AFRO-VENEZUELANS
AND
THE STRUGGLE TO END RACISM
Venezuela is making
unprecedented progress in combating the historical legacy of racism and
recognizing the national importance of its African heritage. New government initiatives including reforms
addressing poverty and inequality have afforded Afro-Venezuelans greater
social, economic, and political rights.[i] Now, despite
centuries of institutionalized racism and systematic political and social
exclusion, Afro-Venezuelan citizens are experiencing gains that are the result
of new action being taken by government and society.
SLAVERY AND THE MYTH OF RACIAL DEMOCRACY
An estimated 100,000
enslaved Africans were brought to Venezuela between the 16th and 19th
centuries.[ii] Most were
sold to the central coastal states, which drove an agricultural economy based
in coffee and cacao. Abolition occurred in 1854, but freedom did not
bring equality. Racism continued to flourish in Venezuela throughout most
of the 20th century, and African heritage was denied through an emphasis
on racial mixing. The mestizo, born of European, Indigenous,
and African blood, became a cornerstone of national identity. In this
scheme, Blackness was devalued to such an extent that state policies sought to
"whiten" the population through European immigration.[iii] Venezuela,
like many other Latin American countries, used the idea of the mestizo to uphold a myth of racial
democracy that denied rampant discrimination on the basis of skin color.[iv]
AFRO-VENEZUELANS AND THE BOLIVARIAN REVOLUTION
Hugo Chavez is the first president in Venezuela's history to claim and
honor his Indigenous and African ancestry.
Since his first election in 1998, reforms have been instituted to
address the problems faced by the Afro-Venezuelan community and to extend to them
important social, political, and economic
rights. Historically, poor and rural
citizens have lacked access to health care and education. Because cities
and states with the largest Afro-Venezuelan populations face the highest
levels of poverty, the recent social missions instituted by the Chavez
administration have had a huge impact.
EDUCATION:
Massive literacy campaigns and
new educational institutions have allowed more than 1.5 million adults to learn
to read and write, or to return to school. Due to subsidized education
programs for elementary, high school, and college-aged students,
Afro-Venezuelans are partaking in education at unprecedented rates. Once
a privilege enjoyed by only a few, education is now considered a human right.
HEALTH CARE: In
1999, Venezuela became the first Latin American country to guarantee all
citizens the right to basic health care.
To meet this goal, a partnership was initiated
with the government of Cuba, which has provided 20,000 medical professionals to
treat previously underserved Venezuelans.
In the past 5 years, thousands of community health clinics have been
established throughout the country. Today, more than 60% of the
Venezuelan population receives some form of government-sponsored health
care. The results have been dramatic; between 1996 and 2002, infant
mortality rates decreased by 38%.
POLITICAL PARTICIPATION: Since 2003, millions of Afro-Venezuelans have been
issued national ID cards guaranteeing them the citizenship rights they
previously lacked. Article 56 of the
1999 Constitution guaranteed all persons the right to free registration with
the Civil Registry Office, a measure which has allowed electoral participation
among Afro-Venezuelans to grow tremendously.
In unprecedented numbers, Afro-Venezuelans are exercising their right to
vote as well as to run for political office. Afro-Venezuelans occupy
important posts in the Chavez administration as legislators, ambassadors, and
assemblymen. It is the first
administration in Venezuelan history to include a Black Venezuelan in the
President’s Cabinet.
VENEZUELA'S RELATIONS WITH AFRICA AND
THE CARIBBEAN
A new consciousness is being forged by Afro-Venezuelans who today
recognize and value their African heritage within the larger society.
Anti-racist groups in Venezuela have entered into powerful alliances with the
government through initiatives such as the Presidential Commission to End Racial
Discrimination, which was started in 2005.
New awareness campaigns designed in cooperation with the social missions
emphasize the national historical contribution of Afro-Venezuelans.
Taking stock of the struggle against racism, the renowned Afro-Venezuelan
activist and scholar Jesús "Chucho" García (pictured at right) has
said: "There is a great opening now; it's the moment for our
recognition. That's what we are going
to fight for."[vii]