The trans-Atlantic slave trade had massive effects on Latin America, and not just the future United States. Because of this, there are significant Black populations scattered throughout the Americas. All of them have roots in the kidnapping of slaves from Africa, of course, but Blacks in each country have a distinct story of their own. Their history transpired differently in some of those countries than it did in others. This program surveys black history in six of these countries. These countries are as follows: Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Brazil, Mexico, and Peru. Since this series has only four episodes, some episodes have to cover more than just one country, although some are focused on just one of them, which allows for greater depth of coverage. (Incidentally, this program is hosted by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., a professor of African American Studies who is himself an African American.)
The Portuguese presenting themselves before the Manikongo – Kingdom of Kongo, Africa
Episode 1: “Haiti & the Dominican Republic: An Island Divided”
The first episode covers Haiti and the Dominican Republic. In my book, it makes sense to cover them together, because they can both be found on the island of Hispaniola (located in the Caribbean). The Dominican Republic is on the eastern part of the island of Hispaniola. It is the site of the first European settlement in the Americas. Christopher Columbus arrived here as early as 1493, and was followed by waves of Spanish colonists. He was also followed by many waves of enslaved Africans, who would soon be forced to learn Spanish. Small wonder, then, that the official language of the Dominican Republic today is Spanish. But many Dominicans also have some African ancestry, and would be considered “Black” if they lived in the United States.
Map of Hispaniola
Haiti, by contrast, was colonized by France. Haiti is located on the western part of Hispaniola. As you might expect, French is one of the official languages of Haiti, because of the French colonization. But there is another official language, which is known as “Haitian Creole.” Haitian Creole is basically a blend of eighteenth-century French, and the West African languages that the slaves brought to Haiti. I might add that Haitian Creole is mutually unintelligible with French (although many there speak both languages). In 1804, Haiti was the location of the first successful slave revolt in history. This revolution is covered extensively in this documentary, as you might expect. Due to the Napoleonic Wars, France was unable to send troops to suppress the rebellion. But it was able to impose cruel economic sanctions upon them afterwards, which were reinforced by similar sanctions from France’s allies (including, sadly, the United States). Haiti’s economy has never really recovered from this, and the effects are still felt.
Toussaint Louverture, the most prominent leader of the Haitian Revolution
The episode shows how most Haitians are proud to be Black, while most Dominicans are not. Most Dominicans do not even consider themselves to be Black (although they would be such by American standards, as mentioned earlier). Dominicans have often looked down upon the Black Haitians with some contempt. This prejudice has a long history, and the program’s presenter examines it in some detail. Indeed, this is one of the focuses of the episode.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the presenter of this documentary
Episode 2: “Cuba: The Next Revolution”
The second episode focuses entirely on one country, which is Cuba. This makes it easier to tell a more linear story. Cuba, of course, was colonized by the Spanish, but it also had a significant influx of African slaves. Obviously, this program covers the period in which Spain ruled, but it also covers how the United States acquired Cuba in 1898, at the end of the Spanish-American War that year. This American rule had massive effects upon Cuba, but it eventually came to an end when the local communists took over decades later in 1959. The presenter covers these events, as well as related events like the Bay of Pigs in 1961 and the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. But the focus is on the more specific history of the Black population in Cuba, and the racism against them. Thankfully, the presenter is no apologist for communism in Cuba, but his assessment of their racial record is somewhat mixed. On the one hand, he argues that Cuba abolished institutional racism – at least, within their own borders. On the other hand, he says that racial attitudes in people’s hearts and minds remained afterwards. I think this assessment seems fair. He takes Fidel Castro to task for his claim that he “abolished” racism – a utopian pipe dream, like many another promised by communists. (But that’s a rant for another post.)
An Afro-Cuban slave in the nineteenth century
Episode 3: “Brazil: A Racial Paradise?”
The third episode covers the massive nation of Brazil. Again, it was very helpful to have an episode focused entirely on one country. Brazil was the only country in Latin America to be colonized by Portugal. Thus, it was the only one to have Portuguese as its main language. This by itself would make its story different from the others. Like the other countries, it also had a strong influx of African slaves. In fact, more slaves were brought to Brazil than to any other country in the Americas. If you look at the map, you will probably see why, as Brazil is closer to Africa than is any other country in the Americas. The presenter gives a very negative assessment of race relations in Brazil, in contrast to his more mixed assessments of some of the other countries. He paints Brazil as being even worse than the United States, which I’m sure he considers to be among the worst racial offenders. In particular, he gives some very strong criticism of how Brazil does not have institutionalized affirmative action, something that he sees as an essential antidote to racism. Whether it really is such is a topic for another post, but suffice it to say that he is miffed about it, and paints Brazil as being “behind the times” in this regard.
Slavery in Brazil
Episode 4: “Mexico & Peru: The Black Grandma in the Closet”
The fourth and final episode is focused on two countries, which are Mexico and Peru. As you may know, Mexico and Peru are somewhat distant from each other, and do not share a border between them. Thus, it is unclear to me why he decided to cover them together here. But in fairness, the countries have at least one thing in common, which is that they were both colonized by Spain. This means that they are both Spanish-speaking, and have a similar heritage. The presenter doesn’t go back and forth between the two countries, but first gives a Mexican segment and then gives a Peruvian segment. Each segment is focused on the black history of that country, because each was the destination for many African slaves. The segment on Mexico was particularly interesting to me, perhaps partially because I live in Arizona – a state that borders Mexico. The segment on Mexico has the most relevance to my state, which was once part of Mexico. Nonetheless, I enjoyed both of these segments greatly, and learned a number of things from the segment on Peru – a country that I am not as familiar with. They also give the series conclusion in this episode, and offer some summarizing comments about their general topic of Afro-Latin-American history.
Conclusion: This is a good introduction to a complex topic
I didn’t always agree with this series, but I did learn some things from it, which was part of the point of watching it to begin with. I learned some more about the trans-Atlantic slave trade, the black populations of the Americas, and Latin America more generally. Many Americans are unaware of how the trans-Atlantic slave trade had such an effect on Latin America, and how there are Black populations in a fair number of the countries there. Of course, this documentary doesn’t cover all of these countries, but it is a good introduction to some of the most prominent ones. I highly recommend this program if you’re interested in black history, Hispanic history, or Latin American history more generally.
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