Afro Puerto Rico: The Islands Ties to Slavery

Most tourists visiting Puerto Rico do not know about the African history of the island.

For many years, the Black history of Puerto Rico was omitted from Puerto Ricos history books. Thats why, El Museo de Nuestra Raiz Africana (the Museum of our African Roots), located in Plaza San Jose of the Old San Juan, highlights the African heritage of the island through paintings, artifacts, documents and photos.

Drums used in the African derived sounds of Bomba and Plena are on display along with local Afro-Puerto Rican art, such as the masks used in the music festivals of the historically Black town of Loiza. These artifacts show how the modern festivals, customs and cuisines trace their roots back to Africa. Orlando Abreo, guide of the museum, explains how Puerto Ricans are becoming more conscious and accepting of their African heritage.

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• museum
• puerto rico
• black
• afro
• african
• heritage
• racism
• bomba
• plena

[IVoNzIpPeRI]

puerto ricans are black too. we need to teach this in high schools across america some african americans say were not black and that is ignorant.

[lan3454]

Thank you for the video, is good to see someone

talking about that part of history

[chsn09]

You are right, but there is ignorance of slavery in Latin America and the Caribbean !

[FearOfaBlackChannel]

Good concise explanation-Hispanics are&have been covertly racist against Blacks&it's only lately that the illusion of inclusion they hide behind is becoming known,shifting focus away from Europeans back to the SPANISH who are vastly overlooked when considering the history of slavery;&from among which we will find slave-ship owners with names like Lopez,Cabrero&Acosta.Also the term "Dominican" is after the murderous inquisitors of St. Dominic,'Los Perros De Dios' who drove the Moors out of Spain.

[LaSoto789]

yes, my afro-boricua were kidnapped by other tribal enemies in africa and I guess exchange for goods.

[nyiskillinme]

The slave ships actually stopped in the Caribbean first. Africans that came directly from the continent often fought the slave holders so they would be "broken" in the islands before they came to the US.

[redax1]

Here's a bit of history no one ever talks about, and is very interesting.

Juan Garrido was a Spanish Conquistador who went to "discover and pacify the islands of San Juan de Buriquén de Puerto Rico". He was a free man - and one of many African Conquistadores from Spain who participated in all the voyages from Spain to the Caribbean. You can read his letter to the Queen in both Spanish and English by searching his name in Google and Wikipedia.

You can read his letter to the Queen

[Applebaum]

the entire Caribbean was invented by Eurpeans specifically to enslave kidnapped West Africans and force them to work on the islands and in America and throuout south America for the rest of the lives for 400years

there is somuch ignorance about Slavery and the Caribbean

[StaTown325]

I didn't know the blacks were slaves over there too..we have black some where down the line..being puerto rican..dont we? well im half so i really don't know..ive been to pr onnly twice..