VICTORY AT LAST
Finally, the national survey conducted by the Mexican
government in 2015 which serves as a preliminary count before 2020 national
census have recognized its 1.38 million citizens of African descent.
Who are the Afro-Mexicans? Why did the recognition take so
long? Let's take a journey back to the Spanish colonists.
AFRO-MEXICANS/BLACK MEXICANS ORIGIN
They are Mexicans who have a heritage from Sub-Saharan
Africa- a group of African descents and descendants of slaves. They originate
from hundreds of thousands of slaves mostly from West Africa that were brought
between 1519 and 1810.
Their jobs included exploring and exploiting the land and
communicating with indigenous tribes. They worked as foremen on cattle ranches,
mining industry, farmlands, sugar plantations and other domestic work. They had
inter-racial marriages which produced mixed race.
Along the way, their customs, beliefs, and personal
achievements were woven into the fabric of the country. However, an elaborate
racial caste system that classified people by racial mixture was created by
Spanish colonists.
In order to get to know their influence in Mexico, let's
take a peek into the country.
A BRIEF TOUR OF MEXICO
The nation's name derives from the Aztecs' war god, Mexitli.
Until 1821, Mexico was a colony of Spain. The official name is the "United
Mexican States (Spanish: Estados Unidos Mexicans)". It consists of 31
states and 1 federal district with an estimated population of over 120 million.
Mexico is a beautiful country known for the Pacific and gulf of Mexican beaches
with its diverse landscape of mountains, deserts and jungles located between
the United States and Central America.
The country is a major oil exporter and one of Latin
America's biggest internet markets. It is a country where there's a blend of
affluence, poverty, national splendour and urban blight. Mexicans are very
accommodating to visitors. They have large families except for those who live
in urban areas. Their fashion is similar to the Western world especially in the
urban areas while their traditional wears are creatively made.
INFLUENCE AND PRESENCE OF BLACK MEXICANS
Their relevance is always denied despite their positive
impact in basically all aspects of the Mexican life which cuts across
folktales, religion, medical practices, cooking styles, music and dance.
Take for instance, the popular 'La Bamba' dates to the 17th
century when it was sang by the members of an Angolan tribe that arrived in the
slave port of Veracruz. The black Mexicans were vital in overthrowing Spanish
rule during the war of Independence. The second post-Mexican revolution
president was an Afromestizo called Vicente Guerrero. There are other notable
black Mexicans in diverse fields of discipline.
A popular actress by the name Lupita Nyong'o is also a Mexican-born
Kenyan.
THE PLIGHT OF AFRO-MEXICANS
They face so much mistreatment, disregard and neglect. Blackness
is a tenuous identity as darkness is seen as negative. It has eaten so deep
that confusion exists even within Afro-Mexican communities regarding
identification. They defined themselves as Negro(black), Moreno (dark),
Afrodescendiente, Afromexicano, Blaxican.
There are cases where black Mexicans have been mistreated
and even deported despite their Mexican ID due to their skin colour. Some have
been unlawfully arrested and locked up. Some live in poverty, where sanitation,
health and educational services are negligible. Some towns like Taxco or
Guerrero is a far cry from modern Mexico City.
RECOGNITION OVERDUE
For twenty years, an activist group called Mexico Negro,
founded in 1997 by Sergio Penaloza Perez, a school teacher of African descent.
It took so long to be recognised due to constant restriction
by Mexicans who believe that Mestizo identity( the mix between indigenous people
and Europeans) is more important that specific ethnicities.
The UN and CONAPRED supported and finally stepped in to make
the victory possible. The 2015 national survey has brought hope.
THE FUTURE FOR AFRO-MEXICANS
The socioeconomic agenda that recognizes and favors
Afro-Mexicans can now be pushed to the fore. Materials on Africa and people of
African descent will now feature in elementary and high schools’ curriculum.
Textbooks will now be redefined in context. There will be increase representation
of Afro-Mexicans in film and media on a national level. This new window of
possibilities is endless. This is true freedom at last!
Alice
Usenideh
Nigeria
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