the third root afrolatino culture
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July 2012 - Presentation on Afro-Latino Culture.TRANSCRIPT
The Third Root: Afro-Latino Culture
in the Spanish Classroom
Aurora Fiengo-Varn
Mississippi Valley State University
2012 AATSP Conference
San Juan, Puerto Rico
The Third Root
“Afro-Latinos are like the sugar in coffee, you can’t see them, But they make the
whole thing taste better.”
Sagrario Cruz-CarreteroMexican Anthropologist
UNESCO’s DECLARATION
http://www.afrodescendientes-undp.org
http://www.un.org/en/events/iypad2011/
What does the typical Hispanic look like?
Afro-Mexican of the Costa Chica
http://www.afromexico.com
Honduran National Team
Afro-Panamanian
Afro-Uruguayan
US-Born Afrolatinos
Afro-Latin
America, 1800
Reid Andrews, George. Afro-Latin America, 2004.
By 1830: The ratio of slaves-Europeans was 4:1.
Colonial African Kingdoms
West Indies
EuropeAtlantic Islands
SpanishAmerica
Brazil British French DutchNorth
AmericaTotal
50,000 25,000 1,622,400 4,029,800 1,639,700 1,699,700 437,700 559,800 10,247,500
Slaves Arrivals 1451-1870
Afro-Latin America, 2000
Reid Andrews, George. Afro-Latin America, 2004.
DemographicAfro-Descendant
Presence in Contemporary
Latin America
Who are Afro-Latinos?• An Afro-Latino is a Latin American person of
at least partial African ancestry.• It may also refer to historical or cultural
elements in Latin America thought to come from this community.
• The term can refer to the mixing of African and other cultural elements found in Latin American society such as religion, food, music, language, the arts, and social class.
African descendants
• 150 million • 39 – 33% of the population
How many Afro-Latinos are there?
Si3.0%
No85.8%
Ns/Nc11.2%
Are you black? : No !!Your grandmother? Perhaps…
Race Relations in Latin America
Afro-Latinos in History
Mexico’s Independence War
José María Morelos1765-1815
Vicente Guerrero1782-1831
Blacks in Latin America
Mexico's Independence War (Blacks in Latin America)
1. When does the war takes place?
2. Who started the revolution? What did he propose regarding the Mexican cast system?
3. Who succeeded him after his death?
4. What was remarkable about these two generals?
5. Who abolished slavery in Mexico? When?
6. Why does Professor Gates say that Mexico was ahead of the United States in 1830?
7. In your opinion, what is the most significant aspect of this clip? Why?
Afro-Latino Influence in
Religion
Definition
Santería:– Means “veneration of the Saints”– Fuses African myths with Catholic Saints.– Syncretic religion that uses dancing and singing to
practice Yoruba-derived rituals.
Orisha:– A divine being, who like Catholic Saints, is
petitioned on behalf of humanity and whose origin stems from the religious worldview of the Yoruba people.
Syncretization
Obatala Virgen de las Mercedes
Our Lady of Mercy
Syncretization
Ochun Virgen de la Caridad (Patron Saint of Cuba)Our Lady of Charity
Syncretization
Yemayá Virgen de la ReglaOur Lady of Rule
Syncretization
ChangóSanta Bárbara
St. Barbara
Santa Bárbara
Aguanile
Aguanile Song (El Cantante)
1. Where does the couple go?2. What does the "healer" give Hector Lavoe?
According to her, who is going to protect him?
3. What colors does Hector wear during the concert? Are these colors symbolic?
4. What actions overlap with the concert?5. What is the song's chorus?6. From this clip, what are some African
religious practices that are still prevalent in modern Latin American culture?
Afro-latino Art
• During the 1920’s, there was a period of increased political and cultural activism.
• Afro-cubanismo had several artists that came to represent the African heritage in their art. The most representative artist was Wifredo Lam (1902-1982).
Wifredo Lam
•He was a painter of Afro-Chinese descent.
•He explained, “I wanted with all my heart to paint the drama of my country, but by thoroughly expressing the Negro spirit, the beauty of the plastic art of the blacks.”
Wifredo Lam, The Jungle, gouache on paper, 1943, Museum of Modern Art.
Altar para Yemayá Altar para Elegua
'Zambezia, Zambezia', oil on canvas painting by Wifredo Lam, 1950
Afro-Peruvian: Pancho Fierro19th Century Lima Vignettes
• Francisco Fierro (1810-1879) was of mixed Spanish, indigenous, and African descent and was born into humble circumstances.• He was self-taught and was
probably illiterate.• His watercolor multicultural
paintings reveal Peru's diverse and complex past.
Zamacueca
Penitente y chichera
El Yerbatero
Son de los Diablos
Sigue el Son de los Diablos
Cuban Ajiaco
• A rich stew consisting of a large variety of ingredients.• The ingredients of the
“stew” include Catholicism brought in by the Spaniards and the spirituality of the Yoruba slaves. The base of the stew is the indigenous people.
Blacks in Latin America
Cuban Ajiaco (Blacks in Latin America)
1. What is ajiaco?
2. Define the concept of "cubanidad" according to this clip.
3. How can "ajiaco" be used as a metaphor for Cuban cultural identity?
4. How are the United States and Cuba different in terms of racial differentiation?
Afro-latinos in sports
Roberto Clemente (Puerto Rico)
Juan Marichal (República Dominicana)
Rod Carew (Panama)
African influence in Latin music
• The Caribbean is a fertile site for musical creation that has come to enjoy global appeal.
• Syncretic transculturation that involves African, indigenous, and European features. Ex. Rumba, mambo, son, salsa, merengue, tango, cumbia, plena, and bomba.
African influence in Latin music
• Some common elements are:•Use of call-and-response style.•Emphasis in rhythm.•Use of percussion, featuring several drums.
•Pieces structured on repetition
Musical Documentary
Calle 54
1. According to these Latin American musicians, what is the common root of Caribbean music?
2. What family comparisons are made?3. What instrument dominates in this clip?
Dance in Latin America and the Caribbean
• A vital means of expressing the aesthetic, spiritual, and even political solidarity of people of African descent which has strongly influenced the culture at large in this part of the world.
Candombe in Uruguay
Carnival in Uruguay
Uruguay's Candombe (YouTube)
1. Where were the African slaves from in Uruguay?
2. What is Candombe?
3. What status has UNESCO given to Candombe?
4. Nowadays Candombe is festive. What was it originally like during colonial times?
Buena Vista Social Club
Silencio (lyrics)Duermen en mi jardínlos nardos, las rosas y las blancas azucenas.Mi alma muy triste y pesarosaA las flores quiere ocultar su amargo dolor.Yo no quiero que las flores sepanLos tormentos que me da la vidaSi supieran lo que estoy sufriendoPor mis penas llorarían también.Silencio que están durmiendoLos nardos y las azucenasNo quiero que sepan mis penasPorque si me ven llorando, morirán.
Buena Vista Social Club
Afro-Latino Singers
Afro-Latino Singers
"Sensemayá" (Canto para matar a una culebra)
¡Mayombe-bombe-mayombé!¡Mayombe-bombe-mayombé!¡Mayombe-bombe-mayombé!
La culebra tiene los ojos de vidrio;la culebra viene, y se enreda en un palo;con sus ojos de vidrio en un palo,con sus ojos de vidrio.La culebra camina sin patas;la culebra se esconde en la yerba;caminando se esconde en la yerba;¡caminando sin patas!
Mayombe-bombe-mayombé!¡Mayombe-bombe-mayombé!¡Mayombe-bombe-mayombé!
Tú le das con el hacha, y se muere;¡dale ya!¡No le des con el pie, que te muerde,no le des con el pie, que se va!
Sensemayá, la culebra,sensemayá,Sensemayá, con sus ojos,sensemayá.Sensemayá con su lengua,sensemayá.Sensemayá con su boca,sensemayá!
La culebra muerta no puede comer;la culebra muerta no puede silbar,no puede caminar,¡no puede correr!La culebra muerta no puede mirar;la culebra muerta no puede beber,no puede respirar,¡no puede morder!
¡Mayombe-bombe-mayombé!Sensemayá, la culebra...¡Mayombe-bombe-mayombé!Sensemayá, no se mueve...¡Mayombe-bombe-mayombé!Sensemayá, la culebra...¡Mayombe-bombe-mayombé!¡Sensemayá, se murió!
Sensemayá
Students’ Group Projects
Film Project
Tomás Gutiérrez Alea1976
La Ultima Cena
Isabel Allende
2009
The 5 "C's" of the National Standards
STANDARDS FOR FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING
CULTURESGain Knowledge and Understanding of Other Cultures
To conclude. . .Over the centuries black people have added their original contributions to the cultural mix of their respective societies and thus exerted a profound influence on all facets of life in Latin America. Our culture is rich thanks to our multiculturalism.
“It is also true that many African-American students find greater relevancy in foreign
languages study when the concept of “Negritude,” an effort to influence the awareness of their African heritage, is
introduced and explored.
James Davis, “African American Students and Foreign Language Learning.”
References
Midlo Hall, Gwendolyn. Slavery and African Ethnicities in the Americas. University of North Carolina Press, 2005.
Reid Andrews, George. Afro-Latin America 1800-2000. Oxford University Press, 2004.
Walker, Sheila. African Roots/American Cultures. Rowman Publishers, 2001.
Miller, Grace. The Rise and Fall of the Cosmic Race. University of Texas Press, 2004.
Landers, Jane. Slaves, Subjects and Subversives. University of New Mexico Press, 2006.
Appiah, Kwame and Henry Louis Gates. Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience. Basic Civitas Books, 1999.
Hubbart, Louise. “The Minority Student in Foreign Languages.” The Modern Language Journal, Vol.64, No. 1 (Spring 1980), pp. 75-80.
Brigman, Leelen and Lucy Cheser. “Participation and Succes of Minority Students in University Foreign Language Programs.”The Modern Language Journal, Vol. 65, No. 4 (Winter 1981), pp. 371-376.
Pérez-Sarduy, Pedro & Jean Stubbs. No Longer Invisible: Afro-Latin Americans Today. Minority Rights Publication, 1995.
Gates, Henry Louis. Black in Latin America. New York University Press, 2011.
PBS Documentary Series Black in Latin America. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/black-in-latin-america/
Afro descendant Population in Latin America. http://www.afrodescendientes-undp.org/
Afrolatinos. http://www.afrolatinos.tv/
International Year for People of African Descent.http://www.un.org/en/events/iypad2011/global.shtml
Examining Color in Latin America. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qETLZlTYKag&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Somos Afro. http://www.rddweb.org/index.php?/prodgrafica/somos-afro/
Series about Latino Identity. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lxKIqWXJIs
African American Linguists: http://www.weboaal.com/
Africans in America:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/
Afrodescendientes y Racismo en América Latina: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/
Fundación Afroamérica:
http://fundacionafroamerica.com/
Red de mujeres afrolatinoamericanas y afrocaribeñas:
http://movimientos.org/mujerafro/
