THE GLOBAL AFRICAN COMMUNITY
T R A V E L N O T E S
 |
AFRICANS IN THE AMERICAS:
THE SAN ANDRES ARCHIPELAGO
| DEDICATED TO DR. JOHN HENRIK CLARKE - A GREAT PAN-AFRICANIST |
Now that I am feeling well again and have basically overcome the health challenge that so dominated my life a few months ago I am on the go quite a lot. Thanks so much to all of those of you who were so supportive of me when I was off my feet. I do think of you and I appreciate you with every step that I take. Right now life is being very good to me. Being able to move again has within the past six months brought me to Aboriginal Australia, Jamaica, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Costa Rica and Colombia. The experience has been quite rewarding and I am learning so much that sometimes my head just seems to be spinning around and around with new knowledge, and I sometimes find myself questioning tenets that I always considered very basic. Travel can have that effect on us and, as noted, I have been travelling a great deal of late. Indeed, I have just returned less than a hundred hours ago from spending five exciting days on San Andres Island.
San Andres Island is part of a three island archipelago that also includes sparsely populated Providence and Catalina Islands. The archipelago is located in the southwest Caribbean region. The people of the islands are composed of English speaking Africans, who consider themselves the Natives, and Spanish speaking Colombians from the South American mainland, many of whom are also Black people.
Officially, San Andres Island is a possession of Colombia. The Natives think of Colombia as an occupying power. The official population of San Andres numbers about 60,000. Unofficially the population is well over 100,000. These figures border on the incredible in that just fifty years ago the total population numbered only about 5,000 people. Today, the Natives constitute about 40% of the people of the archipelago. They are sometimes known as Raizals, a Spanish word, and say that they are closely related to the Black populations on the Atlantic periphery of Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and Honduras.
The Natives of San Andres were brought there by English Puritans early in the seventeenth century. The white folks were either absorbed by the dominant population or abandoned the archipelago altogether and the Blacks were left to themselves. So for the next two hundred years the people of San Andres led an existence described as close to idyllic.
What was San Andres like before the 1950s? Just imagine a beautiful Caribbean island surrounded by crystal blue waters, swept by soft summer breezes, dominated by perpetually warm weather, somewhat isolated with only a few thousand people engaged in fishing and agriculture. Everybody knew everybody, crime was almost non-existent,the family unit was strong, good health abounded, there was no drug culture, living was easy. All of this changed dramatically beginning in 1953 when the island became the target of mainland Colombia and the recipient of a population influx from tens of thousands of Colombians, many of them poor and Black, coming from South America looking for a better way of life resulting from jobs associated with the rising tourist industry.
San Andres Island is only about ten square miles. The density of the population is immense and life is surely not idyllic now. Garbage is piling up, slums are cropping up, urban violence is real, prostitution is prevalent, AIDS is on the rise, there is only limited space to bury the dead, drug trafficking is thriving and shops and hotels are everywhere. The official language, including the language in the public schools, is now Spanish and the Native Blacks are all but shut out of the tourism industry. The agricultural and fishing economy that dominated San Andres for scores of years is being relegated to a thing of the past and with the rise of tourism an entire way of life has been disrupted.
Unemployment among the Natives of San Andres runs about 55%. But the literacy rate is 100% and I have never been around a group of people more hard working and determined than the sisters and brothers of San Andres. A few of them run small restaurants around the island. Many of the Black men drive taxis. Some of them still confine themselves to farming and fishing. Everyone seems to take pride in their island. There is a university on the island-Christian University run by Dr. George May-a very distinguished Native clergyman. The Natives of San Andres are clinging desperately to their land. They were warm, friendly, caring and hospitable towards me and I felt right at home among them.
The "North End" of San Andrés and main beach "Sprat Bight"THE FIRST INDIGENOUS NATIVE CONGRESS
The purpose of my visit to San Andres was to keynote the first Indigenous Native Congress, December 9 to December 12, 2002. The theme of the Congress was “building a firm foundation for the destiny of the Native people.” I had met several of the principal organizers of the Congress, including Harry McNish and Juan Ramirez-Dawkins in Barlovento, Venezuela at the Reunion of the African Family in Latin America held in the Maroon communities there in the Summer of 1999. I made three big presentations in Barlovento; the San Andres Africans were duly impressed and have been after me to come to San Andres ever since. They asked me if I would come down and do some talks and help with their self-esteem and I gladly accepted their invitation.
So on Monday afternoon, December 9, only six days after completing our historic Looking at Southeast Asia through African Eyes educational and cultural tour, and only two days from speaking at the ASCAC Western Regional Conference in Oakland, California, I touched down on beautiful San Andres Island. After weeks of dealing with logistical issues and exchanging emails with the principal Congress coordinator, Dr. Juvencio Gallardo, I had finally arrived.
To be honest with you, the first thing that I noticed after arriving on San Andres were the gorgeous Black women. I don’t mind telling you that these sisters were fine! I mean Black women are beautiful everywhere but many of these sisters were just stunning, and some of them looked remarkably similar to the images of the women in my slide presentations, particularly those images of sisters from ancient Egypt.
So things got off to a good start. People seemed like they were pleased to see me. I was happy to be there and folks made it clear that my comfort and pleasure were top priorities for them. Of course this made a big difference in that it was not an easy trip for me in the sense that I had to catch a midnight flight from Los Angeles to San Jose, Costa Rica and then wait several hours at the airport before the short flight from San Jose to San Andres, and I was already tired to begin with and didn’t know anyone who had been to San Andres before.
On Monday evening, December 9 the Congress convened at the landmark Native First Baptist Church. I believe that this church was built in 1834. I know that it has a lot of significance. The first thing that I observed upon entering the church was a large painting hovering over the pulpit with an image of a white Jesus. When I spoke that evening that was the first thing that I took aim at. That set the tone for the entire week-that this was going to be a take no prisoners affair and that little quarter was going to be asked or given. Well, things went pretty well that first night. I concluded that a significant segment of the population was a hard working and rather conservative group possessed of a lot of compassion and integrity.
The first full day of the Congress began the following morning, December 10, at the Sunrise Beach Hotel-the finest hotel in the city and located in the downtown area. This angered a lot of the Natives who felt that the Congress should have been held in the heart of the Black community itself. Another point of contention was the translation of the English speaking portions of the Congress into Spanish. Such is the general resentment of the Natives towards the Spanish speaking Colombians that many of them actually objected to a Spanish translation of the Congress proceedings. The Raizals themselves speak English, Spanish and Creole.
One thing that also became apparent early on was the great divide between the English speaking Natives and the Spanish speaking Africans from Colombia. As a strong Pan-Africanist this was very discouraging for me. I observed that there seemed very little empathy between the two groups and the Colombian Africans seemed to have been on the whole a lot more mixed than the Natives. Or maybe it was just that light skinned Colombian Africans are the most visible and the ones that the Colombian government and reigning elite prefers to employ in the hotels and restaurants. Other Black people from Colombia that I saw during my travels around the island seemed more like unmixed Africans. As for Africans in mainland Colombia itself I found that Blacks number about ten million people and make up about 36% of the total population, and are concentrated in the regions of El Choco, Cali and Cartagena. They are severely oppressed and I was told that are caught between the para military forces, the guerillas and the government. So Colombia, much to no one’s surprise, has another one of the world’s struggling African populations and much work has to be done there.
The Congress was opened with a prayer followed by comments from coordinators Juvencio Gallardo and Juan Ramirez-Dawkins. There were then two panel discussions-Territoriality, Environment and Biodiversity and Alternative Economic Development. That same evening I gave my first slide presentation of the Congress and really lit the audience up with one of my finest talks. It was obvious that much of the information was new to the people and they responded most enthusiastically. I took them around the world with me showing them images of Africans as the parent people of humanity and Africans as the mothers and fathers of civilization. I traced the widespread movements of African people and added dimension to the global African community. Most of them had never seen anything like it and the information was a big hit. Indeed, I remained so excited that I could not sleep a wink that entire evening. The presentation went so well that I was immediately invited to come back to lecture in San Andres! The Secretary of Education, Dr. Ricardo Gordon May, turned out to be one of my biggest supporters.
Probably the most controversial photo that I showed during the Congress was an image of Jesus Christ painted by Coptic Christians in Egypt more than a thousand years ago. I took the photo in the Coptic Museum in Cairo in 2001. I figure if anybody has a right to claim that they know what Jesus looked like the Copts do. The image is of a particularly dark Christ with a large Afro hairstyle. In other words the man is portrayed as “fair (black) skinned” with “good (woolly) hair.” He is surrounded by his equally Africoid disciples. The painting is so detailed that you can even see blood dripping from the palms of his hands where he was nailed to the cross. The photo is stunning and I show it as often as possible in an effort to counteract the images of white gods that bombard Black communities the world over. I firmly believe that until we begin to worship god in our own image we will never make real progress as a people. If white people want to worship god as a white man then by all means let them do so but Black people worshipping white gods is a clear indication as to where we are in the world. The photo caused such a ruckus that I was actually asked by the island’s minister of culture, a rather confused but hopefully well meaning young sister from Colombia who was extremely agitated, to provide documentation for my assertions.
On Wednesday, December 11 the Congress was dominated by panel discussions on Ethnic Education and Self-Determination and Human Rights, and that afternoon I did a very good slide presentation on the history and majesty of African women around the world. It was a good day but I was so upset with my confrontation with the minister of culture that my attitude was not the best. That evening at another large Black church San Andres Island’s Christian University was celebrated with a brilliant keynote address by Dr. Shelby Lewis-a wonderful sister and the only other African-American to attend the Congress.
Thursday, December 12 marked the last day of the Congress. About 150 Congress participants branched off into individual commissions and drafted proposals and solutions that were later read aloud to the entire body. It will result in a manifesto that will be the basis for building and for future activities. Thursday was also a day on which we saw more of San Andres’ performing artists and the band that day played one of my favorite songs-Peter Tosh’s “No Matter Where You Come from You are an African.”
After the band and the reading of the commission reports I was called upon to make my final presentation to the Congress and it was one of my best. As a matter of fact, I really think that it was one of the best presentations that I have ever given anywhere. I was emotional, the audience was primed, the images were excellent and the Ancestors seemed to be very much with us. I showed that same image of the Black Christ and some other ones to boot, and once again took the audience around the world as living witnesses to the greatness of African people.
I do think that you would have been proud and I do believe that the Ancestors who guided us and watched over our actions are satisfied. I have given some of my greatest presentations in the Caribbean and it is indeed inspiring providing positive historical information to people hungry and thirsty for knowledge of themselves.
Following my presentation came an outstanding contribution by brother Jonathan Adams from Barbados on the color of god and why it is important. The presentation was nothing short of awesome and closed down the Congress on a fitting note. We had come full circle and we were duly moved. After that was time to reflect on what we had done, celebrate our achievements, rejoice with the family and party a little bit.
It was soon time for me to pack and the next day I was on the move again. On Friday, December 13 I had a hearty breakfast in a beach resort in Colombia, an excellent lunch with close friends on a hill side in Costa Rica and a late night dinner and conversation with my family in Los Angeles. What a life!
I’ve already been invited back to San Andres Island, Providence Island and mainland Colombia itself. In San Andres during the Congress I showed some good pictures and the people who invited me said that they were more than pleased with the impact that I had made. The people seemed to like what I had to say and I know that we gave the residents of San Andres Island, Providence Island and mainland Colombia that attended the Congress a whole lot to talk about and ponder on. The Congress was a great success and I have already placed it within my list of the greatest programs that I have participated in.
In closing, let me tell you I have been thinking about John Henrik Clarke a lot lately. Indeed, on December 14, on the following evening after I returned from San Andres to Los Angeles, I was given the first annual John Henrik Clarke Afrikan Achievement Award and granted my first honorary doctoral degree. It seemed like a more than appropriate way to cap off the week.
Now I place Dr. Clarke, Chancellor Williams, J.A. Rogers, John G. Jackson and a few others in a special pantheon of pioneer African scholars that has paved the way for the reconstruction of our family. Dr. Clarke, you know, was an ardent Pan-Africanist and a real role model. I miss him a great deal and in spite of the fact that he is now an Ancestor he remains a real inspiration for me. And I do believe that he is watching over me and checking things out. I would like to believe that he is saying right about now, “Well done brother Runoko. You completed your San Andres assignment and got high marks. Now try and get a little rest. We have a lot more work for you.”
Copyright © 1998 Runoko Rashidi. All rights reserved.
Posted/Revised: February 17, 2003.
Webpage design: Kenneth Ritchards
