Background
A common narrative promoted within Argentina and globally is that there are no Black people in Argentina. This narrative of erasure around the African roots of many elements of Argentine culture, including cuisine, music, dance, language, and lineage was historically reinforced through the education system, media, and official public history institutions. This community-led counter archive celebrates the survivance of Afro-Argentine history, present, and future.
Vision and purpose
Founded in 2023, The Afro-Argentine Memory Project (AAMP) is a living counter archive centered around the experiences and narratives of the Afro-Argentine diaspora, Afro-Descendents, and Black people in Argentina.
The Afro-Argentine Memory Project collects photographs, video and sound recordings, official documents, oral histories, social media posts, websites, texts, historic records, art and artifacts, ephemera, letters, scholarship and other published materials to construct a new community-driven archive. The Memory Project documents, presents, and activates Afro-Argentine and Black people in Argentina’s experiences, stories, and productions (cultural, social, political, and creative) for principally the Afro-Argentine diaspora, the Afro-Descendent community, and African diaspora.
The Team
Co-Director Julia Cohen Ribeiro is an Argentine and Brazilian Afro-descendant Jewish Queer independent historian and filmmaker based in Buenos Aires. She is a professor at the University of Buenos Aires.
Co-Director Tatiana Bryant is a memory worker and educator who specializes in Africana Studies and Archives. She is a consultant for art and cultural heritage institutions.
Screenwriter/Producer Jesica Salinas Lamadrid is an Afro-Argentine activist, researcher, cultural organizer and actress. Her work is centered in promoting the culture, history and identity of Black people in Argentina. She is part of “Afroargentinas” (a documentary theatre play) and the art collective Nigromantes. She organizes workshops and talks for museums, cultural centers, educational institutions and conferences.
Oral History Collection
Spanish Translator Destiny Arias is a Barnard student studying History and Human Rights. She is Dominican, born and raised in Miami, and plans to use her background to become a federal court judge and work in the non-profit sector!!
Spanish Translator Manuela Moreyra is a Barnard student studying Political Science and Economics. She is Peruvian, born and raised in Lima, and plans to be a journalist in the future, hopefully an international correspondent.
Portuguese Translator Mila Lin Tabach is a Barnard alum who majored in Computer Science and Film. She was born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil.
Afro-Argentine Memory 