When Ernesto Estupinan Quintero was elected mayor of the city of Esmeraldas, Ecuador, in 2000, he was the first self-identifying Black person to reach this position. The city of Esmeraldas is the capital of the only province of the nation where Afro-Ecuadorians are the largest racial and cultural group. Immediately upon his election, Ernesto began commissioning murals and statues that contested traditional representations of Blackness.
The article discusses the history of Santo Domingo (which was renamed the Dominican Republic) under the French General Jean-Louis Ferrand from 1804 through 1809. Particular focus is given to Ferrand's efforts, under the direction of the French Emperor Napoleon I, to re-enslave Santo Domingo and overthrow Haiti's ruler Toussaint Louverture. An overview of the slavery laws in Santo Domingo is provided. Ferrand's use of black Haitian captives as slaves, including the Haitians captured by the French who lived near the border with Santo Domingo, is provided.
Examines the impact of the U.S. media on gender relations in the Caribbean area. The U.S. media have created a cultural dependency whereby Caribbean people tend to reject their indigenous culture and favor the American culture. The author asserts that Caribbean men behave in a certain manner and contribute to social problems because they have been improperly socialized by the U.S. media. Moreover, the portrayal of sports celebrities has created a feeling of victimhood among blacks.
Analyzes the use of text messaging and crisis mapping in disaster response by drawing on Haiti as a case study. Describes the design and deployment of the system, outlines what worked and did not work, and considers organizational and institutional implications of this response and articulates policy recommendations.
"Findings suggest that, controlling for numerous aspects of worker qualifications, workers with greater financial responsibilities to their families receive higher wages." (author)
Examines the sentiment of love among the indigenous Miskitu people along the Honduran and Nicaraguan Caribbean Coast. The Miskitu are a Native American ethnic group in Central America. The people are primarily of African Native American ancestry. Miskitu women historically have held high positions of power in their matrilocal society. Since the lobster-diving industry began in the 1970s, however, gender and power relations have shifted, rendering women more dependent on men who earn wages. Women's loss of power is not only due to the economic changes, but it is also caused by the ideology and discourse of romantic love in Miskitu society.
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.;
Presented at a conference on "Changing Patterns in the Caribbean," University of Wichita, June 13, 1961., "We are interested not only in the size of population in the Caribbean area at present, but in the rates of population increase. In the West Indies, the highest birth rates (40 and over per thousand population) are found in islands which include about 23 percent of the population (the Windward Islands, Dominican Republic, Trinidad, the Leewards, Guadeloupe, and Martinique). Birth rates that intermediates for the West Indies (35 to 37) are found in 41 percent of the region's population (Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Jamaica, and Haiti). The lowest level of fertility in the West Indies (33 or less) is found in 36 percent of the Caribbean population (Cuba, Barbados, and the Netherlands Antilles)."
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.;