3416  Bruno's two cents

Date: Fri, 13 May 2005 05:49:03 +0000
From: Sergio Vandekier <sergiovandekier990@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Bruno's two cents

Dear Bruno I will have to disagree with your historical views.

Point #1: Slaves in Argentina - The first Argentinean "Reglamento" some
sort of first constitution declared in 1813 that any person born in
Argentinean territory was a free person from then on.
This meant that the children of slaves were free persons. It also forbade
slave trade, buying or selling slaves.

The final constitution of 1853 made the necessary monetary appropriations so
that the state could buy the freedom of the few slaves that existed then.

Tango in its embrionary state appeared in 1880, this is 30 years after the
last slave was freed.

Point #2: Blacks did not create tango. It is true that most of the ballroom
dances appeared due to an interaction between African and European
influences. (except the Viennese waltz, the Polka and the mazurka).

The roots of tango are Milonga, Habanera and candombe.

Candombe was danced by blacks, it is said that white boys, and compadritos
would go to the outskirts of the city to dance and have fun. They would see
blacks dancing thier candombes . They laughed at them, imitated them for
fun. They described that blacks moved as if a mouse had been put under their
shirt.
It was from this imitation, mixed with elements from habanera and milonga
that the tango was born.

My two cents.

Date: Fri, 13 May 2005 07:06:34 -0600
From: Bruno <romerob@TELUSPLANET.NET>
Subject: Re: Bruno's two cents

Hi, Sergio:

>This meant that the children of slaves were free persons. It also forbade

slave trade, buying or selling slaves.

The final constitution of 1853 made the necessary monetary appropriations so
that the state could buy the freedom of the few slaves that existed then.<

My 2 cents:
What actually happened was very distant from what was written into law
specially, after the defeat of General Rosas in the battle of Caseros and
his exile to England. The new governor general Urquiza had a different view
of about blacks in Argentina. One of the first things he did was to sell
blacks in condition to serve the military to Brasil despite explicit law(s)
prohibiting slavery.

The history of afro-argentines has other examples as reminder that the law
was not carved in stone.

Bruno