The third root afrolatino culture

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

Poetry: Nicolás Guillén(1902-1989)

"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/

http://www.slideshare.net/afiengovarn

afvarn@mvsu.edu