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Afro-Cuban Film Director, Sara Gomez
"During her career as a filmmaker and community advocate, Gomez captured the culture and traditions of AfroCuban life. In an industry dominated by men, Gomez’s presence was a brazen challenge to the status quo. Female directors in Cuba, especially those of African descent, were often marginalized and their films were not taken as seriously as those of male counterparts. Sara Gomez was one of the visionaries who started the movement to change this. Gomez was the first female Cuban filmmaker in the Cuban Film Institute (ICAIC), and her intimate portrayals of women in Cuban society sparked an important cinematic dialogue that continues to this day.
Sara Gomez was born in Havana, Cuba in 1943. She studied AfroCuban ethnography and piano at The Conservatory of Music in Havana. She then went on to work at the Cuban Film Institute as an assistant director to several famous Cuban filmmakers. Most notably, she studied under Tomas Gutierrez Alea, whose style influenced her work. Alea’s impact is most evident in Gomez’s best-known film, De Cierta Manera. The film is a love story set in the poor neighborhoods of Havana following the 1959 Cuban Revolution. It examines the cultural consequences of modern development programs in Havana’s slum settlements. The film highlights issues of race, sex, and class in Cuba, and its form was as innovative as its content. Gomez combined documentary-style camera work with a fictional narrative; this allowed her to represent material reality, while also providing a creative and critical perspective in the piece.
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Gomez’s promising career was cut unexpectedly short in 1971 when she died of an asthma attack at age 31. In 2005, Gomez’s life and work became the subject of a documentary by Alessandra Muller entitled, Sara Gomez – An AfroCuban Filmmaker. Muller’s film includes archival footage of Gomez and rare interviews with family, friends, colleagues and cast members from De Cierta Manera. Muller memorializes a transformative legacy and brings Gomez’s fearless and captivating spirit back to life for viewers."
Source: The Progress
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Kick off the festive season with us as we explore AfroPeruvian history and culture!
December 3rd will mark the 165th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in Peru, a major turning point in the history of the AfroPeruvian community. We will be marking the occasion with a six-day tour that celebrates the African diaspora in Peru, past, and present. Join us!
Price includes flights from major cities, airport transfers, accommodation, most meals, and a bespoke, Afro-focused itinerary.
Early bird prices on limited offer. Payment plans are available. Grab your spot for just $200 today!
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Join us as Panama celebrates its 500 years of European colonial establishment, we want to center the Black peoples, history, tradition, labor, and legacies that built the Panamanian republic. Explore the Black roots of this top destination Central American Country. Early Bird Discounts. Limited Spots Available. We highlight the AfroCaribbean labor that built the infrastructures of the city and republic as well as the colonial maroons whose stories are alive in the Congo traditions. We venture to the coast to see the Black Christ and engage with community projects that keep our Africaneity alive. AfroPanama Summer 2019.
5 days of stimulating experiences. We will be exploring the Black history and the contemporary Black experience of Panama. There will be plenty of fun in the sun too. Highlights include:
- Panama City
- Colón City - Portobelo & Isla Grande
- Guna Yala aka San Blas
Price includes flights from major cities, airport transfers, accommodation, most meals and a bespoke, Afro-focused itinerary.
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In collaboration with @aintilatina Just in time for the feast days of two Orishas, we dig deeper into what actual “brujas” really are, re-centering the Black Africaneity in our spirituality, traditions, and healing. We will participate in workshops uncovering generational trauma and practical methods for overall re-imagining of self-care.
Price includes flights from major cities, airport transfers, accommodation, most meals, and a bespoke, Afro-focused itinerary.
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Tag your travel buds and get into our Afro focused itinerary that goes beyond vintage cars and cigars and directly supports Black Cubans.
Includes your round-trip flight from select U.S. cities, accommodations, daily breakfast, other meals, airport transfers, and transport.
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"Misconception of an Afro-Latina"
The general misconception of what being Afrolatinx means, specifically in a society that lives and grows on aesthetics, is to be Puerto Rican, Dominican and/or Cuban. Visually, being Afrolatinx means you can physically see the African ancestry in someone. Thick hair, brown skin, and curves for days. But not always. What if you somewhat physically fit the part and have no ancestry from any Caribbean island, but still identify as Afro-Latina?
Every day I wake up, and I leave my home, I get put into a box full of misconceptions. I get judged on my hair, my skin and my curves. Just go down the list:
Yes, I am biracial.
No, I am not half black or half white.
No, my parents were not born in this country.
No, English is not my first language.
Yes, I speak Spanish... and Portuguese.
No, I am not Dominican,
... or Puerto Rican,
... Cuban,
Or from any other Caribbean island.
Yes, I am Latina.
Confused yet?
I am proudly Afro-Latina. How?
My mother is Afro-Brazilian, yes she’s black Brazilian. Brazil is in Latin America, to which she identifies as Afro-Latina, which in turn, and by default, makes me Afro-Latina.
But what about my father? He’s from Mexico and has indigenous ancestry.
On a good and fully caffeinated day, this is my response to any question relating to my Afrolatin-ness. On a regular day, the misconceptions of being an Afro-Latina are continuous stepping stones for me to be proud of my heritage and to smile.
~Michelle Lopez
@_michellelopz
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Es Mi Cultura is published every first Monday of the month by Tamika Burgess.
Tamika is a Afro-Panameña, California based Writer. Learn more about her by visiting TamikaBurgess.com
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