Afrolatinos: The untaught story

There are a lot of unanswered questions in the history of Argentina? When the crew began researching for data on the African presence there were very few sources that sited slaves arriving to Buenos Aires.  Some sources site that during the Atlantic Slave Trade there was a significant number of enslaved Africans in Argentina, yet in the 19th century the numbers seem to dwindle as if they no longer existed?

What the team has learned is that the there were Africans who came from the Cape Verde islands, but the majority of slaves came from Angola, Congo, and Guinea. What is interesting is that we have 1853 as the date slavery was abolished in Argentina, yet we have NO date of entry or how many slaves arrived?  Is there African presence in Argentina?  The Afrolatinos team intends to travel to Argentina to find the answer.

The crew will learn more about the black men who fought on the frontlines in the battles with Brazil and Uruguay. Investigating the legacy of black soldiers such as Antonio Ruiz known as “Falucho.”  The team will study how “the yellow fever epidemic of 1871” destroyed the black community almost leaving them extinct.

The team will investigate theories that talk about a genocide of Afro-Argentineans under the government of Domingo F. Sarmiento (1866-1872).  The team will learn more about why after Afro-Argentineans fought in the countries wars and slavery was abolished—were the government records changed eliminating the category of “black” from the census? 

The team plans on visiting the areas that were mostly populated by blacks in Buenos Aires, such as, San Telmo and Montserrat, also called Barrio del Tambor, as well as the city of Corrientes, Camba Cuá "cave of blacks." What is life like for blacks in these communities? What have been the contributions of Afro-Argentineans in the music form candombe and milonga?  Does Tango have its origins in Africa? What were the tango houses? The crew learned that tango was born from the slaves and that there was a time where tango was prohibited by blacks. The team will study Tango and its roots. 

Is there African influence in the language used in Argentina?  How is African culture celebrated in Argentina?  Who was San Baltasar? The team will look at racism in Argentina and visit an organization called Africa lives in Argentina.  Africa Lives is an organization fighting for the rights of Afro-Argentineans.

Argentina has a very interesting history that the crew intends to explore in depth. The team seems to think that some Argentineans may not even realize that they are descendants of Africa.