Afros_All_Over

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC



(Here is a short story)



Que Fue lo Que tu Dijiste

New York City, a large melting pot. A zoo. "Zoo" York City is one of the many nicknames for my hometown. Originally, I`m from St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the Caribbean. My parents and I migrated from the country when I was 3 years old in 1984. They named me Robert after the great Robert Nesta Marley or Bob Marley as most people know him as. Growing up in the New York City, I hung out with people of all different nationalities and ethnic backgrounds and was exposed to all types of things. I`ve always gotten along with everyone and I`ve been open to learning about people`s background. From as early as I can remember, I knew that Black people not only spoke English like it is spoken in the British West Indies and in the USA, but Blacks also speak French, Portugese and even Spanish. I thought that it was so cool that Blacks were diverse. My friends always thought I was "exotic" because I had a different cultural background than that of Afro-Americans. My accent was always copied with affection. Calypso, Soca and Reggae were always played at home but we would occasionally play lots of Latin music by the likes of Tito Puente, Mongo Santamaria, Willie Bobo and Celia Cruz. I also became infatuated with baseball and was thrilled at the fact that so many Black players were of Latin American origin, especially from the Dominican Republic. As I got older, I learned the truth of the transatlantic slave trade and found out the not only was the British involved, but also Spain, Portugal, France the Netherlands and even Denmark. I had no idea that the Spaniards gained so much control over the Western region of this planet.



For some reason, I saw Dominicans as the coolest Black people in the world. The way they spoke Spanish so animatedly, the jheri curls, their passion for baseball, so many things I could think of. We had so many similarities; I felt that even merengue was a Spanish version of Soca...haha. It came as a shock to hear that the African element in that country has been "dissed" and that most Black Dominicans do not see themselves as Black. It was kinda sad, actually.



One day, I was in the library at my school, Hunter College. I was making a ton of copies of a chapter from the textbook for my Accounting class. I never liked to buy textbooks...haha. A couple of people came by and asked if I was done with the machine but when I told them that I had a lot, they huffed and puffed their way to another machine, oh well. When I finally finished up and as I sorted my copies, this one dude came up to me and asked me, "You got change for a dollar, fam?" Luckily, for him, I did.



"Here you go, homey" I handed him five singles.

"Thanks a lot. I`m mad late for class", he replied.

"I got you, man. You gotta save those late and personal days for when you need it", I said. We laughed and ended up chatting a bit. He introduced himself and told me that his name was Luis. He was a caramel skinned brother and he had just started the process of getting his hair into "locs". His accent gave away the fact that he was a Spanish-speaking person.



While Luis continued to make copies and I organized my things, a really good-looking girl walked passed us. She slowed by us giving the impression that she needed the machine but picked her pace when she realized that it would be a while before Luis was done. "That`s one chick I`d let cut in front of me" Luis joked. "For real. Shorty was bad as hell. All she had to do was ask", I replied. We ended up leaving the library at the same time and continued to talk smack about women, financial aid and professors. I told him about this Reggae concert I was promoting for the upcoming Friday being taken place in Brooklyn. "It`s gonna be mad live, man", I said. "They`re coming in herds". He laughed at my choice of words but seemed interested in going. "I go to mad parties myself", Luis said. "Mostly Spanish joints that play Merengue and Reggaeton". As we walked down the college corridors, I began to wonder where him and his family were from because his accent was "out there". I thought he might have been a Caribbean Latino but I never go around asking people "What are you, what are you?"



"So you like Merengue, huh? A lot of Kinito Mendez?" I asked. "Ahh, hells, yeah. Kinito Mendez is the man. It`s a given since my parents are from DR." he added. "Oh, you are from the Dominican Republic" I asked. "Yep, yep, from San Francisco", he replied.



So, at that point my question about his background was answered and I left it at that. No need to bring up that subject. But, then, something wild came out of his mouth. Something "off the wall"; something idiotic. I sure wish I had a sock to stick in his mouth after I heard the nonsense that he said.



"What? Did you think I was some Black ni--er? Huh?" he asked. My facial expression didn`t show it, but I was taken aback with that remark. I could have responded with something "smart" but I decided to see if homeboy was really serious. I decided to add fuel to the fire his tongue ignited so I asked "Doesn`t the Dominican Republic and even Puerto Rico have Black people?" Once again, he stuck his foot in his mouth. "They`re not Black, they`re just dark from the sun". I could have plucked this dude and put him on to the truth, but what`s the point. This guy, in the process of getting an African derived hairstyle, is not even aware of the African heart in his own culture and background. I told him I was headed to the train to go to work and that maybe I would see him on campus. "No doubt, man. Maybe I`ll come to your concert." As far as I was concerned, I didn`t really care if he came to the concert or not. Another lost soul.



`06 Black Population: App. 7,000,000





Novelist, Nelly Rosario, knew from an early age that she had a gift with words and storytelling. It`s only fitting since she became interested in reading and writing since she was about 4 years old. She was born in the Dominican Republic but was raised by her parents in Brooklyn, New York. During high school, she made it her destiny to be a writer. While studying Engineering at M.I.T., she continued to write and her stories have earned her awards as well as an MFA from Columbia University. Two National Arts Club Writing Fellowships and the 1997 Hurston/Wright Award in Fiction are just a few of the accomplishments she can put on her resume. In 2001, The Village Voice named her one of the "Writers on the Verge" for her first novel, "Song of the Water Saints". After being given that honor by the weekly paper she said "Writing is very much a part of my life, and vice versa."



As far as the novel goes, "Song..." is written in such a poetic style that it has been labeled as "groundbreaking". Although not based on her family`s history, it is about four generations of women from the Dominican Republic from the early 1900s and the U.S. influence, through the Rafeal Trujillo dictatorship to the year of 1999 in the Big Apple. Living under a dictator, dealing with family issues, an American culture versus a Dominican culture, sex and disease, love, race, and materialism are some of the issues her characters have to face. Rosario currently is working on her second novel. Read her BET Interview on race.





One of the most famous cities in DR, San Pedro de Macoris is located in the south near La Romana and Santo Domingo, the country`s capital. The city was born around 1822 when Haiti took over control of the island. Haiti`s invasion would change the future of the city as many of the people who lived there fled to the outskirts because they did not accept the low wages being offered by the Haitian elite to work in the sugar mills. Those who did not leave would later meet more of their "family" if you would. The cattle industy and the sugar industry was and still is an important factor in the city`s economy. During Haiti`s stay in the eastern part of Hispaniola, they recruited Black people from America but much more came from neighboring islands like Antigua & Barbuda, St. Lucia, Guadeloupe and Grenada to work in cities and towns like Puerto Plata in the north, and Montecristi. It is because of this and the fact that not all Blacks were able to flee before the "takeover" that San Pedro de Macoris`s population is overwhelmingly Black. A as matter of fact, the city is known as the community of "c0c0los". C0c0lo is a derogatory word used in the Spanish-speaking Caribbean to describe people of African descent. The pic above is of the aftermath of a hurricane in region.





Not only does one get their sugar and cattle from the city, but if you are seeking a great baseball game, go to San Pedro. The Dominican Republic has a long history of baseball and has contributed countless players to Major League Baseball (USA). Dominicans are known as the best baseball players in the world but the Macorisanos are known as the elite and they produce more players than in any other part of the country. Between October and February, the Dominican Baseball League starts its action. San Pedro`s team is called the Estrellas Orientales (Eastern Stars). Any MLB scouts looking for Dominican talent, most likely will go to San Pedro before anywhere else. The picture above is of the 30/30 shopping center built by Sammy Sosa, a Macorisano.





From Villa Gonzalez, repping the New York Mets we have Jose Reyes (left). Hailing from Samana, from the Florida Marlins is Hanley Ramirez. Both are expected to be stars for a long time.









Although, being of African descent in the Dominican Republic is not embraced, it has not kept those back from obtaining popularity as athletes, entertainers, high-ranking positions in the military, and some government positions. However, there has never been, shockingly, a Black or dark-skinned Mulatto as President of DR or in any Spanish-speaking country. Hugo Chavez, the president of Venezuela of Black/Amerindian background, is the exception, although he is physically more "Indian looking". The closest "African-looking" person that came to being so was Dr. Jose Francisco Pena Gomez. He was without a doubt the greatest Afro-Dominican politician to walk the streets of DR. Despite him being born to Haitian parents in the town of Hato Nuevo (near Mao), the citizens adored Gomez. A Dominican family raised him along with his brother when his birth parents were victims of Rafael Trujillo`s (longtime dictator) "Dominicanization" of the east side of Hispaniola (Haitian Extermination of the 1930s). His teachers knew that he was gifted student and made him a tutor of other students as a teen in the National Literacy Campaign. It was there that he read about politics. While studying Law at the Universidad de Santo Domingo, he found himself involved in politics when presidential candidate Juan Bosch offered him a chance to work with the Partido Revolucionaro Dominicano (PRD) after hearing Pena Gomez on radio shows. He was in charge of the department of press and propoganda of the PRD before him and Bosch were exiled, thanks to US not minding their business, again. He returned to DR and later ran the PRD`s day-to-day duties. From 1982 to 1986, he was the mayor of Santo Domingo. There were no scandals while he held that position. After battling cancer for 2 years, Pena Gomez passed away in the spring of 1998. His achievements and the support that he received from the Dominican people prove that they have a sense of individuality despite Blackness being downplayed in the country. Pena Gomez, the voice of the oppressed.





It seems that politics and race go hand and hand in DR. It is because of this why there has not been a Black movement or the embracing of Blackness on the island. Joaquin Balaguer, a White man, has been the Dominican Republic`s president for three (3) decades. That`s seven (7) terms. In 1994, Jose Francisco Pena Gomez "beat" Balaguer and his former mentor, Juan Bosch, and by a wide margin. However, his victory was an extremely short one and the celebration was unable to escalate. Balaguer has never been one to keep his mouth shut about his hatred of anything and everything Black, and he has not been apologetic about it. He and his running mates are responsible for Dominicans denying their African heritage. He has stressed, and proclaimed anything and everything that is White. Now, racial pride is always good but Balaguer was more than ridiculous. It is now confirmed that there was foul play on the part of Balaguer and the Partido Reformista Social Cristiano (PRSC). Pena Gomez was ahead in the election by more then 150,000 votes but wound up on the losing end by 1 percent. Many of the votes for the candidate representing the PRD went unaccounted. After the allegations, a reform of presidential candidacy rules agreed to reduce the administration by two years and that a new election would be held in 1996 therefore admitting to electoral fraud on the PRSC and Balaguer`s part. In the 1996 elections, Pena Gomez once again had a large lead near the end of the voting over Leonel Fernandez Reyna of the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) and Vice President Jacinto Peynado of the Social Christian Reform Party (PRSC). This time, not only was it unaccounted votes for the PRD`s candidate but stolen votes. According to sources, armed men were seen taking full boxes of unaccounted votes. When it was all over, the winner of the election was Reyna. Balaguer then gave up his position as president. "For years this country has lived under a political system that`s authoritarian and monopolizes power," said Pena Gomez. "We want to offer the country a model that`s open, pluralistic and based on consensus." Although, Dominicans observe Africa and Native American influences in their culture and racial mix, they are "flooded" with Eurocentricity at the expense of the aforementioned Black and Taino Indians. It is now generally agreed that Balaguer and his henchmen feared the revolutionary Pena Gomez because he may have very well changed the future and mind frame for Black Dominicans and all Dominicans.





AFRO-DOMINICANS IN MLB

Coming soon...





So young, so innocent. Will these children learn the true knowledge of self, or more of Joaquin Balaguer`s BS? Should they move to the USA to get a different sense of Blackness? How long will Trujillo`s and Balaguer`s henchmen remain in power? Will parents and other relatives teach their kids anti-blackness? The future is up in the air.

PUERTO RICO





March 22, 1873 marked an important day in Puerto Rico`s history. It was the day that slavery was finally abolished. Puerto Rico, nicknamed the "Island of Enchantment" was, for Blacks and Indians an "Island of Disenchantment" or an everyday living hell during the colonial period. As in other western region nations, the Amerinidians mostly were either worked to death or died from diseases caught from the conquistadors. Puerto Rico, which translates into "rich port", became the new home for many Africans as they were forcefully brought over to take the place of the declining Tainos to produce coffee, tobacco and most importantly sugar. From the day they set step through the port around the year 1560, Afro-Puerto Ricans were seen as inhuman, strange, exotic and suspicious. Slavery was an expensive business to be engaged in so White slavemasters began branding the foreheads of slaves to distinguish legal slaves from the illegal ones and keep them from being kidnapped by rivals. Just like the U.S.A. during slavery time, Puerto Rico had what is known as "house negros" and "field negros". Like I stated earlier, Blacks were primarily used to grow sugar cane; they usually were the field negros and were much more rebellious. House Negros, namely Black women, were used as servants in the house and not only served food and clean houses; they were used to provide sexual pleasure to the masters and their sons. Black people all over the world have historically been viewed as "sexual beings" even to this day. For the conquistadors in PR, they felt the only purpose for Black people on Earth was to serve them with sex not to mention give birth to more slaves, perform culinary arts, and make the masters rich by harvesting the aforementioned crops. If it wasn`t for Ramon Betances and the rest of the Puerto Rican Abolistionist movement, slavery came to an end after over 350 years. It was definitely a business decision on behalf of the Spanish National Assembly as they were compensated with 35 million pesetas per slave and Blacks had to work three (3) more years before totally losing the shackles. The abolition of slavery on the island did have another cost. Just as in Mexico, Puerto Rico according to many scholars suffers from "African Amnesia". Take into fact that in 1820, Blacks made up 56% of the nation and then in 1950 it was down to 23%. In the 2002 census, 8% out of 3 million plus people identified as Black while 80% said they were White. It is without a doubt that Puerto Rico is "the lightest country in the West Indies" but one can`t only determine race by only skin color as is done on the island. Truthfully speaking, Puerto Ricans are more Mulatto than Mestizo plus there also is a small surviving Amerindian Taino population even today. Blackness is acknowledged, though, but rarely in a positive light. The ones who do acknowledged it are mostly Black or dark-Mulatto and have been seen as less "Puerto Rican" due to the racial policies still practiced in PR and the relationship with the U.S.A. has played a huge part in the denial of Blackness. Even though native Boriquas like Ricky Martin and Mark Anthony have embraced the African element in Salsa music, Black history in Puerto Rico exists but it does not exist. However, thanks to some, Puerto Rico is starting to regain its memory letting the world know that there was an African past therefore influencing the present. Maybe one day, Puerto Rico can truly be the "Island of Enchantment".



2002 Black Population: App. 320,000



BOMBA AND PLENA

What is Bomba and Plena? Well...





Bomba represents the strong African influence in Puerto Rico. Bomba is a music, rhythm and dance that was brought by West African slaves to the island of Puerto Rico. Bomba is originally played on "Barriles" or barrels of rum with goat skin placed and stretched over the drum. There are many different patterns of Bomba. The most popular one which has been adopted by many orchestras is sica. Other patterns are yuba, cuembi, and Bomba Holandes. Many sources say that the town of Loiza is the place where Bomba took its form, but there are other styles of Bomba which come from other areas of the island such as Santurce and Mayaquez.





Plena which is another form of folkloric music of Puerto Rico is also of African origin but has more North-African/Arab influences in it. Plena was brought to Ponce (the second largest city of Puerto Rico located on the sourthen tip of the island, often refered to as "La Perla del Sur" or The Pearl of the South) by blacks (also known as "cocolos") who migrated north from the english speaking islands south of Puerto Rico. This music is originally played on "panderos" which are similar to tambourines without the jingles. As to the origins of the panderos it is said to have been brought by the Spanish who in turn got the instrument from the Moors (Muslims of mixed North-African and Arab blood) who ruled Spain for 800 years. Plena is a rhythm that is clearly African and very similar to Calypso, Soca and Dancehall.



Thanks to "Euclides (Rick) Santiago Jr."



The Black Pride Movement in Puerto Rico



In the 1950s, Black people all over the world began to grow tired of their living conditions and treatment. Movements, whether for independence or human rights, were on the rise in Africa, the Caribbean and in the United States. Ghana, nation in West Africa, was the first Black African nation to obtain independence. This inspired Caribbean islands, such as Cuba and Jamaica to seek changes by revolutionary ways as well; Cuba overthrew the dictatorship of Fulgencio Bautista and Jamaica began its independence strides from England. In the United States, the Civil Rights Movement started with Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat on a bus to White man, leading to her arrest and the beginning of a human rights movement for African-Americans and all U.S. minorities.



In Puerto Rico, racist policies grew more after the United States began its current relationship with the island nation. Since the 1900s, the island began to practice racism in ways that were similar to America`s and in collaboration with their own style of racism. There was a time when Afro-Puerto Ricans wanted to be anything but Black and had no wish to learn about Africa. In the 1950s, however, the Civil Rights Act of Puerto Rico was passed which made it illegal to discriminate against anyone`s race or color. Afro-Boricua pride was on the rise and erupted during a stage some call "Afro-Puerto Rican Revolution" when 4 men led the charge...



Rafael Cortijo...

Ismael Rivera...

Orlando Cepeda...

and Roberto Clemente!





Rafael Cortijo & Ismael "Maelo" Rivera

You wanna talk about the Musical revolution in Puerto Rico? You wanna know about 2 Afro-Boricuas who changed Salsa forever? These 2 brothers from another mother went well together like peanut butter and jelly. They met as kids and went on a lifelong journey bonded by music. They broke the racial barrier that faced Black Puerto Ricans in music. They went from modest beginnings, to fame, to battling drugs and alcohol, jail terms and reunions. Their story is timeless.





RAFAEL CORTIJO - "Mr. Bomba y Plena", Rafael Cortijo, is credited as being the "musical hero of common folk of Puerto Rico and Latin America". Raised in Santurce, home to many Blacks, Cortijo was responsible for exposing the African influenced music of Bomba and Plena out of the "hood" and into the mainstream with his all-Black band, at the same time, leading a musical revolution. He started out playing in carnivals in San Juan and in his hometown but eventually spread the genre throughout the island. To say that Cortijo was a percussionist would be an understatement because he played almost all percussion instruments known to man including the timbales, congas, bongos, maracas, guiras, you name it. When he formed a combo (band) in the 1950s, he had no idea that it would turn into a phenomenon and would create a musical craze for Afro-Caribbean music, now known as Salsa. After starting out with playing with a bandleader named Frank Madera, Rafael started his own group appropriately named "Cortijo y su Combo". This group was the first to successfully combine percussionist skills as well as contemporary brass and saxophone players, but kept the bomba and plena funky; something that others before failed to do. They most likely were the first band to popularize crowd involvement in their performances, not to mention the first to perfect improvising the music and lyrics for the genre. The dance band style that he and his combo initiated is evident today in legendary acts such as "El Gran Combo" and the "Afro-Cuban All Stars". The combo was so popular that they became the first all-Black band to be featured on a regular basis on Puerto Rican television. For 5 years, they played on El Show de Medio Dia, but remained humble and continued to perform at dances and at saint celebrations. They also were the first all-Black band to perform at high-class nightclubs. While Rafael Cortijo is the only Puerto Rican in the Music Hall of Fame in Paris, many Puerto Ricans have never heard of him as his heyday came in the 50s and 60s while most artists from the 70s and on get more acknowledgment. While Plena had some success before he picked it up, Cortijo is the pioneer of Bomba music. Also, he helped young Black and Mulatto musician get exposed to the world. One of the musicians happened to be Rafael Ithier, the head of El Gran Combo. Since his death in 1982, those that have recognized him have tried to keep his legacy alive by performing traditional bomba music.





ISMAEL RIVERA - If it weren`t for the encouragement by Rafael Cortijo, the world would not have been exposed to the caramel colored brother from Santurce. Next to Willy Colon and Hector Lavoe, Ismael Rivera is also one of the best Salsa singers ever to represent Puerto Rico. "Maelo", as those close to him called him, learned carpentry at a young age and helped out his family with this trade. That`s not all he learned. Rivera also learned of his African heritage by his father who told him tales of his relatives who lived through slavery in Puerto Rico. He also learned the African influenced rhythms, Bomba and Plena. He would bang on homemade drums and sing all day and had wishes of helping his family out with his talents. However, growing up Santurce, all he had was champagne dreams but he was living on a beer budget. As a teenager he met Rafael Cortijo and they would go to concerts, which inspired the two seriously pursue a career in music. Although his singing ability was raw, Cortijo told Rivera that is he stayed within his limits as a singer he could be a force in Caribbean music. A force he was as his ability for improvising lyrics on the spot had his peers and other musicians calling him "El Sonero Mayor" which means the premiere improviser or master singer. After gaining popularity with other bands, he and Cortijo created their own band, Cortijo y su Combo con Ismael Rivera. They cranked out hit after hit and became the first all-Black band to get regular gigs on TV and in high-class clubs in Puerto Rico. After gaining popularity in the West Indies/Caribbean, they took their act to New York City in the USA and excelled there as well. In the mid 1960s, Rivera and Cortijo charged for being involved in a drug deal in Panama, which led to the breakup of the band. He and Cortijo y su Combo would eventually would reunite to create more music. The man they called "El Sonero Mayor" was dealt a blow when his best friend, Rafael Cortijo, the man who helped him get his career started, passed away after a fight with cancer in 1982. "Maelo" spent the last few years of his life in Harlem, NYC broke and without a singing voice. His death in 1987 was felt all over the Latin music world and he continues to make an impact on many musicians today. There is even a street named after him in his native Puerto Rico.





On the left is Orlando Cepeda, from Ponce, who is one of 2 Puerto Ricans in the Baseball Hall of Fame. The other one is the great Roberto Clemente, from Carolina (right), considered by many the greatest Latino baseball player ever.
















She wears a wristband with the African colors Red, Green and Black. She`s a modern-day revolutionary using hip-hop as a means for change for young people. She`s blunt, honest and real. And she`s Puerto Rican, Afro-Puerto Rican to be exact. If you haven`t heard of Rosa Clemente before, then you`ve arrived just in time to find out what she`s all about. Clemente, a New York native raised in the borough of Brooklyn, is a graduate of the University of Albany and also is a recipient of a Master`s Degree from Cornell University. The organization that she created in 1993, Know Thy Self Productions, put together 2 very successful speaking tours in colleges across the country. The "Dare to Struggle, Dare to Win" and the "Speak Truth to Power" tours had one mission in mind, to educate, organize and mobilize the hip-hop nation. Her passion for the justice of young people, especially ones of color, is what has driven her to make her organization which now has a speaker bureau, a media outlet and manage up-and-coming hip-hop artists. She sees hip-hop as a means for young people to have their voices heard and obviously knows that hip-hop is and always will be about the people. In 2001, she made headlines with newsletter directed towards Russell Simmons, founder of Def Jam Records, titled "Russell Simmons: You Are Not Hip Hop". In the commentary, Clemente said, "You promote rappers not hip hop".



Also in 2001, the Afro-Boriqua was a guest columnist in The Final Call, a newspaper which relates to events in the Black community. "Who is Black?" made headlines as she declared her place in the African Diaspora after being told my an African-American that she was not Black. Not only is she a writer and activist, but she`s an entrepreneur, a grassroots organizer for the Malcolm X Grassroots movement, and she is the co-host of a radio show titled Where We Live on WBAI (99.5 FM/NYC). Visit her organization`s website and be on the lookout for upcoming tours near you.





With the supposed "death" of salsa upon us, Reggaeton is now the choice of music for young Latinos in the United States. For reggaeton superstar, Tego Calderon, the sky`s the limit for the Afro-Puerto Rican rapper. Representing the Black town of Loiza, Calderon grew up idolizing Ismael "Maelo" Rivera. With the influence of Rivera instilled in him, and with the backing of his parents he pursued a career in music with their support. In 2002, his dream was realized when his debut album, "El Abayarde", was released. He immediately gained popularity in Puerto Rico and is now the voice for the young generation. It`s obvious that his admiration of "Maelo" is evident in his music as he mixes bomba and plena rhythms as well salsa and Jamaican dancehall styles. And not to mention that recognizable voice he possesses.



Since reggaeton is in Spanish and is easy to dance to, Salsa artists are now forced to deal with the fact that this genre, which was thought of as a passing fad, is now here to stay and threatens future salsa artists. Outside of those like Gilberto Santa Rosa, contemporary salsa artists have lost touch with the people and has started to become "weak". Calderon is known as a people`s artist. One of the many issues that he tackles is racism against Black people in Puerto Rico. One of his more popular songs, titled "Loiza" after his hometown, talks about the police brutality and points the finger at the racist policies still alive in Puerto Rico. Another song which caused controversy is "Dominicana" where he stands up for Black Dominicans. "I`ve got to do reggaeton in order to make people listen to my social stuff," says Calderon. "I`m getting them to dance, and then I`m getting them to think a little bit."





This woman here is considered by many to be the charge behind the Afro-Latin American movement in the United States and in Latin America. Marta Moreno Vegais a scholar who has dedicated her life to developing culturally grounded institutions placing the history and culture of African descendants in the Diaspora. She founded the Caribbean Cultural Center in NYC. Vega, an Afro-Puerto Rican, brought the African influenced religion Santeria into new light with her book, The Altar of my Soul which was released in 2001 and is her memoir which tells the tale of her being skeptical of the religion to being initiated as a priestess. She is also the cofounder of Global Afro Latino &

Caribbean Initiative which is part of Hunter College`s (NYC) Latin American and Caribbean Studies department. As a professor at the institution, she teaches Afro-Caribbean Religions and Afro Latinos in New York City.



In 2003, her co-production with Bobby Shepard of the doucmentary When the Spirits Dance Mambo was released and is currently still on tour. This film got rave reviews and has racked awards and praise. The movie documents the impact of Afro-Cuban religions in Cuba and in the New York City and tells of how African religions came from the "motherland" to Cuba. Check the website for updates on when the movie is coming to your town.



AFRO-BORICUAS IN MLB



(l-r) Ruben Gotay, KC Royals (Rio Piedras); Sandy Alomar, Jr., LA Dodgers (Salinas); Carlos Delgado, NY Mets (Aguadilla); Roberto Hernandez, Pittsburgh Pirates (Santurce); Alex Rios, Toronto Blue Jays (Born in Coffe, Ala., USA); Bernie Williams, NY Yankees (San Juan)

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LONELY PLANET

PERU

Coming soon...



`06 Black Population: App. 1,500,000

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BOLIVIA

Coming soon...

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EL SALVADOR



"In the nations of Latin America the white man, the red man, and the black man have met and merged with one another to form a new kind of people: Jose Vasconcelos called it the raza cosmica - the cosmic race. "Perhaps in no other Latin American nation did the "merging" of these three racial groups become so complete. The Salvadoran`s identity today is not based on his ethnic or racial origins - he is first and always a Salvadoreno.

Latin-American historian Hubert Herring in History of Latin America (1969)



That`s a very important line from Hubert Herring. Central America as a whole, when it concerns the Mestizo population, has an African element to it in addition to the Amerindian and European sides. Today, however, there are no "pure" Black populations in El Salvador. Does that mean that Blacks didn`t have an influence in the land? Well, in a word, no. Over 90% of the population is Mestizo, with Amerindians making up about 5% percent. The remainders of the people are Whites from Spain, Germany and England. One may ask, "What happened to the Black people?" Well, the Spaniards who did colonize the land were involved in the slave trade. Like in other Latin countries, the Spanish men that came were single and took on Amerindian women as wives and enslaved the rest of them. Later, laws were created that freed the Indigenous Indians from slavery. That would mean that Blacks would pick up right where the Indians left off and continue working on haciendas, cacao, sugar and indigo plantations, as well as mining operations. There were many Black communities in El Salvador, mainly in San Vicente, Zacatecoluca, Chinameca , and Ahuachapan and Sonsonate.



So what happened to the Blacks? Well, slavery was an expensive business to be involved in. The leaders of El Salvador realized this and less Blacks were imported. One way that Blacks could obtain freedom was by integrating with Whites and, surprisingly, with Indians, who in other countries were seen as "backward beings" along with Africans. Many Black slaves died without the chance of seeing freedom or without a chance to create some offspring. So, to answer the question, "What happened to the Blacks?". They became Zambos and Mulattoes. 400 years and many generations later, the modern-day Mestizo is what we see of Amerindian, White European and Black African ancestry. American humorist P. J. O`Rouke once described the Salvadorans as being "Mestizo lite" perhaps because they tend to be less "Indian looking" then many Mexicans or Guatemalans. Although, this may be true, there are a few brown skinned Mestizos from El Salvador.



Unlike other Central American nations, who have recruited Black people from the Caribbean such as the Afro-Caribbeans in Panama, El Salvador has not had that type migration. According to scholars, the powerful White elite included in the Constitution laws that prohibited Blacks from becoming citizens. Which explains why the country has no Afro-Caribbean, Miskitu, Garifuna or Afro-American population today. However, the influence of Africa has been felt in El Salvador when it comes to the racial mix, the slaves that helped develop the country, the Afro-Caribbean dances from Merengue, Cumbia and Rumba, the Marimba which is the national instrument of Guatemala, the cornrows which a person might have their hair in, and the Spanish Hip Hop which is performed. Although the influence is minimal, there is an influence nonetheless.



`06 Black Population: 0

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CHILE

Coming soon...

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PARAGUAY

Coming soon...

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URUGUAY

Coming soon...

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LINKS

HISTORICAL PAGES



AFRO-ECUARODIAN - Black History in Ecuador

Afro-Mexico - Black History in Mexico

Albizu - Tribute to Afro-Boriqua, Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos

EL_BRUJO69 - History of African descended Religion, Santeria

Hispaniola2004 - History of island of Hispaniola (Haiti & Dominican Republic)

nuestraCULTURA - Dedication to Latin American culture

Afro-Latino - Dedication to the African Diaspora

MariposaLoicena - History of Loiza Aldea, Puerto Rico

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I`m not one of those artists of color who gets touchy when asked about my racial identity. I`m Dominican and Puerto Rican. But look at my picture! I`m obviously Black. But I`m not African American `cause not all Black people are. I know most of you get it, but you`d be surprise how many people in this day and age don`t.

Sofia Quintero aka Black Artemis, Novelist

Gracias a todos.

CREATED & WRITTEN BY: JUSS_LISSEN

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