parallel in history.

Et+i"pia:s 0artIn this develop!ent, "thiopia will have its ownpartic%lar, and we feel, i!portant role to play. Itis for this reason that we have charged O%reloved Son -rince Sahle Selassie with the high!ission to e O%r personal representative andthe head of the "thiopian :elegation to theConference of Independent African States.

!thiopia knows how hard"won is independenceand how vital it is that men be #ealous of their

freedom and be ever prepared to defend it$

HIM during Italian Invasion"thiopia 2nows, as her history has ta%ght her,that the world is s!all, and that cooperationa!ong all nations of the world, "ast and Destali2e, is not only possile and desirale, %tindispensale for the welfare of !an2ind."thiopia 2nows that the willingness of theIndependent States of Africa to cooperate andwor2 together in solving their co!!on prole!sand achieving their co!!on goals is essential to

the contin%ed progress of the African peoples.It is a propitio%s o!en for the f%t%re that atthis very !o!ent the free nations of Africa aregiving tangile evidence of their deter!inationto wor2 together not only for their own good %tfor the good of Africa and the entire world. &hetas2 is great. It de!ands wise #udgment andstates!anship of the highest order. It re3%iresunceasing labor, a dedication to f%nda!entalprinciples and oectives and a deter!ination tooverco!e all ostacles, however large. >e whos%ffers con3%ers, and in the final resort, wins the

crown of victory. De pray that Al!ighty God willless the Conference with strength and wisdo!and crown its efforts with s%ccess.

>I$ >aile Selassie


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De, the >eads of African States and Govern!ents asse!led in theCity of Addis Aaa, "thiopia

C"%,i%#e)that it is the inalienale right of all people to control their own destiny,

C"%s#i"$sof the fact that freedo!, e3%ality, %stice and dignity are essentialoectives for the achieve!ent of the legiti!ate aspirations of the African peoples,

C"%s#i"$sof o%r responsiility to harness the nat%ral and h%!an reso%rces of o%r

continent for the total advance!ent of o%r peoples in all spheres of h%!anendeavo%r,

I%spire)y a co!!on deter!ination to pro!ote %nderstanding a!ong o%rpeoples and cooperation a!ong o%r states in response to the aspirations of o%rpeoples for rotherhood and solidarity, in a larger %nity transcending ethnic and

national differences,

C"%,i%#e)that, in order to translate this deter!ination into a dyna!ic force in theca%se of h%!an progress, conditions for peace and sec%rity !%st e estalished

and !aintained,

Determi%e)to safeg%ard and consolidate the hardwon independence as well asthe sovereignty and territorial integrity of o%r states, and to fight against

neocolonialis!in all its for!s,

De)i#ate)to the general progress of Africa,

0ers$a)e)that the Charter of the 'nited +ations and the 'niversal :eclaration of>%!an (ights, to the -rinciples of which we reaffir! o%r adherence, provide a solid

fo%ndation for peacef%l and positive cooperation a!ong States,

Desir"$sthat all African States sho%ld henceforth %nite so that the welfare andwelleing of their peoples can e ass%red,

Res"l,e)to reinforce the lin2s etween o%r states y estalishing andstrengthening co!!on instit%tions,

>ave agreed to the present Charter.


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E s t a b l i s h m e n t

A r t i c l e I

1; T+e Hig+ C"%tra#ti%g0arties )" !y t+e prese%t

C+arter esta!lis+ a%Orga%iati"% t" !e '%"2%as t+e OR*ANI5ATION OF

AFRICAN 4NITY;

P u r p o s e

A r t i c l e I I

1; T+e Orga%iati"% s+all+a,e t+e -"ll"2i%g

p$rp"ses T" pr"m"te t+e $%itya%) s"li)arity "- t+e

A-ri#a% States?

=!> T" #""r)i%ate a%)i%te%si-y t+eir #""perati"%

a%) e--"rts t" a#+ie,e a!etter li-e -"r t+e pe"ples

"- A-ri#a?

=#> T" )e-e%) t+eirs",ereig%ty8 t+eir

territ"riali%tegrity a%)

i%)epe%)e%#e?

=)> T" era)i#ate all -"rms"- #"l"%ialism -r"m

A-ri#a?a%)

=e> T" pr"m"tei%ter%ati"%al #""perati"%8+a,i%g )$e regar) t" t+e

C+arter "- t+e 4%ite)Nati"%s a%) t+e 4%i,ersal

De#larati"% "- H$ma%Rig+ts;

@; T" t+ese e%)s8 t+eMem!er States s+all

#""r)i%ate a%) +arm"%iet+eir ge%eral p"li#ies8

espe#ially i% t+e -"ll"2i%g-iel)s 0"liti#al a%) )ipl"mati#

#""perati"%?!> E#"%"mi# #""perati"%8i%#l$)i%g tra%sp"rt a%)

#"mm$%i#ati"%s?=#> E)$#ati"%al a%)

#$lt$ral

#""perati"%?

=)> Healt+8 sa%itati"% a%)%$triti"%al #""perati"%?

=e> S#ie%ti-i# a%)te#+%i#al

#""perati"%? a%)

=-> C""perati"% -"r)e-e%se

a%) se#$rity;

P r i n c i p l e s

A r t i c l e I I I

T+e Mem!er States8 i%p$rs$it "- t+e p$rp"ses

state) i% Arti#le IIs"lem%ly

a--irm a%) )e#lare t+eira)+ere%#e t" t+e

-"ll"2i%gpri%#ipleso%ston (oc2ets forward Carl >errera*,however, !ost of the! donEt descrie the!selves as Afroene%elan, %t as #atinos or>ispanics or si!ply ene%elans.Lcitation neededM Afroene%elans have also stood o%tin arts, especially !%sic.Lcitation neededM In ;< oth $iss 'niverse ene%ela and $issDorld ene%ela were !%latto, %t generally lac2 people are rarely seen in the local!edia.One of the !ost fa!o%s and controversial Afro#atinos, ene%elan -resident >%goChVve stated in an interview while visiting the 'nited States, Dhen we were children, wewere told that we have a !otherland, and that !otherland was Spain. >owever, we havediscovered later, in o%r lives, that as a !atter of fact, we have several !otherlands. Andone of the greatest !otherlands of all is no do%t, Africa. De love Africa. And every day weare !%ch !ore aware of the roots we have in Africa... (acis! is very characteristic ofi!perialis!. (acis! is very characteristic of capitalis!. @atrina isXindeed, has a lot to dowith racis!Yno do%t ao%t it. >ate against !e has a lot to do with racis!. 7eca%se of !yig !o%th, eca%se of !y c%rly hair. And I0! so pro%d to have this !o%th and this hair,eca%se it0s African. L;M+t#'0 A/+#%&'&he Afro#atin A!ericans of Central A!erica !ostly live in or near Cariean coast. &helac2s of 7elie, G%ate!ala, >ond%ras and +icarag%a, are of GarWf%na, AfroCarieanandHor $estio heritage, as well as of $is2ito heritage in the latter two. &hose of Costa (ica

and -ana!a are !ostly of AfroCariean heritage. $any AfroCariean islanders arrivedin -ana!a to help %ild the -ana!a Canal and to Costa (ica, >ond%ras and +icarag%a towor2 in the anana plantations.B+0%4+Once eing an e/tension to the co%ntry of G%ate!ala, the ethnic de!ographics in 7elieare one in the sa!e. 7eliean c%lt%re is a !i/ of "%ropean, $ayan Indian, and African, %tonly


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wor2ers. &he indigeno%s pop%lation n%!ers aro%nd 1P, F1,==8 individ%als. In theG%anacaste -rovince, a significant portion of the pop%lation descends fro! a !i/ of localA!erindians, Africans and Spaniards. $ost AfroCosta (icans are fo%nd in the #i!Tn-rovince.E0 S'0'*"#&he declining A!erindian pop%lation infl%enced a (oyal Ordinance iss%ed in 15F1 thatgave the Spanish land owners and !iners per!ission to i!port African slaves into "l

Salvador. &he +ew #aws did not officially co!e into effect in "l Salvador %ntil 15F8 whenthe president of the 4%risdiction of #os Confines )which incl%ded "l Salvador* freed allA!erindian slaves in the co%ntry and reco!!ended that !ore Africans e ro%ght to "lSalvador to ta2e the place of those who had een freed. Over the ne/t seventyfive years%pwards of 1, Africans were ro%ght to wor2 on the haciendas and in the !ines of "lSalvador. In 1ernande $artine instit%ted race laws in 19= that prohiited lac2sfro! entering the co%ntry, this changed d%ring the 198s and the law was re!oved.L;;MIn the area of fol2 and pop%lar !%sic, the infl%ences of Africa on "l Salvador eco!e veryapparent. &he national fol2 instr%!ent, the !ari!a, has its origins in Africa and wasro%ght to G%ate!ala and the rest of Central A!erica y African slaves d%ring colonialti!es. &he !elodies played on it show A!erindian, African and "%ropean infl%ences in

oth for! and style. Salvadoran pop%lar !%sic, as well as its social dances, show strongconnections to the rhyth!s of western and central Africa. &he !ost pop%lar social dancesin "l Salvador are those that have een adopted fro! the AfroCariean rhyth!s and


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dances. &he C%!ia ca!e fro! Colo!ia, the (%!a7olero fro! C%a and the$ereng%e fro! the :o!inican (ep%lic. +o Salvadoran social event is co!plete witho%tthe playing of these AfroCariean dances. &hey are so co!pletely integrated intoSalvadoran life that they are today the !ost typical e/pressions of the pop%lar !%sicaltraditions of the co%ntry. In their Salvadoran for! they ta2e on a style that is si!ilar, yetdifferent, fro! that which they originated. L;=M#atinA!erican historian >%ert >erring wrote in his >istory of #atin A!erica )19ond%ras indicates that ;P of the pop%lation, or ao%t 15,individ%als, selfidentified as lac2 d%ring the last official cens%s. &his n%!er is ased onselfidentification and does not %se the A!erican definition of lood 3%ant%! to identifylac2ness as >enry Gates does in his esti!ate of the lac2 pop%lation of >ond%rasB"sti!ates of people of African descent in >ond%ras vary widely, fro! 1, to =;,)1.8 to 5.8 percent of the co%ntryEs 5.8 !illion people in 199F. L;FMIf one %ses the lood 3%ant%! definition of lac2ness, then lac2s ca!e to >ond%ras earlyin the colonial period. One of the !ercenaries who aided -edro de Alvarado in his

con3%est of >ond%ras in 15=< was a lac2 slave wor2ing as a !ercenary to earn hisfreedo!. Alvarado sent his own slaves fro! G%ate!ala to wor2 the placer gold deposits inwestern >ond%ras as early as 15=F. &he earliest lac2 slaves consigned to >ond%ras werepart of a license granted to the 7ishop Cristoal de -edraa in 15F to ring = slavesinto >ond%ras. Certainly a large part of the !odern >ond%ran pop%lation today identified as!estio has at least so!e lac2 ancestry, %t they do not selfidentify as lac2.&he selfidentifying lac2 pop%lation in >ond%ras is !ostly of Dest Indian )Antillean origin*,descendants of indent%red laorers ro%ght fro! a!aica, >aiti, and other CarieanIslands. &he Garif%na )or 7lac2 Caris*, a people of !i/ed A!erindian and Africanancestry, were e/pelled fro! the island of Saint incent after an %prising against the"nglish and in 19 and were e/iled to (oatan. ro! there they !ade their way along the

Cariean coast of 7elie, !ainland >ond%ras and +icarag%a. #arge Garif%na settle!entsin >ond%ras today incl%de &r%illo, #a Ceia, and &ri%nfo de la Cr%. "ven tho%gh they onlyca!e to >ond%ras in 19, the Garif%na are one of the seven officially recognied


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indigeno%s gro%ps in >ond%ras.Slaves on the north coast !i/ed with the $is2ito Indians, for!ing a gro%p referred to as the?a!o $is2ito. &oday the $is2ito consider the!selves to e p%rely indigeno%s, denyingthis African heritage. L;5M &oday there are a siale n%!er of people in the depart!ent ofOlancho )a center of gold !ining and cattle ranching* that wo%ld e considered lac2 y'.S. standards. &hey do not, however, identify as s%ch %t rather as !estio. L;


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clai!s that discri!ination against C%ans of >aitian descent has stopped. After Spanish,Creole is the second !ostspo2en lang%age in C%a. Over F, C%ans either spea2 itfl%ently, %nderstand it %t spea2 with diffic%lty, or have at least so!e fa!iliarity with thelang%age. It is !ainly in those co!!%nities, where >aitians and their descendants live, thatCreole is !ost spo2en. In addition to the eastern provinces there are also co!!%nities inCiego de Avila and Ca!ag%ey provinces where the pop%lation still !aintains Creole, their!other tong%e. Classes in Creole are offered in G%antana!o, $atanas and the City of

>avana. &here is a Creolelang%age radio progra!.So!e of the !ost fa!o%s AfroC%anos are Salsa #egend Celia Cr% and Irahi! errerof the 7%ena ista Social Cl%.D"/%%&' R+0%&=P are !i/ed )!ostly !%latto* L= M L=1 M, 11P are 7lac2, and 1

aitian i!!igrants in the co%ntry %p to a!illion >aitians live in the :o!inican (ep%lic. &here are also i!!igrants fro! other #atinA!erican co%ntries incl%ding C%a, ene%ela, and Colo!ia.

:o!inican c%lt%re is a !i/t%re of &aino A!erindian, African, and "%ropean origins. Dhile&aino infl%ences are present in !any :o!inican traditions, the "%ropean and Africaninfl%ences are the !ost noticeale.H'%t%&he pop%lation of >aiti is 8. !illion, of which 95P are of African descent and there!aining 5P is !%latto and white.L=;M$arao% is a ter! of >aitian origin denoting a >aitian of !%ltiracial ethnicity. &he ter!descries the offspring of a 7lac2 AfricanH"%ropean or !%latto and an A!erindian,specifically the native &aWno, orn in >aiti )for!erly Saint:o!ing%e*. &he heavy pop%lationof Africans on the island estalished y the rench and Spanish dil%ted the generations ofsocalled !arao%s over the decades and virt%ally all >aitians today of s%pposedA!erindian descent are ass%!ed to also possess African ancestry.Lcitation neededMSeveral other ter!s e/ist for the !arao% racial !i/t%re in other co%ntries )see Caf%o,?a!o*.>aiti is an Afro#atin nation with strong African contri%tions to the c%lt%re as well as itslang%age, !%sic and religion. &o a lesser degree rench, Spaniard, and in rare occasions)food, art, and fol2 religion* &aino and Ara c%sto!s are present in society.0$ert" Ri#"According to the ; '.S. Cens%s ta2en in -%erto (ico, 8.5P of -%erto (icans identifiedas Dhite, 8P of the pop%lation as 7lac2 and 1.9P as of !i/ed or other race. L==M Anislandwide !itochondrial :+A )!t:+A* st%dy cond%cted y the 'niversity of -%erto (ico

at $ayagZe revealed that


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redefinition of the ter!. It also appears that the lac2 ele!ent within the c%lt%re wassi!ply disappearing possily d%e to the pop%lar idea that in the '.S. one co%ld onlyadvance econo!ically and socially if one were to pass for white. L=5M$isinfor!ation of ethnic pop%lations within -%erto (ico also e/isted %nder Spanish r%le,when the +ative A!erindian )&aino* pop%lations were recorded as eing e/tinct.7iological science has now rewritten their history oo2s. &hese tries were not vol%ntarytravelers, %t have since lended into the !ainstrea! -%erto (ican pop%lation )as all the

others have een* with &aino ancestry eing the co!!on thread that inds.$any socalled p%re lac2s in -%erto (ico are fo%nd in the coastal areas, areastraditionally associated with s%gar cane plantations )especially in the towns #oia,G%aya!a, -once, and Carolina*. Altho%gh, d%e to the :+A evidence that is eingpresented y '-( at $ayag%e, !any African loodlines have een recorded in thecentral !o%ntains of the island, tho%gh not written in the Spanish history oo2s of the ti!e.Conse3%ently, &aino loodlines have eg%n appearing in the coastal towns. All thiss%ggesting that escaped Africans ran off to the !o%ntains to escape the slaveowners, whileso!e &ainos re!ained close to their !ain staple food, fish.&he -%erto (ican !%sical genres of o!a and plena are of African and Cariean originrespectively and danced to d%ring parties and Africanderived festivals. $any 7oric%as who

clai! DestHCentral African ancestry are descendants of enslaved Congo, Igo and Jor%atries fro! Africa. After the aolition of slavery in 18= and the SpanishA!erican Dar of1898 a n%!er of African A!ericans have also !igrated and settled in -%erto (ico.&wo of the !ost fa!o%s Afro#atin A!ericans are -%erto (ican 7o/er eli/ &ito &rinidadand >all of a!e aseall player (oerto Cle!ente.M+8%&"&he vast !aority of conte!porary Afro$e/icans inhait the so%thern region of $e/icoKthose that !igrated north in the colonial period assi!ilated into the general pop%lation,!a2ing their e/istence in the co%ntry less evident than other gro%ps. So!e Afro$e/icanfactsB[ $e/icoEs second -resident, icente G%errero, an Afro$e/ican, iss%ed a decreeaolishing slavery and e!ancipating all slaves in 18;9, d%ring his short ter! aspresident.[ (ace is not considered for any official p%rpose, incl%ding the cens%s.[ Gaspar Janga fo%nded the first free African township in the A!ericas in 1

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