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McNair Scholars Journal Volume 7 | Issue 1 Article 8 2003 Though Many Have White Skin, their Veins Flow of Black Blood: Afro-Argentine Culture and History during the Twentieth Century in Buenos Aires, Argentina Erika D. Edwards Grand Valley State University Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/mcnair Recommended Citation Edwards, Erika D. (2003) "Though Many Have White Skin, their Veins Flow of Black Blood: Afro-Argentine Culture and History during the Twentieth Century in Buenos Aires, Argentina," McNair Scholars Journal: Vol. 7: Iss. 1, Article 8. Available at: http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/mcnair/vol7/iss1/8 Copyright © 2003 by the authors. McNair Scholars Journal is reproduced electronically by ScholarWorks@GVSU. http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/ mcnair?utm_source=scholarworks.gvsu.edu%2Fmcnair%2Fvol7%2Fiss1%2F8&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages Though Many Have White Skin, their Veins Flow of Black Blood: Afro-Argentine Culture and History during the Twentieth Century in Buenos Aires, Argentina Abstract Introduction Although the Afro-Argentine population One of the first things I noticed while continued to decline during the twentieth studying in Buenos Aires, Argentina, was century, the people played an integral role that there were few, if any, blacks among in shaping Argentina’s culture through their the city’s inhabitants. I lived there for six contributions in the field of dance, months and people always assumed that literature, and religion. Unfortunately, their I was Brazilian because of their popular vibrant culture and history are often belief that Afro-Argentines no longer ignored and overlooked because of exist. However, this is a lie: Afro- Argentina’s subtle efforts to whiten its Argentines do indeed exist. Africans population. The purpose of this project is began arriving in Argentina as slaves in three-fold. First, it aims to recognize the 1534, two years after the foundation of survival of the Afro-Argentine community Buenos Aires, and since then they have during the twentieth century. Second, it shaped and transformed Argentina.i This recaptures the means used to preserve paper seeks to draw attention to the African traditions. Finally, it reveals efforts contributions of Afro-Argentines to the of Afro-Argentine groups such as La country’s culture and history. To this Fundación Africa Vive that have dedicated end, I will recognize their existence themselves to reconstructing the Afro- despite the country’s denial of its black Erika Denise Edwards Argentine role in Argentina’s culture and population. Then, I will address the McNair Scholar history. ways in which Afro-Argentines recapture their African past through dance, music, religion, and literature. Finally, I will discuss what Afro-Argentines are doing to reconstruct their history and, in the process, correct lies, misconceptions, and myths about them. In denying Afro- Argentine culture and history, many Argentines may not learn about their families’ and country’s past. Though many have white skin, their veins flow of black blood.ii Recognizing the Existence of Afro- Argentines Statisticians often claim, “the numbers never lie.” Yet in the case of census information for Argentina over the course of the twentieth century, the existence of the country’s black population is often denied or its size is underestimated. The noted Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges remembered that in 1910 or 1912 there was a tenement of blacks on the corner of David Stark, Ph.D. Uriburu and Vicente López streets and Faculty Mentor another on Sarmiento Street in Buenos Aires, Argentina.iii In 1946, Nicolás Besio Moreno calculated that there were “one and a half million people with GVSU McNair Scholars Journal VOLUME 7, 2003 71 black blood [in Argentina]” and further and history, believes that there are have married and had children, they too stated that they could be classified as currently two million Afro-Argentines would have contributed to the blacks based upon the United States (descended from slaves) in the country.xi whitening of the country’s black guidelines, which suggest that people Thus, regardless of how a person may population. As the black population who have a lighter complexion and appear (dark- or light-skinned) and becomes lighter through miscegenation, often might pass for whites would still whether or not they are aware, many it will become harder to identify its be classified as blacks.iv The following Argentines have black blood. existence. year, in 1947, a national census At the end of the nineteenth and the The existence of Argentina’s black identified the presence of 15,000 blacks, beginning of the twentieth centuries, population has been denied publicly (5,000 blacks and 10,000 mulattos).v By miscegenation served to lighten the throughout the twentieth century. A 1963, Afro-Argentines were estimated to complexion of the country’s black popular saying in the early 1900s number 17,000. Their population population. Argentina’s black male claimed, “in order to see a black person declined over the next four years to population was already in decline as a one must go to Brazil.”xv In his book 3,000 in 1967 but increased to 4,500 in result of wars for independence and Sociología Argentina published in 1913, 1968 for reasons which remain territorial expansion as well as diseases. author José Ingenieros proclaimed, “Los unclear.vi However, some people have Then, from 1880 to 1930, a mass of negros se han extinguido; los mulattos de estimated that there were as many as European immigrants arrived in the zona templada son cada vez más blancos. 10,000 blacks “not counting those country. Most European immigrants En Buenos Aires un Negro argentino mixed with dark skinned people in the were male, thus their arrival led to a constituye un objecto de curiosidad, or provinces.”vii The journalist Narciso surplus of white males and a shortage of “blacks have disappeared, mulattos, of Binayan Carmona stated in 1973 that “if white females. Given the pre-existing even toned color [light brown], are all Argentines with black blood were scarcity of black males, prospective becoming whiter. In Buenos Aires a accounted there would be 2-3 black brides often married white black Argentine constitutes an object of million.”viii Based upon this information, grooms, many of whom were European curiosity.”xvi Then in 1976, an article in one can see there are discrepancies immigrants. Interracial marriages the newspaper La Opinión, proclaimed involving the size of Argentina’s black became common. The children of such “Los negros han desaparecido del ambito de population; their true number probably unions often had lighter skin giving Buenos Aires” or “blacks had disappeared lies somewhere between what the census them access to better education and from the vicinity of Buenos Aires.”xvii counted and people’s perceptions. employment opportunities thereby Ironically, the article’s author Blas Present-day statistics tend to agree facilitating their ability to pass Matamoro admitted that “Buenos Aires with what people saw during the themselves off as white. fue una ciudad de predominio Negro. Hay twentieth century. This could be due to However, not all blacks who wished quien arriesga un probable 60 por ciento de El Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas y to marry selected white spouses. There población de color” or “Buenos Aires was Censos (INDEC) which forgot to include were black couples, such as the a predominately black city, there are a box for citizens to identify their Monteros. The couple had three those who claim that probably 60 descent (descendencia) during the last daughters but due to miscegenation in percent of its population was people of national census in 2001. INDEC later their family’s past, each of the girls was a color.” In the very next, issue Matamoro denied that it had forgotten to include different shade of brown: the eldest had to make a public retraction in an the box.ix It is interesting to note that looked black, the middle child article titled “Fe de erratas,” or “Mistake when the last national census was resembled a mulatto, and the youngest of Faith.” Unfortunately, according to undertaken, INDEC included a category appeared to be entirely white. “So great Emilio Ruchansky, author of the article for the first time to check if one was of were the physical differences… people “Negros en Buenos Aires? Fe de erratas,” indigenous descent, a change from the refused to believe they were family.”xii many people did not notice it.xviii Finally last national census conducted in 1991.x However, the Monteros considered in 1996 the country’s ex-president Their failure to inquire about people of themselves black and “had a shelf of Carlos Menem stated, “En Argentina no African descent further perpetuates the books on race and a stack of Aretha existen los negros; ese probelma lo tiene myth that Afro-Argentines no longer Franklin, Roberta Flack, and Ike and Brasil, or “In Argentina blacks do not exist. In stark contrast, La Fundación Tina records to prove it.”xiii At the time exist, that is a Brazilian problem.”xix Africa Vive, an Afro-Argentine group they were interviewed in 1973, the girls These three public denials reveal dedicated to promoting black culture were dating white boys.xiv Were they to Argentina’s reluctance to acknowledge 72 Though Many Have White Skin, their Veins Flow of Black Blood: Afro-Argentine Culture and History during the Twentieth Century in Buenos Aires, Argentina that a black population exists or to come Africans immigrated to Argentina during meanings; the most popular are a place to terms with its black heritage. This is the late 1930s and early 1940s in search of dance, a meeting place to dance, or especially true in Buenos Aires, where of better economic opportunities.

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