Attitudes towards Afro-Venezuelans in lyrics of gaita zuliana: 1965–1985

ABSTRACT

As with most Latin American nations, Venezuela has traditionally embraced the exceptionalist myth that it is a racial democracy. That does not mean racism is absent in that country. A combination of paternalist attitudes and pernicious stereotypes towards Afro-Venezuelans permeates throughout pop culture products. This article explores the attitudes towards AfroVenezuelans in gaita zuliana, a popular music genre in Zulia state. To do so, I rely on analysis of lyrics of some popular gaita songs, composed during the golden age of gaita, 1965–1985. I conclude that, although gaita zuliana draws upon many tropes from the history of racism, it nevertheless has potential for activism in favor of liberation from racial oppression.

KEYWORDS:

• Gaita zuliana
• race
• racism
• Afro-Venezuelans

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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

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Notes on contributors

Gabriel Andrade

Gabriel Andrade is an Assistant Professor at Ajman University, United Arab Emirates. He previously taught in the Cayman Islands, Aruba, the Marshall Islands, and Venezuela.