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| Photo available at http://www.fidal-amlat.org |
Paulo, a friend I met while interning in Ecuador, agreed to sit down with me and share his perspective on the struggles and challenges of the Afro-Ecuadorian community. Paulo received a Comuicador Social degree from Universidad Central del Ecuador in Quito and currently works as the Communications Liaison for Fundación FIDAL, an environment- and education-based non-profit organization started by former President of Ecuador, Rosalía Arteaga.1.) I have heard that most Afro-Ecuadorians come from the province of Esmeraldas. Where are you from? Is there a large Afro-Ecuadorian presence in your community?
Ecuador
has had two important migrations of African people. The first migration was in
the 15th Century, when a slave ship wrecked along the Ecuadorian
coast in Esmeraldas. In that event, about nineteen African men and nine African woman became
free.
The
second migration occurred in the 17th Century, when a religious
colonial group called the Jesuits brought African people from areas in the Congo
and Angola to slave markets in a valley of Ecuador called the “Valle del
Chota”. Valle del Chota, which is located along the border between the provinces of Carchi and Imbabura, was home to the most important slave market in Ecuador. The slaves who were sold here were forced to work on nearby sugar cane plantations.
I’m from Quito, but my parents are from the Valle del Chota. There is still a large Afro-Ecuadorian presence in the Valle del Chota and a growing presence in Quito.
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| Valle de Choto, photo available at http://www.panoramio.com/photo/11005928. |
2.) In a lecture I attended, a speaker suggested that, Afro-Ecuadorians
would say they prefer being discriminated against but visible in Ecuadorian
society rather than being invisible. What do you think of this statement?
First, I have never known an Afro-Ecuadorian who prefers to be discriminated. In fact, we are fighting against these two topics: discrimination
and invisibility. People have to understand one important thing: Invisibility
is a consequence of discrimination. Discrimination cannot
be a path to visibility because, when we discriminate against others for any reason, we
are denying their origins, rights, culture, and existence. Discrimination is
not a form of visibility.
3.) I understand that recent census data shows that the
number of self-identified Afro-Ecuadorians
is higher that the total number of self-identified indigenous people. Do
you think of yourself as indigenous?
Why do you think that Afro-Ecuadorians
did not identify themselves as indigenous
in the census?
When I hear the term indigenous, I think of the people who were in this region first, before others travelled here. This does not describe my people. We were brought here from Africa 600 years ago. This is why many Afro-Ecuadorians did not identify themselves as indigenous in the census.
Personally, I know that I have mestizo roots but I do not identify as mestizo. This is because, when I walk down the street, society sees me as black rather than mestizo. The way that society sees me has shaped my life experiences. For this reason I identify myself as Afro-Ecuadorian.
Personally, I know that I have mestizo roots but I do not identify as mestizo. This is because, when I walk down the street, society sees me as black rather than mestizo. The way that society sees me has shaped my life experiences. For this reason I identify myself as Afro-Ecuadorian.
The recent census was interesting also because Afro-Ecuadorians had the option to self-identify as black or of African descent. Many people chose to self-identify as black because they felt like the term Afro-Ecuadorian has been popularized by political elites with personal interests rather than by black people.
4.) I understand that FENOCIN is an indigenous organization within Ecuador that works to secure rights for several indigenous groups, including Afro-Ecuadorians. Do you think that organizations like this one are truly working to help the Afro-Ecuadorian community?
In
Ecuador, we have about thirty Afro-Ecuadorian organizations that are supposed
to be working for us, but in reality these groups focus on personal interests
rather than the interests of Afro-Ecuadorians. For this reason, I don’t believe
in these organizations. Unfortunately, we don’t have a solid Afro-Ecuadorian
group who can represent us politically, intellectually and culturally and
present a more positive image of our people. Right now, many individuals think of us only as people who play sports, engage in manual labor and law
enforcement jobs, or commit crimes and go to prison. This is a problem for my people.(NOTE: Here is an article with a video from PBS Frontline about the Afro-Ecuadorian presence on Ecuador's soccer team:
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/rough/2010/06/ecuador_dreamto.html. The photo of the soccer player and ball above also came from this site.)
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| Photo available at http://ecuadorecuatoriano.blogspot.com/2010/11/ la-mama-negra-de-latacunga.html |
5.) I am very curious about Mama Negra and the festivals that celebrate her. I noticed that the Mama Negra is portrayed in blackface in these festivals. In the United States, many African Americans take offense to the use of blackface because it is thought to perpetuate negative stereotypes about African Americans. What do you think about the use of blackface in these festivals?
La “Mama Negra” is a celebration of gratitude to Our Lady
of Mercy for having saved the people of Latacunga
who lived in fear of
constant eruptions
of the Cotopaxi Volcano
251 years ago. The use of blackface in this
celebration is meant to represent the burned people who died in the volcanic
eruptions. Although the use of
blackface is not necessarily intended to be racist, the Mama Negra character is
often represented as an ugly black mother who enjoys street dancing and
drinking liquor – two typical Afro-Ecuadorian stereotypes. In this way, the festival has racist
elements, even if the overall theme is not grounded in prejudice.
(NOTE: For historical information about the use of blackface in the United States, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackface.)
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| Image available at http://www.plazadeportiv a.com.ec/index.php?idSeccion=47 |
6.) I have noticed several signs for a local fastfood chain, Menestras del Negro, which uses an image of a primitive man with a dark complexion to represent their stores. What do you think of the use of this image?
If we, as
Afro-Ecuadorians, were more organized as a group, we could prosecute that
restaurant chain, because the image you are referring to promotes racism and promoting racism is a crime according to our Ecuadorian Constitution. Regrettably, I have to repeat
that we are poorly organized so the restaurant will use the image forever.
(NOTE: For an interesting blog post also raising questions about Menestras del Negro, visit
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| Image updated in late 1980's |
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| Image used in late 1800s |
As a follow-up to question #6, the use of this image reminds me of some of the older and more stereotypical representations used for the Aunt Jemima logo in the U.S. In the late 1980’s, after various changes over the last 100 years or so, Aunt Jemima was updated to show a more modern African American woman. Do you think a similar update is needed for Menestras del Negro?
I think they have to
change their restaurant name and issue a public apology to all Afro-Ecuadorians.
In truth though, we are part of the problem because, despite the offensive
name, we continue to buy their food.
As Afro-Ecuadorians, we need to develop awareness campaigns that explain
the racist nature of the restaurant name and logo. For example, we could start a campaign with the slogan: “No compres las menestras del
negro” and share ideas with Afro-Ecuadorians and other Ecuadorians about why we
should not eat at Menestras del Negro until they update their name and logo.
(NOTE: The images of Aunt Jemima included in this post came from a 2011 blog post entitled, Aunt Jemima: Negative Stereotype or Iconic Brand. For these images and others showing the evolution of the Aunt Jemima brand, visit
http://zmblackhistorymonth2011.blogspot.com/2011/02/feb-13-aunt-jemima-negative-stereotype.html.)
http://zmblackhistorymonth2011.blogspot.com/2011/02/feb-13-aunt-jemima-negative-stereotype.html.)
