On reading various articles and
first-hand accounts, watching some relevant videos on YouTube, and otherwise
investigating the topic, I’ve learned that black Latinos have as much and in
fact probably greater problems in being accepted as do African Americans.
According to people of African descent
who come from Panama, Peru, Columbia and other countries of central and South
America, in their native land they are not considered Latino, and are not felt
to truly be a part of their homeland’s culture.
In the United States, they are asked to choose between being black and
being Latino.
Jesús López dancing in the hatajo de negritos. Photo: Lidia López |
In our documentary, A Zest for Life: Afro-Peruvian Rhythms, a Source of Latin Jazz,
I note that Afro-Peruvians have their own culture just as Peruvians from
indigenous communities have theirs. But
although Peruvians from indigenous communities certainly have been
discriminated against and marginalized in ways similar to the treatment accorded Afro-Peruvians, indigenous peoples are considered “Peruvian.” Afro-Peruvians have sometimes had a problem
convincing others that they, too, and “Peruvian.”
I want to distinguish here between the
past and the present. The current
government in Peru is notable for its interest in providing equality to all
Peruvians, and not only accepting but also celebrating the various different
ethnic groups and their unique history, culture and contributions. But this new government has only been in
office for a very few years, and so there is still much left to be done before
all Peruvians will receive equality of treatment and have equal opportunities.
And in many Latin American countries,
the government is not so enlightened. Furthermore, the ordinary man – or woman – in the street is often even less
enlightened. For many Latinos, skin
color is considered pretty important, and the lighter the skin, the more
acceptable the person. This view is even
held by many Latinos of African descent.
This kind of marginalization and lack
of acceptance is something that many African Americans can relate to. This is only one of the important parallels
between black Latinos (including Afro-Peruvians) and African Americans.
OUR NEXT POST will be about the National Museum of Afro-Peruvian Culture in Lima, Peru.
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