Blacks In Argentina

[camberiu]

Still, here in Argentina there is more ignorance than racism towards people with African descent. In fact, I think there is more racism towards people from Bolivia, Paraguay, or Peru ('Negro' does not actually refer to people with African descent, I hope everyone understands that), than there is towards people with African descent. I think comparing racism here to racism in the United States is really unwarranted.

Just to enlighten you a little and give you a different perspective. If you speak Spanish, you would notice a very common work in Argentina: Quilombo. Which can be roughly translated as mess, clusterfuck, disorder etc... Normally is used like "Esto es un quilombo", meaning this is a mess.
But do you know what the origin of the word is? Quilombos were actually settlements hidden in the wilderness created by runway slaves. They served as sanctuaries for any and all runaway slaves and were the places were those slaves would try to build new lives, build families and a new societies were those former slaves would have their freedom assured. There were many quilombos, but the largest was was named Palmares and had over 20 thousand inhabitants. Mostly former slaves, their descendants and even a few portuguese military men who defected and went there to live amongst the former slaves. Palmares was heavily fortified and was able to defend itself from repeated Portuguese army incursions for several decades. However, eventually the quilombo was overwhelmed by a massive Portuguese attack on November 20th 1694 and pretty much all of its inhabitant were slaughtered.
The fall on the Palmares Quilombo is a national holiday in Brazil, where we celebrate the courage and the determination of those former slaves to defend their right to be free. And yet, the Argentinian take the word quilombo, which has a deep significance for most Brazilians, and turn it into something meaning "collective mess". And you think they are not racist. Really?

 

[GS_Dirtboy]

Tex, yes the racism I've seen and heard is aimed mostly at Bolivians, Paraguayans, and Peruvians. But also towards the Africans - many of whom are trying to make a living selling watches and jewelry in the parks.

Some of us feel that "racism" and "ignorance" are one in the same because some of us have been racist in the past but have since shed the ignorance (humbly speaking).

 

[camberiu]

Still, here in Argentina there is more ignorance than racism towards people with African descent.

Do you speak any Spanish? If you do, do you know the word quilombo? What does it mean in Spanish?
Now, do you know what the ORIGINAL meaning of that word was?

 

[camberiu]

http://youtu.be/623ukAGo8TU

 

[cbonanni]

As Joe will chime in shortly , the Argentines learned racism from the Italians.

I had an Uncle , God rest his soul , from deep Southern Alabama heritage. He always told me : " I am not a racist , I hate everybody !"

 

[Matiasba]

Although there are still sectors were racism does exist, i might say that it is exagerated to pretend the country is racist. I mean, sure bolivians and paraguayans are discriminated, but much less than it used to be. And there exists another Argentina, the land that gives this people the chance to progress, the land to live, with enormous benefits (otherwise they would not come here). Argentina welcomed lots of immigrants from different parts of the world, not only spaniards and italians as the myth says, in the 60s the immigration of neighborings countries began and have been increasing since then. What did Argentina do? did it make strong anti immigration laws (like the US with Mexico, for example) or did we permit this to happen and incorporate them to our lives? we have today second and third generation and they are more argentinians than anybody.
So you might find some sectors of anti semitism or people afraid of this people (criminalization of poverty), but then you have other Argentinians like me that believe in social integration, in the welfare of all this people, who doesnt care if they are from Salta, Catamarca, Bolivia, Chaco or Paraguay, they are people, like we are, they are all the same people.

Note: the exp<b></b>ression of "negro" in Argentina and Uruguay has a lot of gradients, it can be with affect, it can be racist and even it can sound like racist but is just descriptive. Not every guy who uses "negro" or "cabeza" necesarily is racist, they are terms that got into the language. Also if you go to a football match, you will hear a lot of extremely racists jokes and chants, but that I dont think those people are racists per se. Its part of the folklore, yes, it is kind of racist, but it means nothing, Its like the chant "los vamos a matar", doesnt mean that the people who sing that necesarily will go and kill the rival supporters (some people do that, though). So it maybe wrong, and I want that to change, but its not what a foreigner suppose with his first impression, its some weird endearment of rioplatense culture.

 

[camberiu]

Although there are still sectors were racism does exist, i might say that it is exagerated to pretend the country is racist.

Matias,

What does quilombo means here in Argentina and what is the origin of that word?

 

[Matiasba]

Matias,

What does quilombo means here in Argentina and what is the origin of that word?

What I know is that Kilombo has africans origins, and it used to mean a "brothel", then it mutated into "mess".
The lunfardo has a lot of african expresions (mixed with italians, genovese, etc)
The original meaning in Africa I dont know.

 

[camberiu]

Matias,

Quilombos were originally fortified settlements hidden in the wilderness and founded by runaway slaves from Brazilian farms. They served as sanctuaries for any and all runaway slaves, where they could rebuild their lives without fear of recapture. There were hundreds on quilombos in Brazil. Most were destroyed by the Portuguese army. A few managed to remain hidden all the way up to the end of slavery in Brazil. The largest and most famous quilombo was Palmares, in northern Brazil. It endured almost for a century and managed to repel multiple incursions from the Portuguese army. At its peak, Quilombo dos Palmares had over 20,000 inhabitants, mostly escaped slaves and their offspring. The quilombo finally felt after a massive attack from the Portuguese Army in November 20 1694 and every single inhabitant was killed.
November 20th is a national holiday in Brazil, as it is the day we pay respect to Quilombo dos Palmares and what it represented.
Quilombo for us means sanctuary. Sanctuary for the most wronged, oppressed and brutalized people in our history. And yet the Argentine took that word. A word that was a very deep and sentimental meaning for us and turned into meaning brothel, mess, public disorder, mass confusion , anarchy and chaos. Why? How could someone associate a settlement of run away slaves with such meanings?

 

[Matiasba]

Matias,

Quilombos were originally fortified settlements hidden in the wilderness and founded by runaway slaves from Brazilian farms. They served as sanctuaries for any and all runaway slaves, where they could rebuild their lives without fear of recapture. There were hundreds on quilombos in Brazil. Most were destroyed by the Portuguese army. A few managed to remain hidden all the way up to the end of slavery in Brazil. The largest and most famous quilombo was Palmares, in northern Brazil. It endured almost for a century and managed to repel multiple incursions from the Portuguese army. At its peak, Quilombo dos Palmares had over 20,000 inhabitants, mostly escaped slaves and their offspring. The quilombo finally felt after a massive attack from the Portuguese Army in November 20 1694 and every single inhabitant was killed.
November 20th is a national holiday in Brazil, as it is the day we pay respect to Quilombo dos Palmares and what it represented.
Quilombo for us means sanctuary. Sanctuary for the most wronged, oppressed and brutalized people in our history. And yet the Argentine took that word. A word that was a very deep and sentimental meaning for us and turned into meaning brothel, mess, public disorder, mass confusion , anarchy and chaos. Why? How could someone associate a settlement of run away slaves with such meanings?

Didnt know that. What I can say is that yes in its origins it maybe racist, but the reproduction of that term till today does not make evry people racist. Its the same as i put with negro, that doesnt mean that when someone use it become racist, its just the way the language got configurated, and then people reproduced it till today.
I dont know if the people in the beggining of the century were in fact racist, probably yes, as every people act when an immigration comes, but today? I m sad that it changed its original meaning, but I wont stop using it nor consider myself racist for that.