Afro Uruguay: Candombe
Aurora - A Brief History
The history of Uruguay and Afro Uruguayans is rooted in Candombe music and dance. This unique culture has survived, excelled and brought national unity, cultural pride and movement toward unprecedented national equality.
During the late 1700s and early 1800s some 20,000 Africans disembarked in Uruguay's capital, Montevideo--a required port of call. By 1800, Afro Uruguayans constituted 25% of the national population. Soon, salas de nacion (mutual aid societies) organized on the basis of members African origins.
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The salas established headquarters for religious observances, meetings, and dances. They collected money for emancipation funds to buy the freedom of slave members, lobbied public officials, and assisted in disputes between slaves and slave owners. - Large numbers of free/slave Africans and Afro-Uruguayans served in Uruguay's wars for independence. That service was rewarded first by laws leading to the abolition of slavery in 1842 and ultimately to the full civic and legal equality guaranteed by the Constitution.
- In fact, the application of equal rights to all, written in 1832, was initially denied Afro Uruguayans with discrimination and prejudice. Afro-Uruguayans responded with the most active black press per capita in Latin America as Uruguay established one of the most successful economies in South America.
- With educational reforms, Uruguay also achieved the highest literacy, lowest birth rates and lowest death rates. In these circumstances, Afro Uruguayans were much more literate than counterparts in other nations, a condition which should have provided the conditions for black upward mobility; but prejudice and discrimination were ongoing obstructions as late as 1980.
In the 1980s and 1990s, continuing the historical traditions of the salsas de nacion, for several decades organizations such as Triangulacion Kultural, Mundo Afro (Afro World), the Asociacion Cultural y Social Uruguay Negro, and the Centro Cultural por la Paz y la Integracion, Africania called for the nation to acknowledge their African origins and history in Uruguay, as well as to effect the full integration of black and indigenous minorities into all aspects of Uruguay.
Following substantive research and reports, in preparation for the 2001 U.N. Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, and Xenophobia in South Africa, Uruguay's government committed to ending the racial discrimination and inequality, instituting programs for Afro Uruguayan rights with attention to Afro Uruguayan Women and Youth.
The history of Afro Uruguayans is also the history of evolving Uruguayan popular culture whose origins are the candombes, (dances) of the salas de nacion when children of African descent acquired skills in African music and drums and merged them with instruments, chords, and rhythms from Europe and the Caribbean, creating the new musical form called both tango and candombe.
The musical groups, comparsas, which play this music, quickly grew popular among whites as well as blacks. Though once segregated, today, the groups are racially integrated, are often majority white, have led to ongoing discussion about ethnic imagery and the impact on politics. This has also brought about a National Equality Day, December 3, to continue the work of true racial equality.
Sources:
George Reid Andrews, Blackness in the White Nation: A History of Afro-Uruguay (University of North Carolina Press, 2010) and George Reid Andrews, Afro-Latin America, 1800-2000 (Oxford University Press, 2004).
What is Candombe? Candombe is an African derived rhythm that has been an important part of Uruguayan culture for over two hundred years.The history and impact of Candombe are inseparable from the evolving history of Uruguay and demonstrate the lasting and positive impact that a culture can have on a nation.- Candombe drums: the tambores de candombe or tamboriles are drums used in the playing of Candombe music of Uruguay. They are single skin headed and there are three sizes: piano (bass) repique (tenor range), and the chico (alto range). The drums are made of wood and have a curved barrel shape with its base very narrow.
- Candombe Dance, Music and Instrumentation that Uruguay now calls its own, has Central African origins. Derived from the Central African word "ndombe" (black) and "ka" (things having to do with), candombe reflects things having to do with African people. The music, dance and the places where people express their joy, and the drums used to make the music, are candombe.
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Aurora©2003*
Africa, Up and Down America, Asia, Antarctica, Australia; Indian, Pacific,
the Atlantic All that land and ocean,
We only have one world.
We are all the colors of the rainbow; if not united, just a bunch of lines
When we come together, we let our light shine.
We are the Aurora, Aurora of our time. *
by Suzanne Brooks & Reggie Graham
The theme and theme song of WomenWorldCulture--Aurora-- highlight the movement from division based on a negative emphasis on difference to unity founded in our common humanity defined by DNA and diversity refined by cultures and environments. The Aurora Blog of WomenWorldCulture will encourage constructive and civil exchanges of ideas; stimulate ideas and suggestions for unique and positive programs and services; and provide recommendations and support for education, research and documentation addressing social issues and problems, reciprocal communication and inspiration, sharing and leadership through the arts. The success of this blog will be rooted in mutual caring for each other, with the willingness to learn from each other. Honor and dignity will be the rule. The blog is published with the same media rules, requirements and guidelines required for advertisers on this site. Readers can refer to that section for additional information.
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The WomenWorldCulture Blog serves as a source of information regarding current events, which are highlighted because of importance to women, cultural communities and/or environmental sustainability. We encourage readers to visit often to read updates and new entries and then to share the information with others.
Title 9, most powerful law against sex discrimination in education and educational institutions, is nearly ended.
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The interim guide also allows schools to deny survivors the ability to appeal, and lifts the time limit for completing an investigation. Without a time limit, investigations might drag on for years, as they sometimes did before the 2011 guidelines were in place, Peterson said. In some cases, she said, survivors dropped out of school because their investigations went on for so long.
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CURRENT RESOURCES (2016) FOR WOMEN
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CORTISOL & FAT LOSS – WHY YOUR HORMONES MATTER
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Justice Reform Coalition Press Release: Complaints of Medical Battery, Fraud, Breach of Contract filed against Mercy Medical Hosptial and Doctors
U.S. East to West Coasts Eugenics By Thousands: Widespread Then & Now—Hidden, Ignored, Denied
In Our Communities Today—2016
In CA Correctional Institutions 2010-2016
... JUSTICE REFORM COALITION PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Rev Ashiya Odeye
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October 6, 2014: FOR IMMEDIATE...
Unanswered Letters Blog
This blog is an acknowledgement of the millions of serious letters written by people around the world to representatives of governments, businesses, print and electronic media, businesses, community groups and individuals to address many issues and concerns. So often, had the contents of these letters be read and responded to, tragedies and crises could have been avoided.
Too often, those in power choose to ignore the writer and the letter. This blog shows that there are people with similar good ideas, urgent complaints, and important information which deserved to be heeded. The goal of this blog is to show that people with similar concerns are working to make changes and have not given up on their ideas.
By sharing ideas, people can contribute to needed research and continued discussions to bring about change. When it is clear that these are not isolated, infrequent issues, masss of people can be encouraged to continue speaking out, in writing as much as vocally. When we realize the large extent of idfentified problems, we are also encouraged to take some appropriate actions. Those actions could be to ask some of the recipients of letters why they have not responded and when will they?
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... Dear Presidential Nominee Advocate:
I am grassroots/working class leader of women of color, many other women's interests, a supporter of...
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AN EXCERPT
Distributed in Person at an annual meeting attended by hundreds on Thursday, November 7, 2013, 8:00AM
To: CA State Board of Education
Subject: Local Control Funding Formula, Discussion of Proposed Changes to California's Local
Educational Agency and School Planning and Accountability System
Unanswered
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