Revealing the African Presence: Albrecht Durer

"As far as representations of slaves are concerned, ancient historians have isolated factors such as smallness of stature, shortness of hair, and posture of the body that they claim denoted slaves in representations from ancient Greece, but it is not possible to do this in Renaissance Europe. Occasionally, the depressed or despairing expression of the African indicates that the person depicted was probably a slave. This is the case with the portrait in silverpoint by Albrecht Durer of a young black African woman called Katharina..., whom Durer encountered in Antwerp in the house of one of his patrons, the Portuguese factor Joao Brandao.

http://www.sexualfables.com/Africans-in-European-Painting.php

Described by Durer in his diary as Brandao's Mohrin, or Moor, she was very probably his slave rather than simply his servant, although as we shall see, slavery was not legal in the Low Countries, and the word does not convey any legal meaning. Katharina was black, as is shown by Durer's drawing, but his diary entry does not make this clear. Durer himself inscribed the year, her name, and her age -- twenty years old -- on the drawing, so these are not in doubt. Katharina's infinitely faraway expression, her downcast eyes, and her hair covering are movingly captured by Durer. The artist also drew a second black African, a man, at around the same date.... Although the date "1508" appears on the drawing, alongside Durer's monogram, the date is not considered secure. Nothing is known of this man, and it could be that he is the Diener or servant of the same Joao Brandao whom Durer writes he drew after 14 December 1520. With a moustache and beard in addition to close, curly hair, this African is less likely to have been a slave than Katherina, as beards were usually forbidden to slaves, and his expression is less obviously despairing."

Revealing the African Presence in Renaissance Europe, pgs. 16-17.

The African Presence in Mexico: The Legal Status of Afro-Mexicans

"In Mexico, the black population does not currently have a recognized separate legal and judicial status. There is no official document that allows for a different racial category for black individuals. The census solely distinguishes between the indigenous peoples and the national or mestizo population. Classification as "indigenous" is based solely on one's ability to speak a vernacular language and not on racial traits. Article four of the constitution states that every Mexican is equal under the law. However, daily practice tells a different story."

The African Presence in Mexico, pg. 32 & 34.

The African Presence in Mexico: Carnival in Yanga

"During the colonial period, the Spanish and indigenous populations coexisted uneasily with the black Africans of San Lorenzo. There were reports that the Spanish invaded lands and burned sugar mills and the blacks' liquor production installations because they were market competitors for colonial Spanish society. Gradually, mestizaje [racial mixing] occurred in spite of ordinances that solely allowed black Africans to settle in the town. During the 18th and 19th Centuries, the population of San Lorenzo was mostly brown and it had many indigenous and Spanish residents. In 1930, San Lorenzo changed its name to Yanga, Veracruz. Its black population has blended but it is not difficult to see African characteristics in the population's phenotype.

"Carnival is one of the most important events in the city of Yanga. It is the celebration of the victory of the cimarrones over the Spanish and the celebration of the founding of "the first free African town in America." The carnival attracts visitors from other communities and many migrants take advantage of this time to return home from the United States. During the carnival, the peace of this little city is suddenly shattered. Townspeople recall the events of the past, almost four centuries ago, and the reenact the scenes in a carnival celebrated on the 10th of August, Feast of Saint Lorenzo. This celebration is different from carnestolendas or Mardi Gras. The carnival festivities include: open-air dances, horse races, cockfights, bullfights, dance and crowning of the Reina y Rey Feo [King and Queen of Fools], fireworks, a costume parade, and cacophonous music. The festival closes with a mass and procession in honor of San Lorenzo, martyr and saint and, on this day, no other "pagan" activity takes place. Between the sacred and the profane, the carnival is a moment of chaos before returning to the normal order of everyday life.

"Today, carnival has taken on a new meaning: it is a celebration dedicated to black African culture. The setting in which Yanga supposedly lived together with the cimarrones who founded San Lorenzo de los Negros is recreated. During the carnival, a spirit of negritud [blackness] emerges. Yanga, the black African slave, the man who led the first anti-colonial rebellion in America, and founder of the city, appears as the main character. Knowledge of Yanga as a symbol and as a black hero is somewhat vague and confused among the people, but that is certainly not the case with regard to his importance as a symbol. Yanga is the black leader, the catalyst of freedom in the Americas."

The African Presence in Mexico, pg. 30.

Revealing the African Presence: Vittore Carpaccio

"The practice in Renaissance Europe of manumitting slaves during their lifetimes had important consequences for the representation of Africans in whatever media in the Renaissance. Although African -- especially black African -- attendants and bystanders in European depictions (except in some parts of Northern Europe) are usually assumed to be slaves, in most cases legal status is not apparent and cannot be discerned from an image. In Venice, a niche occupation for freed black Africans existed, linked to their prior skills as slaves, and possibly also to their prior lives in West Africa: that of gondolier. Two iconic Venetian Renaissance paintings, Vittore Carpaccio's Miracle of the True Cross at the Rialto Bridge, also known as The Healing of the Possessed Man, of 1494, which includes two black gondoliers, and his Hunting on the Lagoon of ca. 1490-1495, which includes a couple of black boatmen, show black Africans at work in water activities, but there is no way of telling whether they are enslaved or free."

Revealing the African Presence in Renaissance Europe, pg. 14.

*****

See Carpaccio's Miracle of the True Cross at the Rialto Bridge, also known as The Healing of the Possessed Man, of 1494 at

http://pictify.com/374980/vittore-carpaccio-the-miracle-of-the-relic-of-the-true-cross-on-the-rialto-bridge

and see Carpaccio's Hunting on the Lagoon at

http://www.getty.edu/museum/research/provenance/provResearch?handle=plid&id=801

Revealing the African Presence: Jan Mostaert

"Slavery in fifteenth and sixteenth-century Europe was usually not for life; instead, on the death of a master or mistress, either a slave was freed or a set period of further enslavement was fixed. In Europe, a future freed life for slaves was envisaged, and consequently slaves always lived in hope that they would be freed from bondage. Manumission, or the freeing of slaves, was a distinct probability. The mechanism for this was normally contained in a will, where futures for slaves were mapped out, and where money was bequeathed for marriage, for setting up house, or for enabling a former slave to make a living. Clothes and possessions were also bequeathed. At its simplest and smoothest, therefore, slavery in Europe during the Renaissance can be seen as just a stage in a life and not a life sentence. As a result of this process of being freed within a generation, and of having the possibility of integration, freed and free Africans were socially mobile and very quickly appeared in professional and creative positions in Europe. The late fifteenth and sixteenth centuries saw the first black lawyers, the first black churchmen, the first black schoolteachers, the first black authors, and the first black artists. Superficially at least, the black African depicted in European dress by Jan Mostaert ... had been "Europeanized" through his acquisition of European accessories such as a sword and the hat badge from a Christian shrine, and he may have been an ambassador or held a position at a European court."

Revealing the African Presence in Renaissance Europe, pgs. 13-14.

*****

See Mostaert's Portrait of a Black Man (Portrait of an African Man) in the following wikipedia article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Mostaert

Saving Lives, One Life at a Time

IN RECOGNITION OF ERIC WELCH
EXTENSION OF REMARKS BY
HON. GEORGE MILLER
OF CALIFORNIA IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MAY 22, 2013

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend my colleagues to read the following article, titled "East Bay Profile: Veteran of Richmond's neighborhood wars changes life," posted in the West County Times on May 21, 2013.


I’ve had the opportunity to meet this extraordinary young man, Eric Welch, a number of times, both here in Washington and in my district in Richmond, California, during visits with the City of Richmond’s Office of Neighborhood Safety’s Peacekeeper Fellowship program, of which Eric is a member.


Eric’s only 24 years old but has had a long history of involvement with gun violence. At 14, he was almost killed in a shooting, and by the time he was 22 he had already been shot on four separate occasions. But now, he is on new path in life now, and that is very encouraging.


I was so proud to read that this fall Eric will start classes at Talahassee Community College in Florida, and that he hopes to later transfer to Florida A&M University. And just as exciting, Eric has been selected as a Summer Policy Fellow for the Campaign for Youth Justice in Washington, D.C. this summer where he will write for the group's blog, brief congressional committees on his experience, and work with grass-roots groups to reduce youth crime.


The Richmond ONS Peacemaker Fellowship exists to save lives- Eric is a living testament to that. It is designed to create a viable space for at-risk individuals ages 16-25 to contribute in a real way to building and sustaining community peace, health and well-being— with the express purpose of eliminating gun violence in Richmond. Time and again I’m blown away by the work these young men do to develop a positive life path forward and mentor other young men in similar situations.


I wish Eric all the best, both in Washington this summer and at school this fall. I hope his successes will serve as inspiration for many more to follow in his steps.


East Bay Profile: Veteran of Richmond's neighborhood wars changes life


By Robert Rogers Contra Costa Times May 21, 2013




RICHMOND -- Eric Welch's mind and heart are on a higher plane, but the street reflexes remain. He'll be in Washington, D.C., this summer, wearing tailored suits and briefing Congress. But for now, Welch still tenses when certain cars round the block. He has good reason. He was shot four times before his 22nd birthday. "At first, getting shot was a source of anger," Welch said. "Now I look back at it differently. I wonder why I got so lucky in a place where people like me get killed all the time."


Welch, now 24 but with the weary face and measured speech of an older man, has gone from self-described "goon" and survivor of multiple episodes of gun violence to celebrated member of the Office of Neighborhood Safety's fellowship program. The program appeals to about 50 violent residents with incentives, including small cash stipends, if they give up gunplay and pick up education and job training.


The program is unique in the region, a city-sponsored department that stems violence through intervention in the lives of violent offenders. For his efforts, Welch earned an internship with the Campaign for Youth Justice, a Washington,


　


D.C.-based nonprofit focused on juvenile justice. Welch will serve as a "policy fellow" from June 10 to Aug. 9, writing for the group's blog, briefing congressional committees on his experience and working with grass-roots groups to reduce youth crime. It's a far cry from Welch's teen and early adult years, a haze of neighborhood beefs and sporadic gunfire, interrupted by hospital and jail stints. He bounced between a dozen schools, toting guns when most kids still were watching Saturday morning cartoons.


Guns and violence permeated his rugged south Richmond neighborhood. It was only when he enrolled in the Office of Neighborhood Safety program after a 2010 jail stint that he turned away from crime. "Eric is a shining example to other young people in Richmond and beyond that people can change, and in the virtue of hard work," said program director DeVone Boggan.


Cheating death



Welch leans on a black gate in front of a California bungalow home at 26th Street and Virginia Avenue.

"This is the spot where I got shot that first time, almost died, man," Welch says, looking down the street. "I was 14." Welch re-enacts the scene from a decade ago. He was "hanging" with another teen a few blocks from the apartment where he grew up with his mother and sister. One block west, a car glided around the corner. Rifles poked through the windows and spit flames from the barrels, a nanosecond before the crackle of gunfire. "I don't remember the car, just the flame spit out in the night; it was AK-47s," Welch said. Welch and his friend dove to the sidewalk and crawled for cover. "The bullets was whistling by, and ricocheting all over the concrete, too," Welch said.


The pain was an intense heat, Welch remembered. A large-caliber slug struck Welch underneath his left arm, collapsing his lung and breaking his clavicle. Welch's friend was hit in the hip. The car screeched away.

"Lot of blood, out my mouth, out my chest. I thought I was going to die," Welch said. "I couldn't breathe."

Three scars mark his upper torso. One is the entry point near his armpit. One is the spot in his side where doctors plunged a tube to help him breathe. The exit wound is on his back, knotted into a mound of dark scar tissue the size of a golf ball.


Low points



Welch survived, but his innocence didn't. "After that, I was bouncing around schools, just living the neighborhood life," Welch said. "I was angry. I was vengeful." His drive for vengeance intensified after the 2006 killing of Sean

"Shawny Bo" Melson, a pint-size 15-year-old police say was a charismatic, up-and-coming neighborhood leader. To

this day, odes to "Shawny Bo" and old photos are posted on social networking sites. Welch and other friends vowed to

"keep it lit" for Melson, meaning to exact retribution on rival neighborhoods they blamed for his death. Welch was shot three more times, in both ankles, the buttocks and the hip. He declines to get into specifics but admits he has been involved in "shootouts."


"I have a chance at a peaceful life; I just don't want to die or go to jail when I am so close." Welch said that in Richmond's toughest neighborhoods, violent deaths of relatives and friends, shootouts and close calls "hang over everything."


The future



The mere notion of a future is a far cry from where Welch has been. "Eric was on his way to prison or death, for sure," said Sam Vaughn, an Office of Neighborhood Safety neighborhood change agent who has worked closely with Welch. "Where he is now, about to go to college, is a miracle given what he's been through." Welch spends little time in the

old neighborhood, knowing he could lose it all in an instant.


He plans to attend Tallahassee Community College in Florida in the fall, and he hopes to transfer to Florida A&M University. But first, he's on his way to the Capitol. "I am really looking forward to a new start, a place where I can be by myself and focus and not worry about my past catching up with me," Welch said. "I feel alone here, in my neighborhood. My friends are mostly dead or incarcerated".

The African Presence in Mexico: Yanga

"From the early colonial days significant numbers of indigenous workers and African slaves were assigned to work in the first haciendas [plantations] and sugar mills located in today's state of Morelos. Also, during the 16th Century, the first sugar haciendas were established in the Orizabab region in the state of Veracruz in the central area along the Gulf of Mexico. Due to the devastation of the indigenous population from wars and disease, by law, only African slave labor was allowed to work on sugar haciendas. Gradually, the Spanish demanded more slaves so the Spanish Crown authorized slave companies to increase their imports. The slaves were sent to tropical areas, where death tolls were greater among the indigenous populations, because it was believed that blacks had a special "natural" capacity for adaptation to the insalubrious tropical climate. As the needs of the haciendas grew, so did the number of slaves working on them.

"Fugitive slaves were called "cimarrones" [runaways]. By law they were accused of stealing the slaveholders' property. Very severe punishments were allowed but were of little effect in preventing ongoing escapes". Mythic images of savagery grew up around the cimarrones. Runaway slaves lived in fortified settlements called palenques, mocambos, or quilombos. These were used as bases for defense, living quarters, meeting places, and centers to attract other cimarrones. A palenque's location had to be strategic in order to surprise, attack, and rob the Spanish using guerrilla tactics, camouflage, and the ability to disappear quickly to prevent counterattack and pursuit.

"From the 16th Century onwards, the mountains of Orizaba, located in the central part of the state of Veracruz, were the perfect hideaway for cimarrones. In 1609, the Spanish Crown sent a special army of Spaniards and indigenous archers from the west of Mexico to "pacify" the area and to crush the actions of fugitive slaves. The cimarrones of the mountains of Orizaba were led by Yanga, an old runaway slave who had lived in the mountains for more than 30 years, and who claimed that, had he not been enslaved, he would have been a king in Africa. Yanga relied upon his commander, Francisco de la Matosa, who was in charge of military affairs. The group of cimarrones survived by holding up the Spanish carriages that traveled on the road from Veracruz to Mexico City and by attacking neighboring haciendas. To supplement the thefts, they farmed subsistence crops and raised farmyard poultry and livestock. When one of Yanga's palenques was destroyed, textile looms and a Catholic chapel were found which demonstrates the assimilation by African blacks of indigenous and Spanish cultures.

"The military campaign against Yanga was difficult for the Spanish. After several cimarrone victories, the victors demanded from the Spanish Crown the establishment of a free town inhabited exclusively by black runaway slaves who had escaped prior to 1608. The Crown finally acquiesced to the cimarrones' conditions so they settled in a temporary camp on a hillside called Palmillas. Years later, they requested a better place in the surrounding area and, in 1630, the African blacks officially established the free town of San Lorenzo de los Negros, located close to Cordoba, Veracruz."

The African Presence in Mexico, pgs. 26 & 28.

http://www.blackpast.org/?q=gah/yanga-gaspar-c-1545