Health and Wellness
11 connections between black and Latino culture – the essence
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From food to bop to music, Black influences – particularly those from West and Central Africa – have shaped many popular Latin traditions. Given that Latin America received 96% of all African slavesour impact is just not surprising.
On the first day of National Latino Heritage Month, which runs from September 15 to October 15, we’re taking a take a look at a few of the ways Black and Latino cultures are connected in Latin America.
01
Mofongo, a Puerto Rican dish, comes from Angola
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02
Mangu, present in the Dominican Republic, is a dish of shredded banana derived from the West African fufu, seen in the photo below on the right
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03
The word (and dance) cha cha cha comes from Angola
Aerial photo from the capital of Angola, Luanda | Getty
04
Dominican Republic merengue music comes from Senegal and Gambia
Gorée in Senegal | Getty
05
Argentine tango has roots in Congo and Angola
Kinshasa, Congo | Getty
06
The ancestors from Angola and Congo were really making waves because they were also the ones who gave birth to the music and dance of samba in Brazil
07
Salsa music and dancing in Cuba emerged from Haitian immigrants and enslaved Africans
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08
Bachata in the Democratic Republic includes African, indigenous and Spanish elements
09
Reggaeton combines Jamaican dancehall, Afro-Panamanian Spanish reggae and African American hip hop
Reggaeton artists Pitbull and Don Omar | Getty
10
Cuban Santeria relies on a West African religion that centers around the Orisha celebrated amongst the Yoruba and Bantu peoples of southern Nigeria, Senegal and the Guinea coast
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11
In the Dominican Republic, some practice a mix of Santeria, Haitian Vodou and Christianity
Gaga’s ceremony in Batey Consuelo, eastern Dominican Republic | Getty