"In this paper I should like to discuss a particular geographical area in Venezuela which has been heavily influenced by black populations stemming from colonial trans-Atlantic slave trade, i.e., the region known as Barlovento, which lies east-southeast of Caracas." (author);
Discusses the poem, Mujer negra (1975), by Caribbean writer Nancy Morejón. Focuses on how the poem departs from the traditional aesthetic and sexual discourses which lead to the mythification and marginalization of black women. Highlights the methods by which the black female persona subverts these established discourses and creates a counter-discourse to re-define herself and her New World experience. Details the ideological underpinnings involved in this process.;
Examines the use of and changes to the Spanish language in Equatorial Guinea. Explores reasons for the non-creolization of Equatorial Guinean Spanish. Discusses the arrival and spread of Pidgin English on Fernando Poo (Bioko). Reviews literature on the Spanish language in Equatorial Guinea.;
Discusses the emergence of Afro-Hispanic literature over the past 25 years. Details the many social and political factors that have influenced the literary movement. Argues that the emergence of Afro-Hispanic literature is timely in its challenging of traditional views of what is admissible into the literary canon.;
Discusses the emergence of an Afro-Cuban aesthetic. Notes the major contributions of Cuban writers Félix Tanco, Antonio Zambrana, Nicolás Guillén, Miguel Barnet, and others to the literary movement. Remarks that these authors give us a view of Latin American history from "below the deck of a slave ship" - a view that is very different from the traditional one.;
Discusses the poetry of Afro-Cuban writer Nancy Morejón, focusing on her poetry collection, Paisaje célebre (Fundarte, 1993). Compares the book to her previous work, and discusses the political and social influences that shaped it. Notes that this book marks an important stage in Morejón's poetry, in that it celebrates a new and different country and voice - one of indepedence and freedom.;
