When I tell most people here in Argentina or people from other parts of the world that I am here studying Afro-argentine identity, I mostly get a confused look, a question wondering if they heard me correctly, or a simple response saying, “pero no hay negros acá” (but there are no blacks here.) The stereotype to the world and to Argentina itself is that Argentina is the whitest, most European nation in Latin America. One rarely hears of the mestizaje, the mix of European, indigenous people, and Africans brought over from slave trade which is dominant in Latin America, when talking about Argentina. However, I am slowly discovering that there is much more to the story. 

Argentina’s government and leaders throughout history have worked to whiten the country to uphold a “European” ideal in Latin America. In doing so, they have effectively erased any trace of African influence or presence in the country. This has made it so that the majority of the population does not know that tango, perhaps Argentina’s most famous contribution to the world, derives from candombe, an Afro-argentine dance which has roots in the Congo or that Argentine parrilla, the most famous process of cooking meats on a grill, came from Afro-argentine practices. However, very pleasingly, Afro-argentines along with African immigrants are trying to reclaim their past in the country and demonstrate Afro-argentine contributions to Argentine culture and society. 

I was lucky enough to attend the Movimiento de la Diáspora Africana en Argentina, a weekend-long event promoting Afro-argentine and African culture in Argentina. The event, led by the African Diaspora in Argentina, was littered with numerous cultural productions including an African story telling session for children, Afro dances from all over Latin America and Africa, musical performances from the Afro community in Argentina, and perhaps most important, numerous discussions about the future of the Afro community in Argentina, possible problems, and the goals of the movement. I came away impressed at the entire weekend’s activities. The African Diaspora in Argentina struggles to gain visibility in the public and they are all in it to gain recognition from the government and the society itself. The event’s main goal was to unite the Afro community in Argentina while also presenting to the public their cultural practices and their importance and contributions to Argentina. I think it did well in both. There had been many divisions, and there still exists many divisions within the Afro community, but for one weekend, everybody united and presented a unified movement to the public while mapping out a plan of attack for the future. It was very inspiring to see people who Argentina wants to forget and erase come together to try to fight the powers that strive to keep them quiet. There remains a great deal of work to be done, and the movement is at its beginning stages, but it is setting the foundation for the future, hopefully a future where the Afro-argentine population and their contributions to the past and present will be recognized in Argentine society and their history be taught to the future generations of this country. 

After only 6 weeks in Argentina I can see what has made the SPAN program such a success. The independence and ability to meld with a foreign culture are truly unique opportunities. 

Beyond that, getting to be a part of history in the making here is an incredible experience. Last week there were massive protests regarding the attempt to impose much higher taxes on the nation's farmers. I went to the rally for the farmers where there were over 200,000 people. There, I climbed up a fence and held onto the wrought iron bars for a good hour to gain a vantage point of the demonstration. Staying up that night to watch the vote, it went until 0430 and when it was all over, there were celebrations.

While at a conference on judicial efficacy, I met the head of the Argentine Supreme Court and got to talk with him regarding judicial independence. 

Sitting in on trials, and my whole project here has become more interesting as my Spanish has improved. I’ve got a good grasp of the situation at hand during the proceedings. At the end of some of these trials, I eat lunch down in the holding cell area with the jailers. It’s a good look of the hospitality I have received here as an American student. Not the detail about sitting in jail, rather the openness and welcome to join in the Argentine life.

I have to close with the food in Argentina, it is well worth writing about. Their beef is all grass-fed and tastes fresher than ours in the US. Beyond that, it's incredibly inexpensive compared to most any meat in the states. One can go into a decent restaurant, order a steak, mashed potatoes, a glass of wine and a dessert and expect to pay under U$S 10.00.

I think sticker shock is an appropriate thing to add to my list of what will surprise me being back in my native land come September.