Who Knew That There Were People Of African Descent In Central America? (Information, Video, & Comments About Afro-Costa Ricans)

Ahshea1media, May 3, 2016
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CLick http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/11/two-examples-of-costa-rican-song-rice.html for the 2017 pancocojams post entitled "Two Examples Of The Costa Rican Song "Rice And Beans".

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases a video about Afro-Costa Rican. Information about Costa Rica and Afro-Costa Ricans is also included in this post.


The content of this post is presented historical, cultural, and educational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are working to preserve the culture of Afro-Costa Ricans and thanks to all those who are asociated with this showcased video. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE CENTRAL AMERICAN NATION OF COSTA RICA
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costa_Rica
"Costa Rica … literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica (Spanish: República de Costa Rica), is a country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, and Ecuador to the south of Cocos Island. It has a population of around 5 million[5][6] in a land area of 51,060 square kilometers (19,714 square miles). An estimated 333,980 people live in the capital and largest city, San José, with around 2 million people in the surrounding metropolitan area.

[...]

The 2011 census counted a population of 4.3 million people[100] distributed among the following groups: 83.6% whites or mestizos, 6.7% mulattoes, 2.4% Native American, 1.1% black or Afro-Caribbean; the census showed 1.1% as Other, 2.9% (141,304 people) as None, and 2.2% (107,196 people) as unspecified.[1] By 2016, the UN estimation for the population was around 5 million.[5][6]

[...]

The 2011 census classified 83.6% of the population as white or Mestizo; the latter are persons of combined European and Amerindian descent. The Mulatto segment (mix of white and black) represented 6.7% and indigenous people made up 2.4% of the population.[2] Native and European mixed blood populations are far less than in other Latin American countries. Exceptions are Guanacaste, where almost half the population is visibly mestizo, a legacy of the more pervasive unions between Spanish colonists and Chorotega Amerindians through several generations, and Limón, where the vast majority of the Afro-Costa Rican community lives."...

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INFORMATION ABOUT AFRO-COSTA RICANS 
From https://thecostaricanews.com/learn-about-the-afro-limon-culture/#:~:text=Afro%2DCosta%20Rican%20culture%20is%20not%20an%20imitation%20of%20the,Lim%C3%B3n%2C%20on%20the%20Caribbean%20coast. Learn About the Afro-Limón Culture: An Integral Part Of Our National Heritage
..."The influence of the inherited customs of West Africa and the Antilles has definitively marked what Afro-Costa Rican culture is, both in architecture, gastronomy, and music and in its traditions. Afro-Costa Rican culture is not an imitation of the African tradition since it has its own particularities within its territorial, social and cultural dimension. The maximum expression of these occurs in the Province of Limón, on the Caribbean coast.

Limón is outstanding for being bilingual since the province speaks Spanish, English, and even Mekatelyu (native dialect). In the architecture, you can see the clear Afro-British influence of Victorian style, which comes from the Antilles and Jamaica. Costa Rican Caribbean cuisine is rich and very peculiar. In gastronomy, there are many dishes cooked in coconut milk, such as rice and beans or sauces with curry and other spices that accompany fish and seafood. Here we use species such as pepper or powerful hot chili peppers, such as the so-called Panamanian chili and which are an important part of dishes such as “Pati”. Among its most common desserts is the sweet “Plantintá”, the pineapple or banana filling and the “Pambón”, which is black bread with spices.

The rhythm of the Caribbean is the “Calypso”, a great musical genre that is present in the daily life of this region and is considered the main expression of the cultural identity of Limon, which is considered a rhythmic culture. The Calypso comes from Trinidad and Tobago, but the Lemon calypso has a great influence on the Jamaican mind. It entered Costa Rica through the port of Limón in 1872, in the hands of the Jamaican workers who were hired for the construction of the railway. Music for the working class, of small bands that gather around the singer who composed in a spontaneous way with very little time before beginning the concert, which used to be in beaches, bars, canteens and street parties. The lyrics of the calypsos is differentiated by its social criticism, full of humor, in addition to also rescuing important cultural aspects such as food, traditions, stories and the relationship between people of African descent with the whole world. It is said that the best thing about Limón is its people

Our beloved Limón also has religious diversity, where Protestants stand out, as Anglicans, Baptists, and Methodists, as well as syncretic cults and Catholicism....Among the different syncretic cults, the existence of brotherhoods is mentioned, as well as the “Pocomía” and the belief in the “Obeah”, which is the man with supernatural powers that act as a shaman, witch or healer. In the oral tradition, the stories of Brother Araña stand out as a cultural hero and trickster of western and Caribbean African mythology identified with the god Anancy

The carnivals of Limón take place from October 8 to October 16 and are highlighted by costumes, masks, parades, colorful parades, floats in the streets, and banquets. The carnival has its origin in the syncretism of the Spanish festivals with the indigenous pre-Columbian festivities and also the African festivals. Carnivals are very important because of the cultural unity that they promote among the peoples and families of this area, as well as promoting tourism. On August 31 of each year, Black and Afro-Costa Rican Culture Day is celebrated."...

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SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THIS VIDEO'S DISCUSSION THREAD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDnAd24unJw&ab_channel=Ahshea1media

These comments are given in relative chronological order with the oldest dated comments given first, except for replies. 

1. bago510, 2017
"The whole Caribbean coast of Central America is full of Black people In Belize and Nicaragua they have Creoles in Honduras Belize Guatemala and Parts of Nicaragua they have the Garifuna people and there culture and in Costa Rica and Panama they have the Black people who came from the Caribbean Islands to work on the Rails and Canal."

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2. Kenneth Castillo, 2017
"As a Tico and a Tico with roots in Limon I thank you for this video.  The video is simply amazing and informative and a great documentation of Limonenses."
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Here's information about the Costa Rican referent "Tico" from https://www.ticolingo.com/what-is-tico/#:~:text=Tico%20is%20an%20idiomatic%20term,of%20other%20Spanish%2Dspeaking%20countries.&text=For%20instance%2C%20in%20standard%20Spanish,often%20say%20%E2%80%9Cun%20poquitico.%E2%80%9D

..."Tico is an idiomatic term used for a native of Costa Rica. Costa Ricans are usually called ticos by themselves as well as by people of other Spanish-speaking countries.

 “Tico” and “tica” (male and female) are colloquial terms that Costa Ricans gave themselves, due to their linguistic tendency to add the diminutive “tico” to the end of words. For instance, in standard Spanish ‘un poco’ means ‘a little’, the diminutive is “un poquito” (a little bit), but Costa Ricans often say “un poquitico.”

 What is unique to Costa Rica is the use of this suffix to also denote affection. Words ending in -ico, -ica, -tico, -tica do not only mean “small”, but they also depict affection and similar endearing feelings too."...

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3. Phillip Ockletree, 2017
"I am very thankful for your video. It was a complete eye opening experience. I am a first generation born in the United States of America and my family is from Costa Rica, Limon and I feel as though I have lost most of my tradition. After watching this I realize I do have culture and I am eager to travel there to further explore my tradition.  I would would to reach out and network as much as possible"

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4. Javon Greene, 2017
"Just seeing this. I was a member of the UNIA’s Harlem, NY chapter. I was also active in the UNIA-affiliated African Orthodox Church. Ironically, coming up as a Pan African, I’ve never met a Costa Rican who wasn’t black until I visited the country. One love to all the Garveyites and all brothers and sisters in Limon. The area is a big part of our history."

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5. Private Person, 2017
"As a PROUD TICO born in Costa Rica and raised my whole life in California, I AM SO PROUD OF MY AFRO LATINOS in COSTA RICA and THANK YOU for this video. I am sharing with as many people in my Latin Studies Class and my family"

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6. zone zion, 2017
"Great job on this documentary. I agree with all the speakers we should keep the culture strong and continue teaching our history it is very important not to forget who we are.. In addition I would recommend that we invest in the development of limón by creating black businesses.. blessings to all"

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7. nejolo, 2017
"There are Afro Salvadoreans!  She's wrong about that one.  Enslaved Africans were brought to El Salvador.  Their is a video on You tube title Afro salvadoreans.   So there you go. Here's a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzwFhPKfaCc
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This comment was written in response to the woman giving a ted talk who said that there were Black people in every Central American country except El Salvador.

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Reply
8. nejolo, 2017
Another documentary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xA6G0lnGg4

And another:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zum9-LDfz58

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9. Arts Veiman, 2018
"Strange this is really an eye opener as Ive always considered the Afro caribean culture was not only well accepted but  that Costa Rica was proud in a multicultural heritage, and promoted itself as a country with very little racism."

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Reply
10. OrganicSoulJazz, 2018
"Big Up Costa Rican🇨🇷🇨🇷🇨🇷 Gente from🇵🇦🇵🇦🇵🇦"

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11. Corta Caña, 2017
"For the black community Cosa Rica is the wrong place to move because their social and moral issues against minority."

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12. Ahshea1media, 2017
"costa rica is proud to be very white.  But the state of Limon is something completely different.  It is truly like another country"

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13. mark dietrich, 2018
"She says at 20:20 'they came to Costa Rica before Columbus..'  And he came in 1502. How is that even possible for Blacks to have come there before the Spanish conquistadors, who conquered the country? They were the ones who introduced slavery. So what the hell you mean by 'before Columbus? Makes absolutely no sense. Are you even listening to yourself?"

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Reply
14. Anthony Rodney, 2018
"mark dietrich Your comment appears just reactionary, seemingly nurtured by Eurocentrism, yet void of facts.  I would have suggested you read a scholarly book or two on the subject, or at least do some further research, before commenting. Try, for example, 'They came before Columbus' by Ivan Van Sertima or The First Americans were African by David Imhotep. 

Of course, the presence of Africans all over the Americas long before Columbus is very well documented.  If fact, Africans, the world’s first people, from whom all others are derived, were on every major land mass, or every habitable continent, before any other people, which would hardly be surprising in a non-Eurocentric world given their enormous head start.."

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Reply
15. Glimmering Sea, 2018
"You never know. History as we learn it in society is always biased. This biased history makes it seem like the world started in the Americas when the Europeans from the main lands came to the Americas. There is archeological evidence that others were here before the Europeans. Among them the Chinese or Asians and the Vikings. Why not the Africans? What if they had been here and mixed with the natives way before? In the ancient world there was trade and great inventions, so why not?!"

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16. Phill, 2018
"Costa Rica has been very blessed with this wonderful culture, please continue spreading English language and culture. Thank you people from Limón !"

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Reply
17. Catch the Wave, 2020
"That’s cool, Just don’t Americanize it more than it already is."

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18. james catholic, 2019
"My father was born and raised in Puerto Limon, but he's pale Blue."
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"Blue" may be a typo for the word "Black".

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Reply
19. Ahshea1media, 2019
"Limonese people look different but still have that beautiful spirit."

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Reply
20. james catholic, 2019
"@Ahshea1media Very true, my friend! Cahuita is paradise to me. My grandfather was a politician/representative of Limon in Parliament in the 40's and 50's. He always fought for the province and especially for worker's rights as many were being exploited."

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21, Esteban Solmat, 2019
"I loved the way you capture the essence of Limon in that video, unfortunately the news have given Limon a bad reputation for years that has affected its true self. Lemon is such a magical province, one of a kind. I am from Costa Rica and even though my parents raised me celebrating cultures, including the black culture of my country, Limon was invisible in way like one of the ladies said in the video, so for years I missed out the magic of their culture, but once you get to know the real Limon it will make you fall in love to the point you want to move there, and that is exactly what happed to me, now own a house in the magical place called Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Southern Caribbean. The combination of cultures from around the world with the historic legacy/ traditions of the black community makes the Costa Rican Caribbean such a unique place.

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22. MistaMacCapone, 2019
"Its extremely important that African descendant peoples realize there are places we can go outside of the u.s. We have this brainwashing thinking the u.s. is the only bastion of hope for us."

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23. joypainsunshinerain, 2020
"Yes so true. In my experience in a lot of the older generation of blacks are scared to go abroad."

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24. Chef Bridgette Coleman, 2020
"Very true

I PLAN to move to costa Rica. This is so inspiring"

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25. Rsap Green, 2019
"Limon Costa Rica, is where my father was from...his grandmother came from Jamaica... I'm proud of my history."...

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26. WildBlackRose, 2019
"Haven't finished the video but I want to say this... I am costarrican,  my grandfather is from Limon, my family is literally  black, brown and white, being said that the government have forgotten my beautiful province but between us THERE IS NO RACISM, as a costarrican with  native brown family, black and white I can say it proudly.  Thanks for an amazing video ❤"

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27. marilyn peoples, 2019
"Wonderful video, but a little confusing in your opening discussion re: Marcus Garvey you use images of Malcolm X.

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28. Irysh Poatit, 2019
"That was Malcolm X's voice speaking about Marcus Garvey - marveling at what he was proposing so many years ago....

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29. Boa123, 2019
"8:10 who is this woman? Where can I find more videos of her talks"

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30. Ahshea1media, 2019
"Her name is Epsy Campbell Barr.  She is currently the vice-president of Costa Rica.  She is the first Black woman elected to that high of a position in all of NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA and the Caribbean as well.  She is really dynamic, down to earth and a good person.  Spread the word!! And thanks for watching!!"

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31. kaydenpat, 2019
"Great documentary, Brother!!  You should go throughout Latin America documenting African-descended Latino culture.  Keep up the good work!

Love the singing and music at the end.  Beautiful!"

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32. Adventure Time Loui, 2020
"This was so refreshing and inspiring! All of the white US expats I’ve been watching spoke about limon as if it was “dangerous” and an “undesirable” place to be, but they have never probably even spoken to any Afro-Costa rican. Now I want to visit this beautiful and thriving community🥰😍 this is the inspiration I needed being part black. I want to understand about my ancestors and the diaspora! Thanks for this! We all need to stay united even across borders!"

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33. Mark Ramcharan, 2020
"As a Jamaican I wish we could have more contact with these Jamaican descendants I have been to Costa Rica the pasific side and they know so much about Jamaica ,told us about limon wish I had known about it before,on my wish list."

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34. SUNSHINE GIRL, 2020
"For real I found out the other day and research about them. They are apart of us along side Panamanians, Nicaraguans, Hondurans and Guatemalans. They even featured The descendants of Jamaicans in Costa Rica the other day on Jamaican television. We love you guys, stay strong it’s in our blood to overcome any obstacles. Great to know you guys apart of this great nation Jamaica, be proud and stand tall because you’re descendants from the Kings and Queens lands."

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35. Haat Praat, 2020
"In many ways we - descendants of Jamaican immigrants in the UK are like many in Costa Rica. We are part of the Jamaican diaspora."

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36. Audley Mclean, 2021
"Jamaica has one of the largest diaspora per-capita in the World, the Chinese has the largest, but not necessarily on a per-capita basis."

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37. Audley Mclean, 2021
"It's always hard for Jamaica to beat Costa Rica in soccer, Costa Rica almost 5times the size of Jamaica, population? Jamaica aprox.3 million[ [Costa Rica aprox.5 million. so that might be the reason."

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38. Elijah TK, 2021
"I can see our Ghana flag being displayed there. Woow, Ghana's flag is best in the diaspora. Love from a Ghanaian in Asia."

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