Notes on the patrimonialization and popularization of Afro-Arican culture in contemporary Chile

Abstract

In the context of the emergence of new configurations of what is understood as “afro” in contemporary Chile, both by the Afro-Arican ethnopolitical mobilization and through the appropriation of African-derived cultural practices, this article explores the politics of culture that unfolds in these phenomena, particularly with regard to cultural policies. First, the main cultural policy initiatives regarding Afro-Arican cultural elements are examined and their scope and limitations regarding the claim to recognition articulated by Afro-Arican organizations are discussed. Secondly, the reconstruction of music and dance of the tumbe or tumba carnaval as part of the Afro-Arican political mobilization is described, as well as the recent spread of this practice on both the local and national levels. Thirdly, the “Festival of Tumbe Carnaval”, an initiative that sought to establish an authorized version of this dance, disputed even by some local organizations, is described and analyzed. Finally, the contrast between the limited recognition of Afro-descendant cultural expressions, on the one hand, and the “nationalization from below” underwent by tumbe, on the other hand, which poses new challenges for cultural policy, is discussed.