LITERANISTA Dialogue on Multicultural Books, Tech & Life

Literanista March 25, 2010

Afrolatinos “The Untaught Story” is a documentary television series that illustrates the history and celebrates the rich culture of people in Latin America of African descent. From the story of how and when slaves came to Central and South America to identifying the issues that still exist within the Hispanic community today.

There are an estimated 200 million Afro-descendants in Latin America but the majority of them do not have political or economic power. This documentary takes you on a journey to meet Afrolatinos throughout Spanish and Portuguese speaking nations and explores their culture, in an attempt to initiate social change throughout Latin America.

The documentary series will begin with the slave trade in the early 1500’s and touch on the Cimarron (Palenque) communities, as well as cover the controversial theory of the African presence in ancient America. The program’s quest is to better understand the religious connections and distinctions between the Catholic Church and religious practices such as Yoruba and Voodoo.

We learn about these religious and sacred ceremonies through dance and music. The drum is a very significant instrument used in Latin music today but do many people know its history? The documentary will have a segment on Afro-Latin gastronomy, which will show the many dishes with African influence as seen in Latino every day life.

Today, there still exists communities where African dialects were mixed with Spanish language found in places like San Basilio de Palenque and we’ve discovered a dictionary of Spanish words of African origin. Identity will be a special segment that affects millions of black Latinos worldwide.

Of all the issues that are affecting their way of life the main issue is the exclusion of a community of people based on the color of their skin. They interview people from the U.S. to Argentina about issues such as image (the idea of good hair, bad hair), interracial marriages, racism, oppression, exploitation, and Afrolatinos consciousness plus much more.

One of the most important chapters in the documentary is the social issues segment as it is directly affecting ALL Afrolatinos communities.

Visit www.afrolatinos.tv