Viaje!---Brasil y Río de Janeiro!

Ola! (It’s Portuguese…pretty close to Spanish right?)

This week was pretty successful in regards to my investigation. I finished my draft and it’s almost 9 pages, but I still need to interview people about the black experience in Argentina. I have had informal interviews with the kids of my home stay parents who are in their 40’s. When I told them what I was investigating they were impressed. Yet like most responses I have gotten so far, they told me there were almost no blacks in Argentina.

Also what is more interesting is that when I asked them if some Argentines could have black ancestry. They simply said they did not know and were very surprised that I asked that question. It was also surprising because my explanation as to how it would be possible made sense. Like I said before, many black men died in the wars during the 19^th century which left many black women alone. Consequently, those black women had to find someone, so they intermarried with the European immigrants. Now I know it is only a part of the population, yet it is still very significant. More to come on this though guys!

Now let’s talk about Brazil, I am beyond excited for this trip. I was thinking about it, and I realized I may have wanted to go to Brazil before Argentina. However, I now have the opportunity to visit, but also compare each country and my experience in each.Also if you are wondering how I have time on my hands to take a random trip to Brazil, don't question it because I am currently on vacation :)

I will not make any expectations, but people have told me that Brazilians are very welcoming and warm. Also everyone in Argentina keeps telling me that I will blend right in with the Cariocas (people from Rio de Janeiro) because I look similar. We’ll see about that, especially since many Argentines think I look like the Brazilian football player Robinho. The only probably that I may run into will be the language. I do not know any Portuguese. However in larger towns like Rio, Spanish and English is also spoken. For the sake of not being perceived as a complete American tourist I try to speak only in Spanish in Brazil. Despite what some may think, there are some definite linkages between the Portuguese and Spanish. I will let you know how that goes.

So the plan for tomorrow is to fly into São Paulo and then take a bus to a smaller town on the way to Rio. The small towns in this area are notoriously…safe! Crazy right? I was talking with my host parents about this and they had nothing but great experiences in these small towns. Usually everyone is in by 11 PM and no one is in the street. Supposedly the worst cities in Brazil are São Paulo and Rio….yeah, so why am I going there?

Well to be honest I can’t let fear stop me from doing what I want to do. Of course I will take care and precaution in Rio and in Brazil in general. In comparison with some of the tourists and other Americans here in Argentina, I can say that I am very cautious of my surroundings. The same will certainly be applied when I go to Brazil. However, I know that I can safely have a great time in Rio as well. So for anyone worrying, don’t loose sleep over it! I will be fine—someone intelligent told me that before I leap, I should think. And that my friends, is advice I always follow.

On a lighter note, I plan to find some dancing Brazilians…they LOVE to dance. That definitely will remind me of Puerto Ricans, so I should feel at home. Supposedly for them, anytime one dances is time for a party (ya tu sabes haha)! A popular dance music in Brazil is called the Samba, which certainly has African influence and A LOT of hip movement. It will be interesting to see if I can keep up with the Brazilians when it comes to dancing. (Of course I will though!)

It is getting late though guys; I will update you guys when I can. I will be staying at a hostel, and if you are still worried, I am going with a friend of mine in my program. Two brains are better then one in foreign territory.

But seriously I can’t wait….but I probably should pack since my flight is at 7:40 AM…

See you soon guys,

And I will be back in Argentina on November 4^th.

Tchau!

Ray

Investigating....

Yo!!! How are you guys? I have been pretty busy with my investigation and also I have been planning my trip to Brazil for next Saturday. Yes, you heard me-Rio de Janeiro, Brazil! Should be a great time! I am going with one of my friends from my program, and we will be spending about a week and a half there. I really am ecstatic because, first of all, it is completely different from Argentina. Moreover, it has a lot of African influence…so there certainly will be more people who look like me. Oh, and there are beaches too :)

Regardless, I am excited. However, for those of you wondering how my work is going, it is going great. I am sure some of you are wondering why I am in Argentina again. Well first to improve my Spanish, but my main project is to examine the black population here and its dynamics. Let me be the first to tell you that Argentina is a very unique Latin American country when it comes to its black population and history. I have read many things about them and I will say this, THERE ARE BLACK PEOPLE HERE! Although, not visible to many residents here, they are here.

Initially when I was deciding to pick this topic I assumed that Argentina would be like Brazil since they are so close to each other. In Brazil about 40 percent of the population is mixed (Pardo or Brown is the classification on the census-this is a mixture of white, black, or indigenous), and there are various black communities across the country. Although marginalized, Afro-Brazilians are visible within the culture and the society. However, what I read about Argentina was that it was nearly 95 percent white and European descent. Yeah, that isn’t a lot of diversity! Nevertheless, I left the US with my idea to study the blacks in Argentina, but I had worries that I would not be able to find a lot of information.

Yet after these past two weeks of reading…and reading…and reading, I have found a great amount of information about Afro-Argentines and also the black narrative in Argentina. However, if I had asked some of the citizens of Buenos Aires, they would have simply told me that there were not many at all. The usual explanation is that blacks died in the yellow fever epidemic during the 1870’s (look at my post about San Telmo, all blacks were impoverished at that time). This is a valid reason, but the history of blacks in Argentina is far more complicated.

The problem here is that Argentina has a very European identity. It is very proud of its European influences and culture, and anything that opposes that is deemed foreign. Like most South American countries, Argentina had a large amount of slavery and was a critical point in the South Atlantic Slave Trade.

Yet the 19^th century, some could interpret that one of the Presidents, Sarmiento (President from 1868-1874), wanted to "whiten up" Argentina and get rid of blacks here. During his presidency he put many black men on the front line in wars. Consequently, many black men died in these dangerous positions. The interesting part about it is that although slavery was abolished in 1813, many black men were not free until they fought in a war.

Since so many black men died in war, many of the black women had to marry European immigrants during the later part of the 19^th century. The mixing of races caused many to take on and claim their European ancestry and deny their black ancestors. Some studys say that about 5 percent of the population in Argentina may have African heritage. Regardless, many families denied this heritage and ignored it to maintain a better position in society.

So in terms of the Afro-Argentine there are some here, however many Argentines forget about the blacks that mixed into their population. Also there was an immigration from the country Cape Verde during the early part of the 20^th century. As some of you may know, Cape Verde is an island off of the coast of Africa. Many Argentines do not know this information though because it is overlooked by the huge immigration that took place during the same time from Italy and Spain. Furthermore, the Cape Verde community is very small, about 8000 people, and it is located outside the city of Buenos Aires in the province. Hopefully, I can interview somebody who is in charge of this community so I can further my research.

An additional aspect about blacks is the African immigrants who came here during the 1990’s. Many came from the coasts of Africa. These immirgarnts make up the countless vendors on the street who sell jewelry (not real gold, but metal etc.). One of the guys I talked to was actually from Senegal.

What all blacks who live in Argentina have in common is the fact is that they face discrimination in the education system, work force, health system, and on a daily basis. This is usually because they are thought of as invisible since there are so “little” blacks here.

I know I have said a lot, about Argentina, and some of you guys who read this may be thinking now, “If it’s like that there, why the hell are you there?” Well to be honest, I never thought it would be like this but it has opened my eyes up to a lot of things about race relations and also it has forced me to compare the US to Argentina in regards to blacks. I know I am very fortunate because although in the US we have our problems with race, I know that my voice is far louder then it would be here. Also when I interact with people everyone is still kind to me. I am a foreigner and this is not my land so I don’t face discrimination here like the blacks who live here. I cannot imagine the struggle they most go through in order to be seen and heard by the Argentine society. Regardless it is an eye opening experience!

Also, the first president of Argentina had African ancestry. (WOW) His name was Benardino Rivadavia (President from 1826 to 1827) and he was actually called the “Doctor Chocolate” because of his heritage by his political rivals. Nevertheless, he played down the fact that he was part black, and many Argentines do not openly acknowledge his roots. Pretty ironic that Argentina had a black President (in one regard), before the US in 2009….

In addition to that I went to a club last night that was founded by African refugees. I have never seen so many black people in Buenos Aires in one place. All of them were workers at the club (bouncers, bartenders, etc.). Although it was still a small number, about 15-20, they all seemed to be from different parts. For example one guy was from Bogota, Columbia; where as the other guy was from the Dominican Republic. I talked to the Dominican guy for a minute and we made jokes about the Argentines not knowing how to dance salsa and not knowing what Bachata music was. Furthermore, I asked him if he experienced racism and he stated that it was definitely here in Buenos Aires. After that I thought about Argentina and US for a moment. For many in Argentina, there is a denial in acknowledging that there is racism here. However, it is displayed through the experiences of blacks who live there day to day lives in this country.

Anyways, I think I have said enough! Sorry for making it so long, but I could have gone on and on about the other things I have found about this topic. I will be sure to keep you all posted after I do some more research and my interviews.

Until then,

-Ray

Also the following pictures are of the English Tower in Buenos Aires, one of the plazas close by, and the Immigrant Museum. The Immigrant Museum is located in the Port part of the city and was actually a hotel built to house all the immigrants that came in the beginning of the 20^th century.

La Aventura en Mendoza!!

Hey guys!

So its been a while since I have written something. Forgive me, it has been a little busy starting my investigation. As some of you know, I am doing my investigation about the marginalization of blacks in the past and present of Argentina. I have been looking for a few sources and researching. In addition to this I have to find around 3 people to interview about this. More to come on that when I get more info.

Right now though, I am going to tell you about my time spent in the western city of Mendoza! I actually got back Monday, but bear with me if I leave some things out. I may have forgotten some things.

Mendoza as I have said earlier is located right by the Andes Mountains. It is definitely smaller then Buenos Aires with a population of 110,000. Everyone said that it was mas tranquilo! (which means more relaxing or chill, which it was). Usually it is a very sunny place. Supposedly they have 300 days of sunshine...sounds like San Diego. Nevertheless, the day we arrived was very cold. And then the following day, Sunday, it actually snowed! This is extremely abnormal in the weather of Mendoza. Luckily I had my jacket and a sweater with me. It also was a top story for the national news-so that was how crazy it was. Here is a picture of the snow from my room:Also the family I stayed with in Mendoza was amazing. I stayed with a woman and her 23 year old son. They were very kind to me, for example the very first day the son showed me around the city and we saw a bunch of little shops. If I had to compare-Buenos Aires is like New York, whereas Mendoza is like a town in the midwest. There were many artisans hangin out on the streets, and many plazas. At the center of the town is Plaza Independencica with its huge fountain.

In the other plazas there are dedications to other countries such as Chile, Spain and Italy. However, the homestay brother told me that there was a further devotion to Spain unlike Italy which is very important in Buenos Aires. Also the people from Mendoza do not use the "sshhh" accent with their "ll"'s like the people in Buenos Aires. For once I didn't have to use that porteno (from Buenos Aires) accent!

In regards to Spanish, while in Mendoza I was taking classes at a laguage school for the week. I enjoyed it alot more than my previous Spanish school in Buenos Aires because it was me and another student, so we recieved alot of attention. Also we had plenty of activities as well. After class let out at 1 PM, we always had an activity:cooking empanadas, a session with guitarists from Mendoza, field trip to the bodega (winery) and then on Saturday we went hiking, rafting, and rock rappelling. These activities allowed me to take advantage of what Mendoza had to offer.

I had a few discussions with the people from Mendoza and their view of Buenos Aires. Some people felt that the people of Buenos Aires were very prideful of their big city, but a little too much. Many believed that the people of Buenos Aires believed that Argentina pretty much was all of Argentina. Regardless, the people of Mendoza are very proud to be from Mendoza and they love their city. On a political spectrum, one of the towns people told me that Mendoza is more socially conservative, whereas Buenos Aires is liberal.

However, what I learned was that people are very different outside of the big BA. People seemed more relaxed. One example is the universal siesta that takes place in the city. At around 2 to 3 in the afternoon everything in the town shuts down. All the stores end up closing for a time of rest after lunch. Then after maybe at around 5 to 6 PM everything opens up again. This certainly does not happen in Buenos Aires. Once again, I recommend US that implements this into our American society haha

In regards to nightlife, it is not like Buenos Aires. However the scene is still pretty fun. There is a main street in town that has just bars and hostels and it stays pretty crowded during the weekend (Friday-Saturday). People only go out during the weekends there as well. Also there was only one club within walking distance of my house. (Oh yeah, everything in Mendoza can be walked pretty easily. Unlike Buenos Aires which is huge and you always need to take a cab or the subway). I really liked the place though because they played alot of latin music (reggaeton, and a little bit of salsa, but of course they had some electronic going on as well). Nevertheless, there was another part of town which was the nightclub district. Supposedly there were about 7 other clubs, however it was about a 25 minute ride in a cab. I really didn't feel like going all the way over there, but I enjoyed myself and my birthday!

Another difference between Buenos Aires and Mendoza however, was when the nightlife started. It appeared to be more more like nightlife in the states because usually people went out by 11 or 12. Also there was a rule at the one club and someone said the otehr clubs as well, that you must be in the club by 2:30 AM or they would shut you out. Such a rule is unheard of in Buenos Aires where some people roll up to the club at around 4 AM. Very different, howver I still liked it.

And what about those mountains?! They were amazing. I could not believe that I was so close to the Andes. Also anytime you looked to the west in town you could see them. Here is a picture of them! :)




And finally here is a picture of me as we were going through our hike in the Andes:



I will try to write again at the end of this week, just to give you a view into my thoughts about my entire trip thus far! See you soon!

-Chau


For more photos follow this link to my facebook album:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=322894&id=791985105&l=bf16ce887c