Tiznando el país, a corporation devoted to selling the popularity of Black communities in Puerto Rico, has introduced a brand new collaboration with the College of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras (UPR-RP), and the Puerto Rico Museum Alliance (Alianza de Museos de Puerto Rico/AMPR). These teams will work collectively on the challenge “Tiznando el país: Visualities and Representations,” which encompasses a web site, publications, a stay digital platform, and a sequence of tv applications that may increase the visibility of Puerto Rico’s Afrodescendants.
Throughout an in-person/digital press convention at UPR’s Botanical Backyard, Olga Chapman-Rivera, creator of the group’s digital branding, spoke about how Tiznando el país –– which interprets as “Turning the nation Black” –– shaped as a collective in 2023. She described the philosophy behind it –– tiznando –– as an lively verb, a strong motion. “It’s a method to give colour to the nation, to present colour additionally to the galleries and museum areas that traditionally have lacked the presence of creative items by Black and Afrodescendant folks in an affirmative approach,” Chapman-Rivera stated.
The initiative helps the promotion of Afro Puerto Rican artists via its web site, exhibitions, performances, scholastic sources, and initiatives just like the Afrofuturist-oriented tv sequence “GRIOT 2124,” directed by videographer Welmo E. Romero Joseph. This seven-episode sequence paperwork the works of greater than 150 artists and goals to focus on how recognizing the contributions of Puerto Rico’s Black artists may also help tackle the nation’s inside racial points. Marianne Ramírez-Aponte, AMPR president and co-director of Tiznando el país, introduced that the group has already had discussions with two tv channels which have expressed curiosity in broadcasting this system.
UPR historian Dr. María Elba Torres-Muñoz, the opposite co-director of Tiznando el país, stated her curiosity in seeing how Puerto Rico and the Caribbean view their position in selling anti-racism grew by leaps and bounds as soon as the United Nations declared 2011 the Worldwide 12 months for Folks of African Descent. Her proposal for the “Afrolatinos” exhibition, wanting on the historical past of Afro Puerto Rican and Afro Caribbean artwork, was accepted on the Museo de Arte de Caguas and proven in 2012.
“We didn’t have a centavo for this exhibition, however we did have the goodwill of the Museo de Arte de Caguas and its group, who permitted our proposal, and we referred to as out to artists via our social networks,” Ramírez Aponte stated. “We have been so daring and daring that we advised all of the artists who needed to submit from world wide that they might submit.” That influential present stays important at the moment.
Tiznando el país desires to make that form of a mark. The collective is seeking to work collaboratively with museums, community-based organizations, artists, and faculties in Puerto Rico and all through the Puerto Rican diaspora. Its members need to create extra initiatives that showcase Afro Puerto Rican visible artists and assist within the struggle towards racial discrimination, Ramírez Aponte added.
To be taught extra about Tiznando el país, go to tiznandoelpais.org
