The Forgotten Lives of Afro-Argentinians

When you think of the lives and cultures of blacks in the African diaspora, you may not think of Argentina. However, Argentina does have black history and like other parts of Latin America, their history has been neglected and whitewashed for centuries until recent years. The first group of Afro-Argentinians arrived in the Rio de la Plata in 1588. A majority of blacks in Argentina came from Cape Verde, Angola, and Congo. Afro-Argentinian slaves worked in agriculture. livestock, and domestic work. Although some slaves sold handicrafts, their profits went to their masters.

By 1778, there was a bigger African population in areas where agricultural production was the highest. By the time the 19th century happened, there was a gradual decline in the Afro-Argentinian population. One reason for this decline is the country’s war for independence from Spain. During this war, many Afro-Argentinian men lost their lives in this battle. Afro-Argentinian men were purposely placed in the most hazardous situations during the war to be used as shields and this erased a lot of this population from the country. Black soldiers who fought in this war were promised freedom in exchange for their service but freedom rarely occurred.

Another sinister reason for the decline of the Afro-Argentinian population was widespread European immigration. The 1853 Argentine…