Los tres mulatos de Esmeraldas (1599) by Sánchez Galque.
Most Afro-Ecuadorians are the descendants of enslaved Africans who were transported by predominantly British slavers to Ecuador from the early 16th century.[3] In 1553, the first enslaved Africans reached Ecuador in Quito when a slave ship heading to Peru was stranded off the Ecuadorian coast. The enslaved Africans escaped and established maroon settlements in Esmeraldas, which became a safe haven as many Africans fleeing slave conditions either escaped to there or were forced to live there. Eventually, they started moving from their traditional homeland and were settling everywhere in Ecuador.[4]
Portrait of a Quito Matron Lady with Her Black Slave (1783) by Vicente Albán.
Racism, on an individual basis and societally are strongly discriminated against by the mestizo and criollo populations.[5][6] As a result, along with lack of government funding and low social mobility poverty affects their community more so than the white and mestizo population of Ecuador.[7][8] After slavery was abolished in 1851, Africans became marginalized in Ecuador, dominated by the plantation owners.[9]
Afro-Ecuadorian people and culture are found primarily in the country's northwest coastal region. The majority of the Afro-Ecuadorian population (70%)[10] are found in the province of Esmeraldas and the Valle del Chota in the Imbabura Province, where they are the majority.[11] They can be also found in significant numbers in Guayaquil, and in Ibarra, where in some neighborhoods, they make up a majority.[12] Many Afro-Ecuadorians have participated in sports, for instance playing with the Ecuador national football team, many of whom hail from Valle del Chota.[13]
Culture
Afro-Ecuadorians at a convention to receive cultural recognition, traditional instruments can be seen in the background
Afro-Ecuadorian culture may be analysed by considering the two main epicenters of historical presence: the province of Esmeraldas, and the Chota Valley.[14] In Ecuador it is often said that Afro Ecuadorians live predominantly in warm places like Esmeraldas.[15] Afro-Ecuadorian culture is a result of the Trans-atlantic slave trade.[11] Their culture and its impact on Ecuador has led to many aspects from West and Central Africa cultures being preserved via ordinary acts of resistance and commerce.[16] Examples of these include the use of polyrhythmic techniques, traditional instruments and dances; along with food ways such as the use of crops brought from Africa, like the Plantain and Pigeon pea, and oral traditions and mythology like La Tunda.[17][18][19][20] When women wear their hair as it grows naturally, it is often associated with poverty, which is why successful or upwardly mobile women tended to straighten their hair.[21]
An example of the Cununo in the semi-final round of a championship in Esmeraldas.
Sometimes this music is played in religious ceremonies, as well as in celebrations and parties. It features call-and-response chanting along with the music. Some of the rhythms associated with it are currulao, bambuco and andarele.[24]
Afro-Ecuadorian style drum from Esmeralda.
On the other hand, in the Chota Valley there is bomba music. It can vary from mid-tempo to a very fast rhythm. It is usually played with guitars, as well as the main local instrument called bomba, which is a drum, along with a guiro, and sometimes bombos and bongos. A variation of it played by la banda mocha, groups who play bomba with a bombo, guiro and plant leaves to give melody.[25]
Religion
The religious practice among Afro-Ecuadorians is usually Catholic. Catholic worship is distinctive in Esmeraldas, and sometimes is done with marimba[26][27]
Numerous organizations have been established in Ecuador to for Afro-Ecuadorian issues. The Afro-Ecuadorian Development Council (CONDAE). Afro-Ecuadorian Development Corporation (Corporación de Desarrollo Afroecuatoriano, CODAE), institutionalized in 2002, Asociación de Negros Ecuatorianos (ASONE), founded in 1988, Afro-Ecuadorian Institute, founded 1989, the Agustín Delgado Foundation, the Black Community Movement (El Proceso de Comunidades Negras) and The National Confederation of Afro-Ecuadorians (Confederación Nacional Afroecuatoriana, CNA) are amongst some of the institutional frameworks in place in Ecuador.[9] The World Bank has given loans for Afro-Ecuadorian development proposals in Ecuador since 1998, loaning $34 million for related projects between 2003 and 2007, and USAID also monitored the 2006 elections in Ecuador to ensure that Afro-Ecuadorians were not being unfairly underrepresented.[9]
Jaime Hurtado, from Guayaquil; known for fighting for the rights of the working people of Ecuador; founder and leader of the Democratic People's Movement (MPD); assassinated in the winter of 1999[29]
An Afro-Ecuadorian in the national assembly.Semifinal of the Encebollado Championship in Esmeraldas 2015Semifinal of the Encebollado Championship in Esmeraldas 2015"Together for our rights" March through the streets of San Lorenzo, EsmeraldasSemifinal of the Encebollado Championship in Esmeraldas 2015Semifinal of the Encebollado Championship in Esmeraldas 2015Afro-Ecuadorian girls in traditional clothing.An Afro-Ecuadorian artesian vendor.Afro-Ecuadorians offer recognition to Foreign Minister.Afro-Ecuadorians offer recognition to Foreign Minister.Afro-Ecuadorians offer recognition to Foreign Minister.Afro-Ecuadorians offer recognition to Foreign Minister.An Afro-Ecuadorian marimba groups from Esmeraldas
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