Cultural Genocide In Mexico

Cultural genocide exists in Mexico, and I am not referring to the McDonalds that has taken over the local taco vender, or even Starbucks - now on practically every corner- engulfing the national coffee brand; I am referring to the institutional, societal and scholarly misrepresentation of the African presence in Mexico. The presence of the “negro” in Mexico is itself an enigma not only for the Mexican population in general, but also - and more specifically - for the black Mexicans themselves. A country that prides itself on its national identity, Mexico is progressively, through action and also silence, erasing the cultural identity and importance of its black population. However, Mexico as a nation cannot be held fully responsible for this absence, the black Mexican must also be held accountable for this erasure.
Yet, the black Mexican has endorsed this action by allowing their identity to be challenged, changed and charged to be the responsibility of others than by claiming it for themselves. If we look in comparison to where there exists other populations of African descent – the United States of America, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba and even Peru – it is very clear how these “black” populations define and identify themselves; in Mexico conversely you have one community being defined in four different ways: Moreno, Negro, Afro-Mexican and Afro-Descendent. The task of identity must be the responsibility of the black Mexican If it is in fact their desire to be included in the dialogue of national