In my opinion, I find that the history of the African Diaspora is very interesting. Most of these foreign nations, particularly countries in the Americas and the Caribbean, evolved to be what they are currently mainly due to Africans’ contributions. Today, we will look at the Afro-Argentines. According to history, people thought that blacks no longer existed in Argentina in the 1900s. However, this is false; despite the declining black population in the Argentine state, there is still a small number of blacks in Argentina.
Brief History and Description of the Afro-Argentines
Afro-Argentines are Argentine people of Sub-Saharan African ancestry. According to the Argentine national census of a decade ago (2010), the Argentine population was over 40000000, of whom 149493 were Afro-Argentine (0.37%). The Afro-Argentine population resulted from slave-dealers bringing them over during the Atlantic slave trade during the centuries of Spanish control of the Rio de la Plata’s Viceroyalty, which had a role in Argentine history. During the 19th century and the 18th century, they accounted for up to 50% of the population in individual provinces and impacted Argentine culture or way of life. Some theories hold that in the 19th century, the black Argentine population decreased or declined because of several factors.
These factors include the Argentine War of Independence (1810 to 1818), high infant death rates, low numbers of married couples who were both black Argentines, and the Triple Alliance War. Others were cholera breakouts (1864 and 1861) and a yellow fever epidemic in the late 19th century (1871). By the late 19th century, the black Argentine population comprised mainly women, who mixed and intermarried with the large numbers of white or European immigrants. The black men perhaps decreased due to the wars.
Although in the 1960s, statistics calculated that Argentina owned two-thirds of its population’s volume to foreign immigration, more than 5% of the Argentine state have one black ancestor, and 20% state that they don’t know whether or not they have black ancestors. The genetic studies in 2005 revealed that the average level of African genetic contribution in the population of Buenos Aires is over 2%, but that this component is concentrated in only 10% of the population who show notably higher levels of African origins.
Today, there’s still a notable Afro-Argentine society or community in the Buenos Aires districts of La Boca and San Telmo. There are also a few African-descended Argentines in Ciudad Evita and Merlo cities, in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan region or area. Since 2013, people have celebrated November 8th as the National Day of Afro-Argentines and African Culture. They chose the date to commemorate the recorded date for the demise of Maria Remedios del Valle, a guerrilla soldier and a rabona, who served with the Army of the North in the War of Independence.
Importation of African Slaves During the Colonial Era
As part of the conquest process, the foreign colonies’ economic systems in the New World developed several forms of forced labor exploitation of the native population. However, the low population density of some of the S. American territories, aboriginal groups’ resistance to acculturation, and high death rate or mortality due to the Europeans introduced diseases resulted in decreased local or native populations. Studies had revealed that due to their immunological isolation from the Old World peoples before the 1st contact with foreigners from 1492, over 50% of the native population throughout the New World died of epidemic illnesses. This led the Spaniards to addon the native workforce with slaves from Sub-Saharan Africa.
Into the 19th century, agriculture and mining accounted for most economic activity in the New World. African slave labor held the advantage of already having exposure to European illnesses or diseases via geographical proximity, and African workers adapted to the territories’ tropical climate. In Argentina, the flood of African slaves started in the Rio de la Plata colonies in the 16th century. European slave traders bought African slaves, whom they shipped from Africa’s western region across the Atlantic to the Caribbean and the Americas. The slave trade prospered via Buenos Aires’ port, where slave merchants sold thousands of African slaves who arrived there. To deliver slaves to the East Indies, the Spanish Crown gave contracts called Asientos to several slave-trading firms, both from European and Spain nations.
Prior to the 16th century, slaves had arrived in small numbers from the Cape Verde Islands. After that, most of the Africans who went to Argentina were from tribes speaking Bantu languages, from the regions now comprising the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Angola, and the Republic of the Congo. Relatively, few Ewe and Yoruba peoples went to Argentina. Larger numbers of these groups went to Brazil.
According to estimates, more than 10 million African slaves reached Latin America, mainly arriving at the ports of Montevideo and Argentina’s capital, Buenos Aires, with many moved via slave vessels to other areas via Rio de Janeiro and Valparaiso. An estimated 15% of slaves lost their lives during the passage across the Atlantic Ocean. However, many more lost their lives during the enslavement process and awaiting shipment, with an estimated 40 deaths for every one hundred slaves who arrived in the Americas.
The slave masters forced the slaves to work in livestock, agriculture, domestic work, and crafts. Several slaves made handicrafts for sale in towns or urban areas while incomes went to their masters. The Bueno Aires neighborhood of Monserrat and San Telmo housed many slaves, although most went to the interior provinces.
The 1778 census that Juan Jose Salcedo of Vertiz conducted showed a high concentration of blacks in provinces where agricultural production was significant. Over 50% in Santiago del Estero Province, 52% in Catamarca Province, more than 40% in Salta Province, 44% in Cordoba Province, over 60% in the Tucuman Province, 24% in Mendoza Province, 20% in La Rioja Province, over 13% in San Juan Province and 9% in San Luis Province. Today one of the slums of the city of Corrientes is still called Camba Cua, meaning Cave of the Blacks.
Between 1806 and 1807, Argentina’s capital city had more than 15000 Europeans, 347 locals or indigenous and mestizos, and more than 6600 Mulattoes and Africans. In 1810 there were over 22000 whites, 9615 Africans and Mulattoes, and less than 200 cholos and locals.
The Forgotten Afro-Argentine Community
Today in Argentina, the black Argentine society is beginning to emerge from the dark. There have been black associations or organizations such as Grupo Cultural Afro, SOS Racismo, and Africa Vive, perhaps the most significant group, that aid to relight interest into the African Heritage of Argentina. Afro-Brazilians and Afro-Uruguayans migrants have aided in expanding or increase the African way of life. Black Uruguayan migrants have brought Candombe to Argentina, while black Brazilians teach Orisha and Capoeira. It has been over a century since Argentina has reflected the African racial ancestry in its census count. The last census count on October 27th, 2010, introduced the African ancestry survey.
African Influence in Argentine Culture (Music)
The most lasting impact or effect of black influence in Argentina was the tango, which has and continues some of the tangos’ characteristics, meet-ups in which slaves gathered to dance and sing. The modern term for a tango ball, milonga, has its origins or roots in the Quimbanda language of the Angolan state and a large black Argentine and black Uruguayan contribution is also evident in the development of chacarera and milonga music. The song tradition of the payadores was also in connection or association with Afro-Argentines. Some scholars, such as George Reid Andrews, argue that it originated among the Afro-Argentine community. Others, such as Sylvain Poosson, view it as a continuation of the Andalusian traditions like the trovo. Whatever their origin might be, payadas provided a chance for black artists or singers such as Gabino Ezeiza to use music to express political consciousness and protect their right to be within Argentina’s white-dominated community.
Notable black Argentine musical figures include the composer and pianist Rosendo Mendizabal, author of El Entrerriano, and Carlos Posadas. Others are Enrique Maciel, author of the music of the waltz La Pulpera de Santa Lucia, Cayetano Silva, born in Uruguay and author of the San Lorenzo march and Zenon Rolon, who wrote the 1880 funeral march in honor of the liberator Jose de San Martin on the event of repatriation of his remains.
Other Notable Afro-Argentines
Apart from the notable musical figures, there were also other renowned Afro-Argentines. They are Celestino Barcala (major), Juan Bautista (soldier), Higinio Cazon (musician), Tomas Platero (writer and poet), Manuel Posadas (musician), Antonio Ruiz (soldier), and Domingo Sosa (military). Hector Baley, a footballer, Ramon Carrillo, a neuroscientist, the Lovells who were all boxers, Rita Montero, actress and singer, Miguel Montuori, a footballer, Fidel Nadal, reggae artist, Arturo Rodriguez, a fighter, and Horacio Salgan, a pianist, composer and orchestra leader. Afro-Argentines have also had popular footballers such as Alejandro de Los Santos, Wilson Severino, and Fernando Tissone.
I might conclude by saying that, indeed, our African Diasporas were one of a kind.
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