In the 1990s, new organizations emerged that rejected the outdated, narrow-minded view of Africans and their descendants. A new dignified, anti-racist, and inclusive political agenda emerged.
Afro-Uruguayan leader Romero Rodriguez, founder of Mundo AFRO, was instrumental in moving millions of Afro-descendants from a naïve consciousness to a critical and transformative one. In Uruguay’s last presidential elections, this progressive political organization won and is expected to reignite the Black agenda, which the country’s political right had stalled.
AmNews: How did the Mundo Afro organization come into being?
Romero Rodriguez: Mundo Afro arose at the end of the last century in the context of the struggle against the military dictatorship in Uruguay. Many neighborhoods where Black people lived were destroyed during that time, and several families were sent to a concentration camp on the grounds of the former Martin Reina factory. It was there that we began to organize. The first struggle was clearly against the dictatorship, but we also began to understand how racism was linked to that repressive process. We discovered that more than 1,600 people, mostly Black (90%), had been expelled from their neighborhoods.
After that experience, the mainstream clubs –– which at that time were quite conservative –– encouraged me to create a movement to fight against the dictatorship and racism, and to give visibility to Uruguayan Afro-descendants. That was how Mundo Afro magazine was born, which brought together a diversity of opinions, and with it, we began a struggle against racism and racial discrimination, and for social transformation.
Over time, we expanded our analysis of structural and systemic racism. In 1988, we defined our programmatic bases during a congress that brought together some 600 people. We identified three major areas of action: The fight against racism locally, in municipalities and intendancies, especially in Montevideo.
Our action had and has a profoundly anti-imperialist profile, and the main focus has always been social transformation through awareness of systemic racism.
Can you briefly summarize the impact of the Durban conference?
The preparation for the World Conference Against Racism in Durban was a real achievement. In Chile, we managed to organize the Conference of the Americas, which brought together Black and Indigenous organizations and regional governments to build a common platform. It was an immense logistical effort, led by Luisa Casalet, who was in charge of mobilizing more than 600 people from Uruguay, Argentina, and other countries for the trip to South Africa.
In Durban, our greatest pride was that 75% of the Afro-descendant platform that was presented had been designed in Latin America. Also, the term Afro-descendant was born, which is now widely used, although its origin was a curious coincidence derived from the multiple denominations that each country provided.
Undoubtedly, Durban marked a before and after in the visibility of the racial issue at the global level and strengthened the importance of our struggles.
What can Afro Uruguayans expect from the Frente Amplio center-left coalition?
As Afro-descendants, we expect transformative public policies that include justice, recognition, and reparations. This last point is fundamental: 500 years of slavery and exclusion cannot be ignored.
In addition, we need a critical approach in areas such as education, foreign relations, and cooperation with Africa. Uruguay must strengthen its ties with the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa, not only through trade but also by recognizing our cultural and religious roots.I hope that with the coming to power of the Frente Amplio, we can begin to work together to resume and guarantee the advances of public policies for Afro-Uruguayans. Frente Amplio will begin to work on a government plan that guarantees that the government policies include all sectors, especially the most neglected. It is past time for the government to give more color and diversity to its programs.