One of the best things about being a teacher is learning... if you're not learning, then honey you're not teaching!
I was preparing for my Spanish 3 class this fall. (My Spanish 3 classes focus on literature, one of the short stories we'll read is "Tiempo muerto" by Avelino Stanley.) When I came across a word "cocolos" that I had heard before, but this time it had a different tone. So, I investigated and here is what I found...
TIMEOUT: (The selection we're reading comes from the book, "Tiempo muerto.")
Winner of the Dominican Republic National Award for the best novel in 1997, this book investigates the development of the sugar cane industry in the Dominican Republic during the early 20th century. The industry relied heavily on immigrant labor from black workers in the nearby British Islands. These workers, whose native language was English, were called "Cocolos" (a derogatory term referring to coconuts) by Dominican natives and suffered brutal discrimination. Stanley weaves a vivid and painful story through multiple narratives about the life of el abuelo (the grandfather), an immigrant worker from Nevis who worked on various sugar plantations in San Pedro de Macoris and La Romana in the Dominican Republic from 1932 to 1972. Stanley's descriptions are deeply touching, as when el abuelo describes a small village as "at most eight to ten small houses of old and tired wood." Recommended as a multicultural work for academic and large public libraries. Ketty Rodriguez, Sch. of Lib. and Information Science, Univ. of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
http://www.amazon.com/Tiempo-muerto-Dead-time-Spanish/dp/9768175087
Avelino Stanley, born in La Romana, Dominican Republic in 1959. He has a BA in Economics, a MA in Linguistics, and a postgraduate degree in History of the Afroiberoamericana. (I'd love to study the History of the Afro-Latinoamericana!) Below is an interview, in which you can learn more about Sr.Stanley's life, his childhood, and his writings.
http://vetasdigital.blogspot.com/2007/01/entrevista-al-escritor-dominicano.html
TIME BACK IN:
"Cocolo" was used to refer to "black English-speaking" Caribbean migrants, usually from the West Indies British colonies, who came to the cities of San Pedro de Macoris, Puerto Plata, and other areas to work on the docks and sugar cane plantations in the Dominican Republic at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries.
In the beginning, I can understand why it would or could be considered "negative". Think about it, there are already people working the docks and plantations... black, indian... people of color. Imagine a group of people, who speak English, who are darker in color, (therefore easier to separate), who have last names like Smith, Jones (because they come from the British colonies), and more importantly they're migrants, therefore they're hungry for jobs, for opportunites, for a better way of life. Sound familiar?
Of course, there may have been animosity between the people... they've come to the DR and take their jobs. We can relate to that feeling, it happened here in the US and is STILL happening. Anyway, through time, fortunately the animosity in the term "cocolo" disappeared.
Now, I feel it's a term to refer to the rich culture, traditions and history of a people who have become an important part of the Dominican Republic history. That being said, I'm sure like with many words that are used to describe a group of people, "cocolo" can be used in a negative way with a nasty tone, just like it can be used in a positive way that expressed the admiration for the great people it represents.
A friend of mine is Puerto Rican and he said "cocolo" is used in PR to refer people who likes Salsa music and is not considered a bad word in PR. It was even used in black poetry of Luis Palés Matos works.
That being said, I'm a "cocola" and I a proud one!
Los Guloyas (refers to the music of the cocolo people): http://youtu.be/uzXdtbvYgJY .
Traditional music and dance: http://youtu.be/zRfuRjoZObw
Cocolo Dancing Drama Tradition http://www.unesco.org/culture/intangible-heritage/14lac_uk.htm
Ciao,
MLMoore
No comments:
Post a Comment