Nana Dijo: Irresolute Radiography of Black Consciousness

This documentary made by the musicians Bocafloja and Cambiowashere considers race relations and the acceptance of the African diaspora within contemporary Latin American and Hispanic American cultures. Nana Dijo presents interviews conducted in Argentina, Honduras, Mexico, Uruguay, and the U.S. with people who claim African heritage. Many of the subjects either reject or deflect the notion of being black because of a single ancestor with African roots—one woman evasively refers to a “dark” grandmother but will not self-identify as having a connection to the African diaspora. Many bitterly recall racist remarks or treatment that was aimed at them or their loved ones, with one man angrily relating a childhood incident when his family was denied service in a Las Vegas ice cream parlor. The wider view presented in Nana Dijo is the not-so-subtle attempt to eradicate a sense of blackness from the Latino culture, which stems from the Spanish colonial era. It is a fascinating subject, and the black-and-white cinematography here reinforces the monochromatic view of racial identity, but the filmmakers curiously fail to identify people onscreen, which makes it hard to weigh the degrees of difference experienced by residents of the five countries in the spotlight. Regardless, this is a bold and often disturbing view of race in today's Latino world. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)