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Last Updated: May 30th, 2008 - 11:49:13 |
The Forgotten Root,” directed by Rafael Rebollar Corona, is an ambitious but unwieldy effort to correct a version of Mexican history that is void of the presence, contributions—and bloodline—of African people.
It is chock full of the type of historical information that educated African Americans may take for granted, for example, about the blood-soaked “triangle trade” of slaves, rum and sugar; or the tactics of marauding Europeans and complicit Africans in raping a continent of its youth and strength. While the movie is obviously designed for a Latin American audience that may not know or embrace its African roots, it also provides a shift in perspective and a different way of seeing the history that can benefit audiences more familiar with the subject matter. In particular, the emphasis is shifted “southward” to how the monumental slave trade impacted an area outside of the United States.
The history Corona tells of Veracruz, Mexico’s important eastern port, is at the heart of his narrative. It was in Veracruz that there that there was a mixing of races—Africans, Europeans and native people that produced the look and culture of what is considered “Mexican” today. Corona argues that even though Africans were a vital part of this birth of modern Mexico, racist omissions and distortions have all but obliterated these early roots.
“The Forgotten Root” is at its best and digestible when it delves deeply into such Mexican history, issues and takes time to explain details to an international audience, which, for example, may not know where Veracruz is. When it adds to this complex mix all the aforementioned history on the continent of Africa, the focus becomes diffuse and scrambled. It becomes very difficult for the film to give all its myriad parts the attention they deserve.
Like in much of Latin America, a caste system based on race and color was instituted in Mexico. Those who were whiter and more visibly European received more privileges and social mobility, while darker or more visibly African peoples were typecast as servants or menial laborers. Historians have furthered this bias by emphasizing the European aspects of the culture, or by defining the country’s mestizo heritage as a mixture only of White Spaniards and native peoples.
A popular music of Vera Cruz, for example, is son jarocho, which is highly rhythmic and accompanied by dancers who tap out an aggressive beat with their shoes. “The Forgotten Road” points out the African roots of this music and dance, as well as that of other music, such as marimba, danzon, comparsa and the Cuban son.
In effort to acknowledge and embrace this heritage, son jarocho was performed at the recent “AfroMex: The First International Festival of Son Jarocho” at the Cultural Institute of Mexico in Washington, DC. Several of Corona’s documentaries, including “The Forgotten Root” were screened at the festival as well, and are also available online. Despite its low-budget flaws, “The Forgotten Root” tells a story—and history—that needs telling.
More information about the documentaries is available in English and Spanish at www.afromexico.org
Esther Iverem’s new book of poems, Living in Babylon, is available through this site at www.Amazon.com
© Copyright 2006 SeeingBlack.com
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