Where are all the Black Argentines?

    

(Goñi 2021)

    Whenever Argentina comes up in conversation with my Dominican mom, she never fails to mention that they are racist. We laugh it off. Yet, the more I hear this stereotype, I become more curious as to why she would use the “R” word. Speaking with other members of the Latine community, racist is just one term out of the plethora of negative stereotypes describing Argentines: pretentious, Eurocentric, xenophobic. Known as the whitest country in Latin America, 97% of its population identifies as European descendants. This would make sense if Argentina did not participate in slavery, creating a mixed-race culture with African and Indigenous blood: Still, like the majority of Latin America during the 15th through 19th centuries, enslaved black and native people built Argentina's foundation. So, where are the black people in Argentina? Why is it that half of Argentina’s population was black in the 1700s, but as of 2019, it is less than 1%? Argentine history represents an active, conscious, and successful effort at erasing its African roots. Under Domingo Sarmiento’s presidency, the Afro-Argentine population began to decrease due to a “covert genocide:” the conscription of black Argentine men into the military and denying Afro-Argentines access to safe living during the 1871 yellow fever outbreak. There are significant meaning systems attached to Sarmiento and the country’s behavior, like white supremacy and eurocentrism. However, I will elaborate on the tangible actions influenced by these abstract ideas.

“In the United States… 4 million are black, and within 20 years will be 8 [million]…. What is [to be] done with such blacks, hated by the white race? Slavery is a parasite that the vegetation of English colonization has left attached to leafy tree of freedom.”

    In 1848, Sarmiento wrote this in his diary. Sarmiento viewed African people in Argentina as a problem that needed a resolution, essentially dehumanizing black Argentines to a pest. One solution idea Sarmiento acted upon was forcing Africans to join the military. By doing this, black lives were disproportionately lost during wars compared to their white counterparts. When not in combat but simply away from home, African women were subjected to relationships with white Argentine men and, consequently, created more European–preferable–people. Another attempt to fix this problem was keeping Afro-Argentines in communities where disease ran rampant. He segregated European and African Argentines into areas that differed significantly: In the cities where Afro-Argentines resided, there was a lack of sound infrastructure and healthcare. This fared tragically during the yellow fever epidemic while Sarmiento was in office. Therefore, black people were killed off as white Argentines lived. Black Argentines experienced a genocide, where Argentine’s population and culture diluted if not eradicated African influence.

    Unfortunately, Argentina mirrors America’s treatment of black and brown people. Black Argentines often face discrimination, violence, and police brutality: They make up most of the impoverished areas and prison population in Argentina. All the while, the education system ignores African impact on the culture. In fact, Argentine society lies to themselves by believing that Argentina is solely European-influenced. In June 2021, when president Alberto Fernandez met with Spain’s prime minister, he said, “Mexicans emerged from Indigenous people, Brazilians emerged from the jungle, but we Argentines arrived on boats. On boats from Europe.” This old saying perpetuates a history without Africans, which fuels the exclusion and violence Afro-Argentines face.

    Nonetheless, we must have hope for the acknowledgment and better treatment of Afro-Argentines. For one, 2013 marked the first year Argentina celebrated the National Day of Afro-Argentines and African Culture on November 8. Additionally, AfricaVive is an Argentine black empowerment group that brings attention to black Argentine history and culture. So, hopefully, in a couple of years, Argentina will be more representative of its history than now. And, my mom will be forced to stop saying they are racist.

Bibliography BBC. 2018. “What It’s like to Be Black and Argentine.” BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-latin-america-46641620 (March 7, 2022). Ghosh, Palash. 2013. “Blackout: How Argentina ‘Eliminated’ Africans from Its History and Conscience.” International Business Times. https://www.ibtimes.com/blackout-how-argentina-eliminated-africans-its-history-conscience-1289381. Goñi, Uki. 2021. The New York Review Black Argentine Men. https://images.app.goo.gl/NR4PyEhneveBTV2v5. Jr, Henry Louis Gates. 2014. “True or False: There Are No Black People in Argentina.” The Root. https://www.theroot.com/true-or-false-there-are-no-black-people-in-argentina-1790876367. Sciaudone, Christiana. 2021. “Argentine Movement Tries to Make Black Heritage More Visible.” AP NEWS. https://apnews.com/article/immigration-entertainment-discrimination-migration-race-and-ethnicity-0d18920b22e0eab19f28202c591ef0ea (March 7, 2022). Stewart, Beth, and Sidnee King. 2020. “Sí, Yo Soy Afro: What It’s like to Be Black in Argentina.” Medill Reports Chicago. https://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/si-yo-soy-afro-what-its-like-to-be-black-in-argentina/.