In addition to economic concerns, a new plan addresses Afro-descendent culture and access to justice. Among that plan’s call to action are policies to improve access to employment opportunities and public services, and programs to educate children about racial stereotypes.
“The festival is a cultural show in which indigenous peoples and diasporas’ cultures will be shared, enhancing the African, Chinese, Jewish and other cultures that form part of the national identity,” said organizer Carol Britton.
Sinkit was the main rhythmic pattern used to compose music for the first carnival dance troupes in the port city of Limón, but it originally comes from Saint Kitts in the Antilles. This rhythm was very popular during the 1950s and 60s in the Caribbean, but was later lost - until now.
The Costa Rican legislature changed Oct. 12 from Day of Discovery and Race to Cultures Day in 1994 to recognize the diverse backgrounds and contributions of the nation's people.
The U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination said its members worried about the use of school texts that can “be interpreted as having a stereotypical vision of minorities, especially of indigenous or Afro-Caribbean populations."
Mr. Fer was sued Monday before Guatemala's special prosecutor's office on discrimination and racism after he posted a joke on Twitter about the genocide suffered by indigenous people here in the 1980s.
The aggressions against lawmakers Epsy Campbell and Maureen Clarke began in late April when the congresswomen asked the culture ministry to withdraw funding for a musical adaptation of the controversial novel Cocorí.
Predictably, the disagreement has become a polarizing debate about racism versus censorship. In honor of this ongoing discussion, here are some examples of beloved children’s books that have caused controversy or fallen completely out of favor.
