https://www.jstor.org/stable/981356?sid=primo&saml_data=eyJzYW1sVG9rZW4iOiJiNDQ1MzVkZS1iNDdkLTQ2OWUtYmQyNS0wMmRkODhmZjJmZmYiLCJlbWFpbCI6IlN0YWNleS5EaUxpYmVydG9AdWNmLmVkdSIsImluc3RpdHV0aW9uSWRzIjpbIjlkYjM3YmI0LWYzMjAtNDZhMy04NWYyLTc4NWFlZDE4YTNlMyJdfQ#metadata_info_tab_contents

Mexico & Peru: The Black Grandma in the Closet

Directed by Ilana Trachtman, Produced by Ilana Trachtman, Wall to Wall Media, Thirteen Productions, Inkwell Films, In Black in Latin America, Episode 4 (Arlington, VA: Public Broadcasting Service, 2011)53 minutes

In a style similar to “Wonders of the African World,” Skip Gates will travel to places in Latin America where Africa has touched the continent with lasting cultural results to explore what happens when African and Hispanic worlds meet. In Mexico and Peru, Professor Gates explores the almost unknown history of the significant numbers of black people–the two countries together received far more slaves than did the U.S.–and the worlds of culture that their descendants have created in Vera Cruz on the Gulf of Mexico, the Costa Chica region on the Pacific, and in and around Lima, Peru.

Haiti & Dominican Republic: An Island Divided

 In a style similar to “Wonders of the African World,” Skip Gates will travel to places in Latin America where Africa has touched the continent with lasting cultural results to explore what happens when African and Hispanic worlds meet. In the Dominican Republic, explore how race has been socially constructed in a society whose people reflect centuries of inter-marriage and how the country’s troubled history with Haiti informs notions about racial classification. In Haiti, hear the story of the birth of the first-ever black republic and investigate the slaves’ hard fight for liberation over Napoleon Bonaparte’s French Empire. 

Cuba: The Next Revolution

 In a style similar to “Wonders of the African World,” Skip Gates will travel to places in Latin America where Africa has touched the continent with lasting cultural results to explore what happens when African and Hispanic worlds meet. In Cuba Professor Gates finds out how the culture, religion, politics and music of this island are inextricably linked to the huge amount of slave labor imported to produce its enormously profitable 19th century sugar industry, and how race and racism have fared since Fidel Castro’s Communist revolution in 1959. 

Brazil: A Racial Paradise?

Directed by Ricardo Pollack, Produced by Ricardo Pollack, Wall to Wall Media, Thirteen Productions, Inkwell Films, In Black in Latin 

 In a style similar to “Wonders of the African World,” Skip Gates will travel to places in Latin America where Africa has touched the continent with lasting cultural results to explore what happens when African and Hispanic worlds meet. In Brazil, Professor Gates goes behind the façade of Carnival to discover how this “rainbow nation” is waking up to its legacy as the world’s largest slave economy. 

1. After watching one of the assigned episodes of Black in Latin America, comment on what you saw. How did the episode enrich your understanding of the African influence in Latin America?  Use examples from the episode to support your conclusion.

You may also choose to jot down any thoughts or questions this unit inspired that you might want to revisit later for your final project. See the due date in the course schedule. 

Protocols:

• Journal entries should average 250 words each (more is fine; it will be difficult to make substantive reflections in much less than this).
• Clearly label (number your journal entry)
• Your entries will be kept private and are meant to help you deepen your understanding of the course concepts and also help you generate ideas for your final project.
• Make sure to proofread and revise your posts. Even though these entries are personal, it is still expected that you produce college-level writing.
• Keep up with the due dates for each entry. You don’t want to fall behind.
• If you meet all of these criteria, producing a well-developed entry, you will receive a “complete” grade on this assignment.