This is my professional website to share my work projects.  Feel free to browse the links and drop me a line.  It shows my particular way of blending African Diaspora Studies–especially a focus on Afro-Latin America.  Also of interest is the intersecting of South-South relations between Africa and the whole of Latin America.  For shorter blog entries like my take on 21st-century blackface, go here: https://ycaptain.wordpress.com/

Book on African Names

The manuscript on African names is near completion, and it is a good time to share some of my research. The documentation is in the book itself.

Entry #1 The Mandingos

The first glimpse of the research is a look at the Mandingo families of Puerto Rico. Mention of this surname produces snickers from my students. The wink-wink 😉 attitude of the students is evident in the difficulty of accessing the word Mandingo on the internet. The assumption of web monitors is that the word is subject to pornography. Long before these students were born, a salacious novel and film regarding enslavement came on the scene. Both text and reel left no room for ambiguity. The students probably did not read the novel, and it is a good bet that they never saw the movie. Nevertheless, they do know this version of Mandingo. Yet, the full story of this family name is far more complex.

While most formerly enslaved on the island adopted the name of their enslaver, the Mandingos stood out for their choice after slavery was abolished there in 1873.  In this book on the United States and its “African” surnames, “Mandingo” stands out because it is possible to glean an early sixteenth-century presence and various references to Mandingos throughout the history of the island of Puerto Rico. Present-day Mandingos emanating from that region of the United States dwell in many places throughout this country as well as abroad. 

The book does not shy away from the negative connotations of the association of Mandingo with the salacious. On the contrary, an entire chapter analyzes the negative stereotypes of a number of names and places. For example, not only were the enslaved treated as beasts but certain men among them were also forced to mate in the same manner as stud horses so that the owner could ensure a better future stock. Add to this the real-life practices among enslavers, but also the Mandingo legacy that carries through the present day. Most members of society find this abhorrent. However, in interviews with several Black men about their choice of Mandingo as a nickname, it was clear that they wanted to associate that physical prowess that harks back to enslavement. Of some surprise was the fact that Black women, mainly working in the sex industry, sometimes refer to themselves as Mandinga! The “a” at the end of the word connotes female from the Spanish language, which continues to adhere somewhat to the feminine form “a” as a designation and “o” as a designation for males. Other associations of this ilk abound with the Mandingo name, and this becomes evident in the book.

The Mandingo surname in itself is not about the prowess of Black men—or women. It refers to the first generations of Africans brought to the Caribbean from various nations in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In this book on the United States and its “African” surnames, “Mandingo” stands out because it is possible to glean an early sixteenth-century presence and various references to Mandingos throughout the history of the island. Present-day Mandingos emanating from Puerto Rico dwell in many places throughout this country as well as abroad. While most formerly enslaved on the island adopted the name of their enslaver, the Mandingos stood out for their choice after slavery was abolished there in 1873.

As South America and North America became colonized by Europeans, one finds the name in registries of the enslaved. One Mandingo did not necessarily know or belong to the same family as another Mandingo, even if they had the same enslaver. Instead, Mandingo was an exonym imposed on the enslaved with the assumption that they were from the Mandingo nation. The use of the word Mandingo was a reference to a vast swath of Western Africa at the time. Therefore, the assumed ethnic identity was solidified as “Juan of the Mandingo nation,” for example. However, as Gwendolyn Midlo Hall convinced researchers, such a tag may not connote the place of origin but speaks to the place of departure from the continent. Hence, there are quotation marks to refer to all of the current families whose last names suggest an ethnic group.

Entry #2. The Cuffe Family. Are you aware that Paul Cuffe (1759-1817) is probably the first Black millionaire in the United States? What is so admirable about his wealth, albeit short-lived, is that he came about it the right way. Abhorring slavery, he worked to use his ships to “return” African Americans to Sierra Leone, along with the non-human cargo that he transferred back and forth across the Atlantic. With the help of others, this self-educated man constructed the first school for uneducated students of all backgrounds. As you can imagine, he enters my research because His surname tells the reader a lot, as it definitively places his family roots within present-day Ghana. He was the first generation of his family to be born in the United States. Further analysis in my book details how this family of African descent is interwined with the Indigenous populations—even to this day. There is also evidence that his collateral lines comingle with indentured servitude. What is more, his descendants so willingly provide details on the family. Talk about a lot of rich material to work with!

Which family will be next in this submission? 

“Mademoiselle Senegal, Meet Mr. Congo: ‘African Surnamed’ families in the Americas from Slavery to the 21st Century.” One of the most exciting projects I have ever researched is the uncovering of entire families with “African surnames”. “African surnames” is in quotation marks because most of these names were not African family names before the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Instead, individuals often had the names thrust upon them as they disembarked from the slave ship. For commercial purposes, the sellers had to identify them one way or another. One “branding” that was typical was to baptize the newly enslaved on the spot and give them a Christian first name, using the last point of departure as the surname. Hence, in 17th century Louisiana, one finds Marie Senegal as one who came from the region of Senegal. At the very least, one finds in the 19th century, Stepney [sic] Congo whose descendants are still in the Delaware-Maryland area. This family can trace its roots back even further. These are amazing factoids in themselves. However, what excites me as a researcher is the continued existence of families with these last names today. Other “African surnames” exist here in the United States, and in the coming months I will write about them. In addition, I am fortunate to have two colleagues—Professor Dr. Julio Cesar de Tavares at the Universidade Federal Fluminense in Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil and Dean Darío Henao Restrepo at the Universidad del Valle in Colombia—to research and share their findings within their respective countries. I am grateful to George Washington University for supporting my research for this important project. Of great importance is the establishment of a database that allows us to track and analyze the particularities of the various families throughout the centuries and to make some modest associations across regions. This I owe to GW graduate student Thomas Elms and his instructor Richard Hinton.  Thanks also to Mrs. Carliss Parker-Smith, Departmental Administrator for RGSLL who takes time from her very busy schedule to help with the challenges I face as a non-tech, non-artistic person!  My research assistant Christiana Pittman goes beyond her job description, delving into the intricacies of the project.  Her analytical talents will take her far. I reserve my deepest gratitude for the gracious families themselves whose forthrightness helps to bring the histories alive and keep them current.

In 2021, I was fortunate enough to participate in a year-long faculty seminar at Howard University that was spearheaded by Dr. Ana Araujo:  “Slavery, Memory, and African Diasporas”.  The critique I received of my article related to the project was of great value and guided me toward what I needed for the book-length manuscript. My year-long visiting researchship in the Department of African American Studies at Georgetown University (https://africanamericanstudies.georgetown.edu/people/) helped to solidify some of the remaining points of my book that will soon go out for review. I am so grateful to both Georgetown’s AFAM and Howard’s faculty seminar for making the writing process such a joy. 

Do you have some names and information to contribute? Do you want to learn more? Here is where I am updating what you give me: https://ycaptain.wordpress.com/2023/02/02/african-name-project/ 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Other Research Interests:

Manuel Zapata Olivella.
Are you aware that Dr. Manuel Zapata Olivella (1920-2004), a great Afro-Colombia writer, thinker, and activist, was born more than 100 years ago?  His works continue to resonate strongly.  There were a number of tributes to him during his centenary.  Here are two of them:  the Journal Palara dedicated one of its issues to Zapata’s works.  Of great interest to all “Zapatistas” will be the fabulous homage that the Universidad del Valle in Cali, Colombia, conducted under the leadership of Dean Darío Henao Restrepo:  http://zapataolivella.univalle.edu.co/ So far, they have made available free to the public thirteen of his works, and they will continue until all of his writings are accessible to the public.  This includes a reissue of Zapata’s greatest work, Changó, el Gran Putas (Chango, the Biggest Badass, tr Dr. Jonathan Tittler).  The ambitious project also includes upcoming translations of those works that remain without English availability, as well as some of the cultural criticism about him. 

As you see from the website, the documentary detailing Zapata’s life debuted in December, 2020.  Its title is, “Zapata Olivella, el Gran Putas”.  What else could it be? !!!  In addition, there is a dialogue between Dean Henao and me regarding my mentoring and later friendship with Zapata.  If you play around long enough with the closed captions, you can get English and other subtitles of the hour-long discussion.   

As you peruse the website, I hope you enjoy the celebration of the year of Manuel Zapata Olivella! After you do enjoy the website, join me as a Zapatista in my blog area.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Afro-Latin America and the Development of a Black Consciousness.  This long-term study poses the question of how Afro-Latins—both as individuals and as unified groups—came to believe in the concept of the African Diaspora.  Individuals throughout the history of people of African descent in the Americas voiced interest in and acted upon a belief of their ties to Africa and other groups of African-descended people.  What the late twentieth century witnessed is the phenomenon of groups, not just individuals, who embrace the idea of an African Diaspora.  It happens to the degree that one might term this a movement.  Stay tuned.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

21st Century African Migration

A joint project that I am excited about is the collection of essays titled “African Migrations: Challenges and Coping Strategies”.  My co-editors and I–Dr. Papa Sow and Dr. Elina Marmer–whittled down a number of exciting papers to just a few that we are publishing in this book-length study.  A diversity of regional and topical chapters contribute new dimensions to the dialogue on African migration and to the continually developing field of African Diaspora Studies.  It is a joy–kind of–to experience the multiple stages of the publishing process  Before you can see the book in print, we are adding a couple of chapters that round out the study that help to tie the book together as a coherent whole. Keep checking back!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“Side Gigs of the Literati…”

The Dominican Republic and Haiti share the Island of Hispaniola and, at times share common goals.  However, too often the relationship between the two nations is fraught with tensions.  “Side Gigs of the Literati:  Humanitarianism at its Best” zeroes in on one of those tensions, seeing some hope for future cooperation among the two nations.  Revista Internacional de Cooperación y Desarrollo. No. 7.1. enero-junio 2020: 62-81

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“International Organizational Theory and Afro-Latin America”

Another research project that you might find useful has to do with international organization (IO) theory and the African Diaspora. In the last couple of decades, ties among Afro-Latin American communities and other regions of the Diaspora grew in exponential proportions. How does this manifest itself in organizations with a focus on Afro-Latins? Can small organizations—like the majority of the ones I study—manifest properties inherent in international organization (IO) theory? These are some of the questions I tackle in “International Organization (IO) Theory and Online Afro-Latin America,” my chapter in the University of Florida Press book Afro-Digital Connections: Afro-Latino and Afro-Descendant Cultural Production in the Digital Age, edited by Drs. Eduard Arriaga and Andrés Villar.  My chapter looks closely at AfroAmérica XXI in Colombia, Afroféminas in Spain, Educafro in Brazil, and Mundo Afro in Uruguay.  As a sneak-preview, there are some elements in common that the four entities I focused on, as well as many other that did not “make the final cut” of my chapter.  Under the umbrella of a quest for visibility one finds:  1) a need to have their respective governments recognize their very existence as Afro-Latins, and this includes a push for a category in the national census that allows citizens to voluntarily declare themselves as Afro-Latin; 2) the recovery from oblivion of historical figures who continue to have deep influence on the lives of today’s Afro-Latins.  This second factor helps to educate their fellow Afro-Latins as well as the broader, global public, including their own governments.  In this latter effort, I give a shout out to Elvia Duque, whose groundbreaking book Aportes del pueblo afrodescendiente was a revelation to this scholar who considers herself knowledgeable of Afro-Latin America.

Yvonne Captain