Humanities

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10 pages, 1257 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Music of the Tabom: An Emblem of Identity

by Benjamin Amakye-Boateng

Humanities 2019, 8(2), 95; https://doi.org/10.3390/h8020095 - 15 May 2019

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3934

This paper discusses how music functions as an emblem of identity for the Afro-Brazilian community in Accra, Ghana, known as the Tabom. The paper provides a contextual and analytical study of the complete musical enactment as practiced by this community, and argues, [...] Read more.

This paper discusses how music functions as an emblem of identity for the Afro-Brazilian community in Accra, Ghana, known as the Tabom. The paper provides a contextual and analytical study of the complete musical enactment as practiced by this community, and argues, that the Tabom musical genre, known as Agbe, serves the purpose of creating and negotiating identity as found in their use of music within Tabom socio-cultural, religious, and political ceremonies. In this paper, I argue that Agbe is not only an organized sound in Tabom culture, but rather, it is one of the strongest cultural elements that serves as an emblem of identity relating to the life and culture of the Tabom community in Accra. Relying on ethnographic research design, Agbe is presented as the focus of study, subjecting the context in which it is performed to study and analysis. Moreover, the relationships between the Agbe ensemble and their performance context, as well as live events are discussed with the intent of conveying meanings of singing, drumming, dancing, and other related artistic expressions as they all contribute to help the Tabom to negotiate their identity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Africa and its Lusophone and Spanish-Speaking Diaspora: New Horizons of Conceptualization)

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12 pages, 243 KiB

Open AccessArticle

On the Colonial Past of Anthropology: Teaching Race and Coloniality in the Global South

by Maria Andrea dos Santos Soares

Humanities 2019, 8(2), 88; https://doi.org/10.3390/h8020088 - 8 May 2019

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 4512

Abstract

This article addresses some of the discussions taking place at the Social Sciences program of the Afro-Brazilian International University for Lusophone Integration (UNILAB), such as the coloniality of knowledge, racial hierarchies, and anthropology’s complicity in colonialism. The article reviews current literature and draws [...] Read more.

This article addresses some of the discussions taking place at the Social Sciences program of the Afro-Brazilian International University for Lusophone Integration (UNILAB), such as the coloniality of knowledge, racial hierarchies, and anthropology’s complicity in colonialism. The article reviews current literature and draws on ethnographic fieldwork for two main purposes: First, to analyze how Afro–Brazilians, and Afro–Brazilian culture have been depicted and used in the process of national formation. Second, to examine the role that social and anthropological analysis played by dismissing “race” and “racism” as a structuring feature of Brazilian society. I propose that the ethics of an anthropological praxis aiming to create the necessary conditions for a different kind of knowledge to emerge, would be critically reflective about its own process of knowledge production, and aware as well, of voices and locations where this knowledge is being produced. The process of decolonization relies on epistemological choices made in the field, at the institutional level within the departments and programs, and in classrooms. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Africa and its Lusophone and Spanish-Speaking Diaspora: New Horizons of Conceptualization)

7 pages, 212 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Treading Other Paths within Afro-Diasporic Contexts: Unilab Students’ Experiences, Challenges, and Perspectives

by Cristiane Santos Souza

Humanities 2019, 8(2), 76; https://doi.org/10.3390/h8020076 - 16 Apr 2019

Viewed by 2005

Abstract

In this paper, I discuss some of the processes that characterized the creation and consolidation of the University of International Integration of Afro-Brazilian Lusophony (Unilab) in Bahia, as part of the expansion project of public higher education in Brazil that was implemented during [...] Read more.

In this paper, I discuss some of the processes that characterized the creation and consolidation of the University of International Integration of Afro-Brazilian Lusophony (Unilab) in Bahia, as part of the expansion project of public higher education in Brazil that was implemented during the Lula presidency (2003–2010) and defined in the government’s internationalization and regionalization project. To this end, I reviewed the literature and institutional documents from the past four years and analyzed observations of daily campus life. I highlight some challenges as well as possibilities for young international students, particularly young Africans from the five Portuguese-speaking countries, and for Brazilian nationals, too, which arise from the implementation of this public higher education expansion program in the Recôncavo Baiano region. Finally, I conclude with observations about the cultural diversity and social reality inherent to the context and discuss the conceptual and practical challenges and possibilities arising from that intercultural reality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Africa and its Lusophone and Spanish-Speaking Diaspora: New Horizons of Conceptualization)

11 pages, 440 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Proposal for Afro-Hispanic Peoples and Culture as General Studies Course in African Universities

by Purity Ada Uchechukwu

Humanities 2019, 8(1), 34; https://doi.org/10.3390/h8010034 - 23 Feb 2019

Viewed by 4640

Abstract

After centuries of denial, suppression and marginalization, the contributions of Afro-Hispanics/Latinos to the arts, culture, and the Spanish spoken in the Americas is gradually gaining recognition as Afro-descendants pursue their quest for visibility and space in Spanish America. Hand in hand with this [...] Read more.

After centuries of denial, suppression and marginalization, the contributions of Afro-Hispanics/Latinos to the arts, culture, and the Spanish spoken in the Americas is gradually gaining recognition as Afro-descendants pursue their quest for visibility and space in Spanish America. Hand in hand with this development is the young generation of Afro-Latinos who, are proud to identify with the black race. Ironically, the young African student has very little knowledge of the presence and actual situation of Afro-descendants in Spanish-speaking America. This is because many African universities still follow the old colonial system which excludes knowledge of the presence and cultures of the once enslaved Africans in the Spanish speaking world. Thus, while Afro-descendants are fighting for visibility and recognition in Spanish America, they remain almost invisible in the African continent. The aim of this paper is to propose a curriculum, Afro-Hispanic Peoples and Culture, as a general studies course in African universities. Such a curriculum would create in Africa the much-needed visibility and contributions of Afro-descendants in Spanish-speaking America, and also foster collaborative works between young African academics and their counterparts in the Americas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Africa and its Lusophone and Spanish-Speaking Diaspora: New Horizons of Conceptualization)

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22 pages, 1411 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Language Vitality of Spanish in Equatorial Guinea: Language Use and Attitudes

by Grace A. Gomashie

Humanities 2019, 8(1), 33; https://doi.org/10.3390/h8010033 - 21 Feb 2019

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 14176

Abstract

This study investigates the use of and attitudes towards, Spanish in the multilingual Republic of Equatorial Guinea, the only African country with Spanish as an official language. The Spanish dialect of Equatorial Guinea is an understudied area, although descriptive research on the Spanish [...] Read more.

This study investigates the use of and attitudes towards, Spanish in the multilingual Republic of Equatorial Guinea, the only African country with Spanish as an official language. The Spanish dialect of Equatorial Guinea is an understudied area, although descriptive research on the Spanish language spoken there began in the 1950s. Very few research studies have been carried out on the sociolinguistic dynamic of this multilingual country. Four scales of language vitality were utilized and it was demonstrated that Spanish in Equatorial Guinea is not endangered and continues to thrive. An online survey was also performed to assess Spanish language use and attitudes towards the Equatoguinean variety of Spanish. Respondents were highly educated, middle-class and spoke at least two languages. It was observed that Spanish was the functional language in almost all the sociocultural contexts or domains. Equatorial Guineans share that Spanish is important to their identity as the only Spanish-speaking country in Africa. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Africa and its Lusophone and Spanish-Speaking Diaspora: New Horizons of Conceptualization)

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11 pages, 238 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Hidden in Plain Sight: Tourism Planning, Afro-Colombian Society and Community in Barú, Colombia

by Evan Ward

Humanities 2019, 8(1), 22; https://doi.org/10.3390/h8010022 - 30 Jan 2019

Viewed by 2612

Abstract

This article builds upon the scholarship of Alina Helg and other historians working on questions of racial identity in Colombia, and the Caribbean section of that country more specifically. Colombia is unique in that its identity is indigenous, African, as well as European. [...] Read more.

This article builds upon the scholarship of Alina Helg and other historians working on questions of racial identity in Colombia, and the Caribbean section of that country more specifically. Colombia is unique in that its identity is indigenous, African, as well as European. Its Afro-Colombian elements are often overlooked by virtue of the mestizo identity that has dominated settlement of its Andean highlands around the capital, Bogota. Using technical and social reports from tourism development on Barù Island, near Cartagena, this article explores the Afro-Colombian communities that established themselves on the island in the wake of emancipation in the mid-19th century, as well as the efforts of these communities to protect their rights. I also examine recent Constitutional Court decisions supporting the rights of Afro-Colombian communities like those on Barù against the developmental ambitions of governmental and private tourism developers who were intent on transforming the island into a mass tourism destination. The article concludes that recent legal shifts towards protecting Afro-Colombian rights secured a recent victory in favor of the islanders vis-à-vis designs of the state to impose its vision of global tourism development there. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Africa and its Lusophone and Spanish-Speaking Diaspora: New Horizons of Conceptualization)

22 pages, 1120 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Latin American Cities: From Subservient Reproductions to Intercontinental Dialogues

by Clovis Ultramari, Fernanda Cantarim and Manoela Jazar

Humanities 2019, 8(1), 18; https://doi.org/10.3390/h8010018 - 22 Jan 2019

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3277

Abstract

This paper investigates the circulation of ideas regarding the city among selected countries in Latin America. It discusses convergences between academic and scientific institutions and investigative weakness in partnerships between Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico. It identifies two historical moments: one of [...] Read more.

This paper investigates the circulation of ideas regarding the city among selected countries in Latin America. It discusses convergences between academic and scientific institutions and investigative weakness in partnerships between Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico. It identifies two historical moments: one of vertical dialogues between Latin America and central countries in the elaboration of urban plans (20th century) and another of contemporary academic exchange signalling a horizontal dialogue that is fragile and sporadic but distinct from those observed in the past. Empirical reference is obtained from the analysis of scientific events and papers published by distinguished post-graduate programs concerning urban topics in selected countries, during the time frame of 2000–2015. The methodological approach is based on a bibliographic review and content analysis. Results indicate that the old “one-way” of transfer of urban planning ideas from central countries to Latin America is changing; slowly, the continent has been growing more independent in terms of knowledge creation and circulation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Africa and its Lusophone and Spanish-Speaking Diaspora: New Horizons of Conceptualization)

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13 pages, 246 KiB

Open AccessArticle

African by Exposure: Caregivers, Madness, and the Contagious Other in García Márquez’s Of Love and Other Demons and Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea

by Meredith L. Harvey

Humanities 2019, 8(1), 15; https://doi.org/10.3390/h8010015 - 18 Jan 2019

Viewed by 5910

Abstract

The following article discusses Gabriel García Márquez’s Of Love and Other Demons and Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea. Specifically, this article will discuss the parallel ways that two novels critique the nature of postcolonial development in the Caribbean, particularly in regard to [...] Read more.

The following article discusses Gabriel García Márquez’s Of Love and Other Demons and Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea. Specifically, this article will discuss the parallel ways that two novels critique the nature of postcolonial development in the Caribbean, particularly in regard to race and hybridity. Within the novels, the child protagonists and their African/black creole nursemaids follow surprisingly similar plots, though the settings, contexts, and styles of the two texts differ greatly. In these two novels while the white protagonists both die because of their hybrid navigation of their environment, their nurse/mothers survive, largely because of their maintenance of African practices. In many ways, the nurse mothers’ survival and attempts to heal their charges present potential antidotes for the “disease” produced by slavery. The purpose of this paper is to explore those parallel developments in plot, and to look at the ways the two texts disrupt and reinforce colonial hegemonic norms through their depictions of both the nurses and their charges. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Africa and its Lusophone and Spanish-Speaking Diaspora: New Horizons of Conceptualization)

19 pages, 231 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Political Messages in African Music: Assessing Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Lucky Dube and Alpha Blondy

by Uche Onyebadi

Humanities 2018, 7(4), 129; https://doi.org/10.3390/h7040129 - 6 Dec 2018

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 10262

Abstract

Political communication inquiry principally investigates institutions such as governments and congress, and processes such as elections and political advertising. This study takes a largely unexplored route: An assessment of political messages embedded in music, with a focus on the artistic works of three [...] Read more.

Political communication inquiry principally investigates institutions such as governments and congress, and processes such as elections and political advertising. This study takes a largely unexplored route: An assessment of political messages embedded in music, with a focus on the artistic works of three male African music icons—Fela Anikulapo-Kuti (Nigeria), Lucky Dube (South Africa), and Alpha Blondy (Côte d’Ivoire). Methodologically, a purposive sample of the lyrics of songs by the musicians was textually analyzed to identify the themes and nuances in their political messaging. Framing was the theoretical underpinning. This study determined that all three musicians were vocal against corruption, citizen marginalization, and a cessation of wars and bloodshed in the continent. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Africa and its Lusophone and Spanish-Speaking Diaspora: New Horizons of Conceptualization)

10 pages, 235 KiB

Open AccessArticle

From Interethnic Alliances to the “Magical Negro”: Afro-Asian Interactions in Asian Latin American Literature

by Ignacio López-Calvo

Humanities 2018, 7(4), 110; https://doi.org/10.3390/h7040110 - 5 Nov 2018

Viewed by 6394

Abstract

This essay studies Afro-Asian sociocultural interactions in cultural production by or about Asian Latin Americans, with an emphasis on Cuba and Brazil. Among the recurrent characters are the black slave, the china mulata, or the black ally who expresses sympathy or even [...] Read more.

This essay studies Afro-Asian sociocultural interactions in cultural production by or about Asian Latin Americans, with an emphasis on Cuba and Brazil. Among the recurrent characters are the black slave, the china mulata, or the black ally who expresses sympathy or even marries the Asian character. This reflects a common history of bondage shared by black slaves, Chinese coolies, and Japanese indentured workers, as well as a common history of marronage. These conflicts and alliances between Asians and blacks contest the official discourse of mestizaje (Spanish-indigenous dichotomies in Mexico and Andean countries, for example, or black and white binaries in Brazil and the Caribbean) that, under the guise of incorporating the other, favored whiteness while attempting to silence, ignore, or ultimately erase their worldviews and cultures. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Africa and its Lusophone and Spanish-Speaking Diaspora: New Horizons of Conceptualization)

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