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SalvaCultura

Central american

politics, culture, and  analysis

Mini-Doc on Afro-Oaxaqueños by Afro-Salvadoreño

1/30/2015

21 Comments

 

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  

Picture
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.

21 Comments
CRUZ link
1/31/2015 10:19:35 pm

Saludos, my name is CRUZ, saw this posted on fb and wanted to congratulate you for doing this film. There is so much that our Salvadoran community does not know, were never thought in school about our history. I am writing you from N.Y. if you ever come here let me know and ill help set up a screening or 2 . Keep up the good work.

Reply
Andy Amaya
2/3/2015 05:17:25 am

Wow, thank you so much for watching.
I appreciate it very much that this conversation is spreading.

Reply
Daniel
2/1/2016 03:57:35 pm

This is Daniel Alvarenga, the creator of SalvaCultura. Andy's email is My email is aamaya319@gmail.com.

Jazmin
2/1/2015 10:37:05 am

Wow! Gracias por tu trabajo en Mexico. Yo soy Mexicana y me siento mal que muchos mexicanos no aprecien y respeten a los afrodecententes de Oaxaca y de otras partes.

Reply
Andy Amaya
2/3/2015 05:18:27 am

Hola, muchas gracias por tomando tu tiempo para ver mi mini-documental. Si es triste que somos una gente invisibilizadas. Pero allí vamos en la lucha para reconocimiento.

Reply
Dr. Fuentes link
2/1/2015 12:26:42 pm

Gracias por tomar el tiempo para explorar un tema histórico que sigue ignorado por discursos populares. Síguele adelante.

Reply
Andy Amaya
2/3/2015 05:19:07 am

Gracias por tomar el tiempo para ver mi mini-documental. Lo agradezco mucho!

Reply
Miguel Zafra
2/2/2015 08:37:20 am

Felicidades Por tu trabajo Charco Redondo es el pueblo donde crei comparti gran parte de mi vida con Afrooaxaquenos Luci es mi amiga la conosco desde nina tengo muchas historias de esos pueblos ultimamente estoy escribiendo historias hechas canciones tambien tengo una coleccion fotografica de Negros de Costa Chica...

Reply
Andy Amaya
2/3/2015 05:16:02 am

Que genial que conoces a Luci. Esa mujer es famosa. jaja
Gracias por tomando tu tiempo para ver mi mini-documental.

Reply
T
2/3/2015 11:19:43 am

I loved this! I have always heard that people if African descent lived in Mexico but could never find any info. This was very insightful and left me wanting to see more. I hope that you make more documentaries.

Reply
Brenda Martinez link
2/3/2015 10:28:29 pm

I am currently a senior at Lehigh University. I had the dreams of pursuing my doctorate and during this past semester I became tired. I felt that I could not continue on. Then I watched this and I remembered the passion I had for learning, the passion I had to listen and tell the stories of my people. My parents are Salvadoran, and watching this right here has inspired me to continue on with my studies because there is a bigger picture. Well made, beautiful people! Thank you

Reply
Angel link
2/27/2015 01:46:47 am

Hello Andy. As a black Mexican, I feel really thankful and I want to congratulate you for this work of yours. I would love to be in contact with you for any future work about this topic. Thank you so much for your drive and commitment with your roots and ours too.

Reply
Nelson link
3/9/2015 02:17:39 pm

Congratulations man. Word is spreading and you've done a great job giving those of African heritage in Mexico a voice. I first learned of Afromexican or Mexican people of African decent from a documentary that briefly touched on the subject called Black in Latin America on PBS. I'm glad you did such an in depth docu. educating people about this group of people. Great job man. Hope to see more from you.

Reply
Gabriela Chase
5/7/2015 05:36:26 pm

Hey,

My name is Gabriela and I am a current volunteer at STRIKE! Magazine in London, where we cover politics, art, philosophy and subversion.

I have been working with the magazine for the last 8 months and have helped them from their media campaigns, to assistance with the compiling of influential established voices such as: Natalie Bennet, Leader of the Green Party to David Graebre, LSE Lecturer, founding members of OCCUPY and through our assistance, author of the Bullshitjobs campaign from January this year.

But I am now looking to expand my horizons by creating my own Zine concerning mixed raced identities, ventures, voices and racial essentialism and where/how it affects the idea of 'mixed raced'. Name is in flux at the moment, but hopefully it will come in due time!

The basic premise is to discuss the ideas surrounding mixed identity and how everyone is 'supposed' to have universally mutual emotions and experiences. Through the Zine I want to break that box that mono-racial people have cast upon us, and themselves and want to seek out the views of people who combine continents, cultures and ethnicities to expose the fixated view that skin colour has on dictating world views and ideas.

Watching 'Asi Somos: Afro Identities in the coast' documentary, I feel your views/work really resonate with the complexities of racial essentialism and how it concerns the mixed raced experience, henceforth, what I wish to have exhibited in the Zine.

So I would love to get a chance for an interview with you!

Please let me know when you are available. I can also give my interview over the phone, email or even skype if it’s more convenient for you.

Let me know if this can be arranged

Thanks

Read more:
http://www.huckmagazine.com/perspectives/activism-2/bullshit-jobs/
http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/police-spoof-posters-charlotte-england-acab-1312

http://i100.independent.co.uk/article/the-mystery-of-how-this-poster-ended-up-outside-scotland-yard--lyoPcCi4Yg

Reply
Andy Amaya
5/8/2015 01:19:29 pm

Hi, Gabriela

I'd love to get into contact with you. My email is aamaya319@gmail.com

Reply
Billy Pacheco
7/12/2015 02:28:47 pm

Hey, my mother is Salvadoran from ahuachapan . My grandfather is Of Afro descent . I'm very interested in this topic and maybe i can help and you can inform me more on my ancestry. I recently took a DNA test and got 12 % African ... Please Email me - billypacheco@ymail.com

Reply
Karina Pantoja
1/30/2016 01:07:43 pm

Andy,
This documentary is so informative and inspiring! I'm a member of Columbia's Chicanx Caucus and I would love to get in contact with you for one of our events. Please let me know if that's something that interests you!

Reply
Daniel Alvarenga
2/1/2016 03:58:09 pm

Hi this is the creator of SalvaCultura. Andy's email is aamaya319@gmail.com.

Reply
Aya
3/21/2016 05:52:04 pm

Great documentary, and thanks for the subtitles! I'm Black with some White and Saponi ancestry. I grew up in Central Florida with so many people from all over the world, but particularly lots of Boricuas, Afro-Cubans, Dominicans, Native Hawaiians, and dark skinned Southeast Asians. There, of course, were a wide range of hues and actually very few people who spoke Spanish fluently, and most of of my friends who might not be considered Black in the US no matter how dark they are identified as Black. In my teens, I moved back back to Durham, North Carolina where most of my family is from. My first shock was that at the time there were almost no people of Hispanic heritage here (early 1990's). My second shock was the self-separation of Black people by class that also seem to me a separation by skin tone as well. In history of this place, there was a community of wealthy Blacks during segregation that was started, for the most part, by very light-skinned exslaves, some having been the offspring of slave holders. With the influx of new residents from Mexico and Central America to the area that dynamic has been thrown off somewhat, but it still exists, particularly among the older residents who still hold a lot of power here. So having had these two experiences, one where everyone was fine with having African ancestry (even the Spaniards I went to school with) and the other where people who are clearly Black want to disavow it as much as possible, it's interesting to have a look at perspectives from other parts of the Americas.

Reply
Ela
3/22/2016 09:22:07 am

FYI

https://youtu.be/gzwFhPKfaCc

Reply
John Jeffery link
7/3/2016 02:34:25 pm

I like this documentary on Afro Mexico heritage. There is a Salvadorena
Marielba Herrea who does work on the issue Afrodescentants in El Salvador. Long live justice.
Mr. Jeffery

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