AMAZING NEWS FAMILY!!!
Last night we reached over 100,000 people and over 50,000 accounts! This is fantastic!!!
We are power in numbers!
I want to shout out everyone who participated last night during our conversation on Religion.
Some highlights from last night:
“RT @MrBeardRed: @DiosaDominicana un ejemplo es los sacrificios, la música, las ofrendas y sobretodo ser politeistas y no monoteistas #UNLLAMADO”
“RT @VndlizinHaPerlz: @DiosaDominicana The same reason Lousiana bayou African syncretic religions are considered voodoo. Anything African was considered”
“RT @Drea718: @DiosaDominicana @dameluuzz People fear what they don’t know! Lack of education!”
“RT @VndlizinHaPerlz: @DiosaDominicana Hell no. Even Disney movies portray these syncretic religions as evil. It’s starts when we are young, that we are taught.”
“RT @Raul_Ramos: @DiosaDominicana @PalanteLatino @Miss_Rizos @latinorebels #unllamado As a child in Cuba, I was told about “brujeria.” Now I know better.”
“RT @VndlizinHaPerlz: @DiosaDominicana pure white Jesus and his white Madonna are holy. Anything that’s not European is unsatisfactory and will not be accepted.”
“RT @shhushyourlips: @AFROLATINOSTV cause racism & prejudice has been engrained in the dominican psyche. It is a significant part of our history #Unllamado”
Today I am thinking about symbolism, rituals and spiritual practices. The Mayans worshipped the God’s of sun, rain, the creator God, the God of fire and lightning. The Aztecs worshipped Goddesses of fertility and food, motherhood and warriors, life and death. In ancient Egypt, cats were seen as deities and symbols and hieroglyphics passed down ancient text.
During our conversation last night we talked about some of the negative perceptions and stereotypes held in society and displayed in the media about what is perceived to be African-based religion. The word symbolism resonates with me today. In religion, everything symbolizes something. Everything has a meaning whether it is objects, beads, colors, numbers, shapes, weather, figures or day of the week. Symbolism is at the root of all Afrolatino religions being practiced today.
When we investigated Cuba’s Santeria, a religion that arrived with the enslaved Africans we learn that synchronicity plays a huge role in how the religion was preserved and passed down. In the Afrolatinos documentary, we share how this incredibly powerful religion is still popular today. We also cover many other Afro religions being preserved such as Abakua, a male dominated religion.
When Voodoo is mentioned the immediate reaction is one of fear. It is believed to be “dark, evil, witchcraft.” Yet in our studies we learn that it is one of the oldest religions and one that is incredibly sophisticated and scientific. In the Dominican Republic, voodoo heavily influenced la 21 Divisiones.
In Afrolatinos, not only do we share with you the history behind these religions but we also take you deep inside so that you can learn for yourself what these African based religions are really about. We share the symbolism behind sacred rituals that are rooted in faith. We introduce you to belief systems that we look forward to sharing with the world in hopes of breaking the negative stereotypes.
Please join us next Monday, May 13th at 9PM when we talk about Afrolatino Music and Dance. We can’t do this without you, help us spread the word, sign the Afrolatinos petition, and donate to our #UNLLAMADO campaign. Join the movement!
Ache`
The Writer and The Story 