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AfroLatinidad is a collective cultural identity of Latinos/as from African descent. There are an estimated 200 million Afro descendants in 19 Latin American countries. AfroLatinidad celebrates the cultural similarities among many Afro Latinos in Latin America. AfroLatinidad is thus born from the mixing of different African, North, South and Central Indigenous and American cultures. Often times, seclusion and rejection of Eurocentered National Identities force them to become marginalized economically and culturally (http://hemi.nyu.edu/hemi/en/e-misferica-52/rahier ). AfroLatinidad has brought together the struggles of many Afro Latinos that mainly focus on high levels of poverty and also a rich cultural diversity. AfroLatinidad celebrates the cultural similarities among many Afro Latinos in Latin America (1).

Cultural Expression

In terms of Diaspora, a concept redefined in Juan Flores book The Diaspora Strikes Back, AfroLatinidad’s history stretches back from African colonial rules and reinscribed their culture incorporating Latino traditions. AfroLatinidad is essentially “a way of naming the kind of cultural fusion and hybridization typical of highly diasporic urban settings in the metropolis (J. Flores, The Diaspora Strikes Back. New York: Routledge, 2009.). AfroLatinos have created outlets for expression including dance, poetry, and music. Afrolatinidad is the collective expression of Afro Latino’s and a declaration of culture through forms of art.

Hip Hop Afro Latinos have adopted hip-hop and expressed through lyrics their struggles of living in high poverty neighborhoods in Latin America. AfroLatinidad has captured the essence of hip-hop by using music as an outlet of expression. Hip Hop originated from African American identities in New York City, the cultural context of hip hop reminisce sentiments of African American people. The transcendence of hip-hop from Latin America has emerged from transcultural migration of music. Hip Hop has also become a tool of unification, political voice and cultural representation. Artists like Eli Efi from Brazil raps about the injustices within his society and the want of freedom from discrimination and the freedom to black shame. Now, Afro Latinos can also exercise hip-hop to promote identity and community. http://www.pbs.org/itvs/globalvoices/estilohiphop.html

Television An important outlet source that documents the story of Afro descendents in Latin America is Afro Latino television, which documents a new story of Afro descendents. The television documentary series highlights the influence that African descendants have had on Latino culture. Afro Latino television is working closely to bridge the gap of understanding between the Afro Latino and Latino communities.

World Cup As discussed by Jean Muteba Rahier, from the Florida International University, many Latino countries define national identity by attempting to encompass a non-AfroLatinidad identity. During The World Cup, also know as FIFA, countries are able to show case and ascertain their identity, which comes from the expense of Afro Latinos.

Afro Latinidad relies on The World Cup in order for the world to acknowledge the existence of this marginalized culture. The article specifically focuses on Afro-Ecuadorians, players Carlos Tenorio and Agustín (Tin) Delgado, and states that they “gave national pride to fans of a variety of ethnic and racial backgrounds.” Their communities are represented through the Afro Latino players who were raised within them. Although impoverished, these pockets of culture contain within them a rich mixture of music, ¬¬food, ideologies, practices, and values struggling against dominate social identities.