The African presence in today’s Republic of Bolivia is very small compared to Colombia, Venezuela, or Brazil, but its tradition of defiance has been massive. As in all of the Americas, this African presence was the result of the horrific Transatlantic slave trade. One of the scholars of this history is Juan Angola Maconde. He is one of those people in the Americas who has two ethnic ancestral names: one is Angola, which comes from the name for the ancient leader of the Ndongo kingdom, the Ngola Kiluanje, from what is now the Republic of Angola; and Makonde, his second surname, derives from the Makonde ethnic group who are from the East African coast, from between Tanzania and Mozambique.

AmNews: Where were you born, and why do you have two surnames?

Juan Angola Maconde: I was born in the former Hacienda Dorado Chico, now known as the Comunidad Dorado Chico. It’s the ancestral Canton of La Concordia Arapata, in the city of Coripata, Nor Yungas province. 

My surname, Angola, is “toponymic.” That means it tells the geographical area where the ancestors of my ancestors came from. And the name Maconde is the same. It’s the name of an ethnic group that specializes in wood carving, they are located between Tanzania and Mozambique.

AmNews: When did you seriously begin studying from a historical perspective?

J.A.M.: I have been studying the African presence in Bolivia since 1996, when I wrote a research paper entitled: “Collecting contemporary Afro Bolivian oral history.” That research had forced me to return to the community, where I “re-learned” what I had alienated myself from in the official educational system that denies our African presence; I went back to listen to our grandmothers and grandfathers, the guardians of the culture. This research and the act of retelling my community’s story as a historical subject led me to publish my first book: “Raíces de un pueblo, cultura afroboliviana” (Roots of a People, Afro Bolivian Culture) in 2000.

I had the opportunity to get to know this Afro Bolivian activist in the middle of the 1990s, when I participated in a conference organized by the activist Monica Rey in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. We started a friendship that led us to join forces with the African American professor Sheila Walker, and produce a beautiful text called “Conocimiento desde adentro: los afrosudamericanos hablan de sus pueblos y sus historias (Knowledge from within: Afro South Americans speak of their people and history),” the first edition of which was published in Bolivia in 2010.

In this text, I talk about the origins of Afro Bolivian people, their traditions, their cultures, and their historical and contemporary struggles. The Afro Bolivian diaspora can be found throughout Bolivia, but especially in Las Yungas, La Paz, Santa Cruz, and a province called Inquisivi. The prefix Inquisivi comes from the west-central African name of the Nkisi, which are objects that serve as spiritual protectors of traditional families of the Congo. 

In Bolivia, there is the tradition of El Rey Congo, located in Las Yungas, a traditionally Afro Bolivian area. The late legislator, Jorge Medina Barra, fought for the recognition of this tradition and the origin of the ancient Congo Día Ntotela in Bolivia, as well as the traditional Afro Bolivian Saya dance, which was internationally recognized as part of our national heritage in 2011, as was the Diabladas of Oruro dance, which takes place in a location where thousands of Africans were enslaved and exploited in the gold mines.

AmNews: What is the status of Afro Bolivians today?

J.A.M.: Currently, Afro Bolivians are relegated to the “social basement.” They face structural racism due to the existing colonial mentality of Bolivian society. The population and housing census was conducted on March 23 of this year; the results won’t be made public until November. But we know that there are an estimated 25,000 Afro Bolivians. 

Part of the Afro Bolivian agenda for the next few years is: We hope to establish a headquarters and an Afro Bolivian Memorial Museum. We want to have an Afro Secretariat to help improve our representation and allow us to demand more access to power. As far as the issue of education is concerned, we are certain to fight for the visibility of the Afro Bolivian people in regionalized educational curricula.

The post Bolivia’s African roots and presence: A dialogue with a scholar appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.

* This article was originally published here

New York City’s culinary scene would be nothing without its street vendors, many of whom serve some of the most delicious food across the five boroughs but rarely get the flowers they deserve. 

To spread more love to these small independent businesses, the Street Vendor Project is organizing a giant, citywide scavenger hunt that will encourage New Yorkers to learn more about the street vending community and put some new spots on their foodie radars.

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The multi-part scavenger hunt is taking place across Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens from May 4-17. To play the game, you’ll form a team of up to 10 friends via their registration page. Registered teams will be able to download an app that will give them different missions to complete by answering trivia questions, meeting vendors, and trying their food. 

Once a mission is completed, team members will upload pictures on the app to gain points. The teams will also earn extra points for money they donate to the Street Vendor Project’s translation fund. At the end of the scavenger hunt, the points will be tallied, and winners will be given special prizes. 

The two-week long scavenger hunt kicks off with an outdoor party in Jackson Heights on May 4 where participants will learn about the street vending culture of Little Bangladesh, which is home to about one-third of the city’s Bangladeshi population. 

On Saturday, May 11, the scavenger hunt events will continue at Times Square, where local street vendors will give participants a tour of the area and a history of the blossoming street vending scene there.

The weeks-long scavenger hunt will end in a closing ceremony at A-Pou’s Taste in Williamsburg, a Taiwanese restaurant owned by former street vendor Doris Yao. The May 19 ceremony will involve dumpling tastings, an opportunity to meet other participants, and an award ceremony to crown the winning teams and award prizes. 

Supporting street vendors is also a great way to celebrate the city’s diversity. Among the members of the Street Vendors Project, 25 percent are Mexican, 20 percent are Ecuadorian, 15 percent are Senegalese and 14 percent are Egyptian. 

To learn more and take part in the scavenger hunt, visit the Street Vendor Project’s website; registration is now open.

* This article was originally published here

An array of colorful kites will take to the skies next month as part of Sound & Color!, a free spring festival in Brooklyn on Saturday, May 18. 

It’s the one day of the year when kite flying is open to the public at the Park’s Pier 5, so you don’t want to miss it. Whether you bring your own kite, buy one there, or make your own at a workshop during the event, the festival promises a fun kickoff to the warmer months. 

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Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy hosts the family-friendly event, which takes place across its namesake park from 11am-5pm on May 18. Last year’s festival brought together more than 5,000 attendees, so this year event organizers are expanding the event to include additional musical festivities across the park. Though kite-flying at Pier 5 is the main draw, also expect more kids’ activities plus food vendors. 

Even if you’ve never flown a kite before, expert instructors at the festival will help your flying contraption soar over the Manhattan skyline. Workshops will explore how to make kites in the Caribbean tradition.

The festival not only kicks off spring, it also celebrates colors, culture, and unity by merging STEAM concepts with the Caribbean’s rich history of kite-flying. All of those themes combine to create a day of outdoor fun for all ages. 

As for music, expect an energizing live performance by Eruption Steel Orchestra’s steel-pan drum line. Plus, Igmar Thomas (a maestro, trumpeter, and conductor) will curate additional live shows throughout the park. Keep an eye on the event’s website for a full schedule to be announced soon.

Event organizers will be keeping an eye on the weather, as weather conditions can change rapidly on the waterfront. For now, let’s all hope for a warm day with plenty of gentle wind to keep those kites in the air.

* This article was originally published here