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AUSENCIA SENTIMENTAL: COLOMBO-VENEZUELAN AFFECT, DIASPORA, AND MUSIC IN CAMPO DE LA CRUZ, COLOMBIA By JAMES EVERETT A THESIS PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2019 © 2019 James Everett Dedicada al pueblo de Campo de la Cruz, a mis padres, a mi familia y a todas mis amistades ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This thesis would not be possible without the people of Campo de la Cruz. The love and friendship that this community has shown me is what inspires me to conduct this type of research. I am particularly grateful to my hermanazo and research assistant Julio Salas for always engaging with me in meaningful conversations and for helping me theorize so much of this work. I am thankful to Alberto Páez for being my first campero friend and the best co-teacher that anyone could ask for, and also for helping me with several of the ideas in this text. I would like to thank my entire Salas-Esquea host family—Julio, Lettis, Meison, Maxwell, Obdulia, and Señor Julio—and to all of my neighbors and friends in Barrio La Esperanza, Barrio Cachimbo, La Calle Mocha, and La Pica for receiving me into your homes with such warmth and for always making it so difficult to say goodbye. I am eternally grateful to my mom and dad, Leslie and James Everett, who have always fostered my curiosity and supported me in all of my life endeavors, even those that took me far away from their sides. I would also not be here without the support of my querida abuelita and abuelito—Gloria y Fructuoso Gonzalez—and my loving grandma, Jeanette Darby. I am thankful to all of my beloved friends who have helped me throughout this process, whether emotionally or academically—you know who you are. I include in this group the MALAS cohort at UF for having shared in this wonderful adventure with me and for always giving me feedback and emotional support. Despite the distance that may soon separate us, you are all my family will always be close in my heart. I am also extremely thankful for the mentorship of my advisor, supervisor, and committee chair—Dr. Tanya Saunders, who inspires me to be a better human being, activist, and scholar—and for all of my brilliant committee members: Dr. Welson Tremura, Dr. Lenny Ureña, and Professor Augusto Soledade who have taught me so much along this journey. Without all of your support, this work would not be possible. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...............................................................................................................4 LIST OF FIGURES .........................................................................................................................7 GLOSSARY OF TERMS ................................................................................................................8 ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................................11 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................13 2 LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................................................................27 The African Diaspora, Mestizaje, and Hybridity ....................................................................27 Participatory Music, Affect, and La Costa .............................................................................34 3 PERFORMING COSTEÑIDAD IN CAMPO DE LA CRUZ ...............................................41 “Colombia es pa’lla.” [Colombia is that way.] .......................................................................41 “Hay ese muro entre el costeño y el cachaco” [There’s that wall between the costeño and the cachaco] ..................................................................................................................44 May 22nd, 2018: Around 10:30 AM ................................................................................44 Wednesday, 5/16/2018: Salas House in Campo de la Cruz ............................................47 “Yo no me voy a refiná” [I’m not going to refine myself] .....................................................53 4 THE DIASPORIC AND RACIALIZED NATURE OF COSTEÑIDAD ..............................59 “Es otra forma de racismo.” [It’s another form of racism.] ....................................................59 “¡Pero nosotros vinimos de ese lado!” [But we came from those parts!] ...............................63 5 FROM CAMPO TO CARACAS AND BACK AGAIN ........................................................69 Tuesday, 7/24/2018: Front Porch of Salas House ...........................................................71 “Aquí no hay fuente de empleo, sinceramente” [Here there are no job opportunities, sincerely] .............................................................................................................................71 Saturday, 6/23/2018: Salas House ...................................................................................76 “Yo creo que ese barrio lo hicieron prácticamente colombianos” [I believe that neighborhood was basically made by Colombians] ............................................................80 6 COLOMBO-VENEZUELAN MUSIC AND AFFECT .........................................................86 Siempre se dedicaba a la misma, a los mismos tipos de música [There was always a dedication to the same, the same types of music] ...............................................................87 Uno se va, se transporta. [One goes, one is transported.] .......................................................94 5 7 CODA ...................................................................................................................................109 APPENDIX A INTERVIEW QUESTIONS .................................................................................................112 B ATLAS T.I. CODE FREQUENCY ......................................................................................114 REFERENCE LIST .....................................................................................................................120 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH .......................................................................................................122 6 LIST OF FIGURES Figure page 1-1 Map of Campo de la Cruz’s location in the Atlántico Department ...................................13 1-2 Peace Corps training ..........................................................................................................16 1-3 Celebrating Mother’s Day..................................................................................................18 1-4 My Campo host family and neighbors ...............................................................................22 5-1 Motocarro ...........................................................................................................................70 6-1 The “King Kong” picó .......................................................................................................91 7 GLOSSARY OF TERMS Cachacx Cachacx is the gender-neutral form of a word used on La Costa in the following ways: (1) To refer broadly to anyone who is Colombian but not from La Costa or (2) to refer to a Colombian who is from the capital: Bogotá. There are some nuances in this term and the way it is used varies by individual and situation. I will discuss the idea of the cachacx in further detail in Chapter 3 of this thesis. Champeta Champeta is a music genre that emerged in Cartagena and is likely the second-most popular music genre on La Costa, particularly among young people. Champeta is of African origin, and the original champeta songs— champetas africanas—were in African languages and played from discs that came directly from Africa. Eventually, champeta was dubbed over in Spanish by local musicians in Cartagena and other African diasporic communities such as San Basilio de Palenque. Champeta is an up-beat style of music that is typically associated with dancing. It is most often played at outdoor parties centered around a large sound system—referred to on La Costa as a “picó.” Instrumentation for champeta is varied, but normally includes vocals, electric guitar, and various forms of percussion. Many modern champeta songs are made using synthesizers and studio audio effects and rhythms. Colombo- I will use the term Colombo-Venezuelan to refer to individuals who were Venezuelan born in Venezuela to at least one Colombian parent. This group represents four of eleven interview collaborators whose stories I will share in this thesis. Most of the individuals in this group had at least one Colombian parent who had migrated to Venezuela, making them eligible for dual- citizenship because of their Colombian roots—although not all had gone through the process to attain this dual-citizenship. Those with dual- citizenship were legally considered Colombo-Venezuelan, although, like retornadxs, some chose to foreground their Colombian nationality, some their Venezuelan nationality, and some chose to not choose one or the other but to highlight both. Corronchx Corronchx refers to someone who is imagined to be obnoxious and cultureless. It is a term that is used outside of La Costa to refer to costeñxs, and within La Costa to refer to individuals who perform a certain type of working class identity. I will discuss this term in greater detail in Chapter 3. Costeñx Costeñx (pronounced