AFRO-AMERICAN CULTURAL AND ARTISTIC ALTERITIES: NICOLÁS GUILLÉN, SOLANO TRINDADE AND NICOMEDES SANTA CRUZ

Abstract

One of the convergence trends among Afrodescendant writings produced in the Americas during the 20th century was the recurrence of orality and identity consciousness as structuring elements of poetic and narrative discourses. Interference of this order makes us think of Latin American writers of African descent such as Nicomedes Santa Cruz, Peruvian, Nicolás Guillén, Cuban, and Solano Trindade, Brazilian. In the work of these authors, the relationship between orality and writing seems to be drawn from similar sources, ranging from the oral tradition of the Amerindian peoples and from the old African cries to the mnemonic resources used by accountants and storytellers and their oral narratives in performance situations, counting with popular sayings, jokes and riddles, as well as with the work of rural and urban singers of Iberian tradition, which can be found in Peru (décimas, yaravíes), Cuba (contrapunteos, guajiras) or in the Northeast of Brazil (cantorias de viola, emboladas). This text is based on a critical reflection that includes studies by Ojeda, Orihuela, Glissant, Retamar, Bernd, Santiago and Zumthor and outlines some questions related to the Afro-American alterities expressed in the artistic discourse of the aforementioned poets.