Imagining the Fire: Conversations about the African American | Florencia Gomes
In ‘Imagining the Fire: Conversations about the African American,’ today we will travel to Argentina, another country in America that, in its republican history, has erased the presence and contribution of the Afro-descendant population.
According to Afro-Argentine organizations, at least 5% of the population in this country has African ancestry. The systematic whitening of the nation is expressed in an idea that transcends its borders: Argentinians are descendants of Europeans. Now we know that not only is this idea false, but it also upholds structural racist practices. To discuss these ideas and ways of responding to them, our guest today is Florencia Victoria Gomes.
Flor is an architect, anti-racist, and activist member of the Gender Area of the November 8th Commission (named after the day of Afro-Argentines and Afro culture). @blackflauer_ is an actress and scriptwriter of the documentary theater play “Afroargentinas.” The play has become a form of activism for Florencia. It manages to engage Afro-Argentine people and also white individuals. “We seek to raise questions that people must ask themselves. Beyond being a work that provides comfort to black and Afro-Argentine people, we are interested in making them question racist practices that may be reproduced.”
‘Imagining the Fire’ is hosted by our colleague Marcela Vallejo.
