Undergrad Anthro-Linguist and friend of Salva Cultura Andy Amaya spent several months in 2014 traveling through Mexico, with a special focus on learning from and conviviendo with African descendant people in Oaxaca. Andy is of Afro-Salvadoran heritage and felt compelled to make a DIY mini-documentary titled “Así somos los negros” shedding light on lives of Black people in Mexico. Watch the full 26 minute video above and read more about Andy Amaya below.
Notes From the Filmmaker
I like to identify myself as Afro-Guanaco, Afro because of my Black ancestry and Guanaco because of my Maya-Lenca ancestry. The majority of El Salvador’s population denies the existence of people with Black ancestry. Because of this unfortunate trait, I feel close to the people with African ancestries that are in countries that also deny their existence. I decided to do research on blackness and it’s role in forming identities for my brothers and sisters of the African diaspora in Mexico. The mini-documentary “Así somos los negros: Black Identities in the Coast” was inspired from the Black people on the Costa Chica of Oaxaca after they convinced me to record our dialogues. I wish to continue this type of work with the Black people of Mexico, but also in my country of El Salvador.
Studies on blackness and indigeneity in El Salvador are almost non-existent. My goals are to aid in the revitalization of indigenous languages by supporting people in El Salvador who are fighting for indigenous rights, but also adding a breadth of study on the African descendants of El Salvador.
Ne kikwajsiwis nemi tik tejemet.
Studies on blackness and indigeneity in El Salvador are almost non-existent. My goals are to aid in the revitalization of indigenous languages by supporting people in El Salvador who are fighting for indigenous rights, but also adding a breadth of study on the African descendants of El Salvador.
Ne kikwajsiwis nemi tik tejemet.
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