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LATIN AMERICA:
Still a Long Way to Go, for Black Women
By Patricia Grogg*
HAVANA (IPS) - At the age of 17,
Meybelin Bernárdez is clear about the
future: "When I finish my studies, I'll
return to help my community get on its
feet," the young Garifuna woman from
Honduras, who is studying medicine in
Cuba, says without hesitation.
With her head held high, she adds: "I
want to be an example for future
generations of women. The conditions we
live in are really bad, we have a lot to
do for our people."
Her mother, whose skin is as dark as
hers, taught her that the most important
thing in life is to study.
"But a poor black girl like me couldn't
even dream of being a doctor without
this scholarship," she tells IPS.
Bernárdez belongs to the Garifuna ethnic
group, descendants of African slaves who
survived the sinking of two Spanish
galleons off the coast of the Caribbean
island of St. Vincent in 1635, where
they intermarried with members of the
local Carib tribe.
The Garifuna are estimated to number
around 600,000 in Central America, the
Caribbean, Mexico and the United States
today.
Bernárdez's words summed up the reality
faced by the large majority of black
women and girls in Latin America -
although there are more and more who are
actively rebelling against the role of
victim of racial discrimination.
In Colombia, Rosmira Valencia, director
of the Network of Women from Chocó says
it is women who worry about the
education of their children, even at the
cost of great sacrifice. "Today, at the
University of Chocó, women make up a
majority of the students, who are
studying and training for a better
future," she says.
Although it is rich in natural
resources, the northwest Colombian
Pacific coastal region of Chocó, where
nearly all of the population is black,
is the country's poorest region.
"Women are strong, and we are sure that
we will achieve our big challenges: to
influence the development of our region,
strengthen the sense of belonging and
continue moving forward in the search
for equality and respect," Valencia
said.
In 2001, the declaration adopted by the
third World Conference against Racism in
Durban, South Africa stated that
"racism, racial discrimination,
xenophobia and related intolerance
reveal themselves in a differentiated
manner for women and girls, and can be
among the factors leading to a
deterioration in their living
conditions, poverty, violence, multiple
forms of discrimination, and the
limitation or denial of their human
rights."
The declaration also recognised the need
to adopt a gender perspective in
policies, strategies and programmes of
action against racism; protect women
suffering aggravated discrimination on
the grounds of racism and gender
discrimination; and develop a more
systematic and consistent approach to
evaluating and monitoring racial
discrimination against women.
But nine years later, little to nothing
has changed for women of African descent
in the region, according to activists
and leaders who spoke to IPS in
different countries ahead of the
International Day for the Elimination of
Racial Discrimination, observed on Mar.
21.
On that day, in 1960, the police opened
fire on a peaceful demonstration by
black protesters in Sharpeville, South
Africa against apartheid "pass laws",
which restricted the movements of blacks
in the country. Sixty-nine people were
killed and some 200 wounded in the
massacre, which marked a turning-point
in the history of South Africa and the
start of growing international isolation
of the segregationist regime, which
finally collapsed 30 years later.
Thanks to the Colombian constitution of
1991,"we began to be noticed as part of
society. But we are still quite
invisible, even after Durban 2001," said
Valencia.
Statistics provided by Nicaraguan
activist Dorotea Wilson, head of the
Network of Afro-Latin American and
Afro-Caribbean Women (RMAA), indicate
that 80 percent of the more than 150
million people of African descent in the
region are still living in poverty and
have few opportunities to improve their
situation, because of racial
discrimination.
Blacks in Latin America also suffer
forced displacement at higher than
average rates, and young black males are
treated as criminals and often killed
"in a kind of genocide in the guise" of
fighting crime, said Wilson, whose
movement is active in 24 countries.
"Life has not changed for black people
in the Americas," the activist said.
"Public policies aimed at overcoming the
problems are lacking, and we are still
exploited and denied the right to land,
credit, special education and health
care. Things have changed very little."
To illustrate, she cited the case of
Nicaragua, where according to official
data the highest maternal mortality rate
is found in two Caribbean coastal
regions where most of the population is
indigenous or black.
In these regions, maternal mortality is
373 deaths per 100,000 live births,
compared to 63 per 100,000 live births
in 2009 according to the Health Ministry
(or 170 per 100,000 live births
according to the New York-based Human
Rights Watch).
Wilson said the limited progress made in
terms of making the movement for the
rights of blacks more visible and
putting the issue on the public policy
agenda is basically due to the work of
civil society organisations,
particularly the women's movement and
human rights groups.
Cuban writer, theater critic, and
cultural historian Inés María Martiatu
emphasised the ground gained by black
women in the region in terms of
organising, with a view to "full
insertion into society in order to
achieve economic independence.
"Afro-Latin American women rebelled
against slavery; they lived as escaped
slaves and took part in the struggles
for independence. They did not remain
stuck in the role of victim; what
happened is that history was written by
others, and now this is coming to light
little by little," said the Afro-Cuban
writer.
In her view, black women in Cuba took
advantage of the opportunities offered
by the 1959 revolution, as shown by
their presence in areas like education,
health, science and culture, although
they have not escaped discrimination
based on the colour of their skin.
The difference with other countries, she
said, is that in Cuba, discrimination is
"more subtle."
"For years the official line maintained
that there was no racism or racial
discrimination (in Cuba). But now it has
been acknowledged that black women have
lost time," Martiatu said.
"The reality is that prejudice, racism
and discrimination exist…and are
expressed even within families, whether
black or white," she said.
The issue of race is currently the focus
of a debate in Cuban society, but
Martiatu and other Cuban intellectuals
agree that a gender focus is missing.
"There is still a long way to go. The
solution, which lies in education and
awareness-raising, is a long-term goal,"
Martiatu said, although she expressed
her confidence in the new generations.
"Racism isn't solved by socialism or
capitalism; it's more complex and
profound than that," she stated.
"Some academics have been working on
these issues, and have managed to spark
debate on them, running counter to
arguments that the discussion and
analysis should be postponed," she said.
As Tato Quiñones, a Cuban academic who
specialises in Afro-Cuban culture and
religion, told IPS last year, "It must
be understood that in Cuba, the question
of racism was considered taboo for
decades, because public exposure of it
could give rise to 'fissures' in the
sense of unity that was indispensable
for facing the aggression from outside."
*With additional reporting by Helda
Martínez (Bogotá) and José Adán Silva
(Managua). |
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