[EddyT644]

Originally Posted by Mr. Lu

I would agree that in the physical sense not all Dominicans have African heritage. Some Dominicans are a mix of a variety of things and if their families haven't inter-married the African heritage, in that physical sense, is non existent. But it would be difficult to imagine a Dominican family that has been here for more than three generations, and inter-married on the island, not having the physical African heritage (i.e blood). It is possible and I could think of some cases where this would happen.

I would also point to heritage, not just in its physical form, but also in the sense of tradition and culture and in that way you could make the argument that every Dominican has some vestige of African heritage. I would point to the music, the dance, the foods, religions, the oral traditions, family make ups, etc. Though there are many other cultural points to draw upon African heritage is very present, directly and indirectly, in the lives of ALL Dominicans.

The questions is whether Dominicans recognize this, understand it and accept it. Even in the way many Dominicans look and how they interact can be a reflection of the African cultural diaspora. At the end of the day you could argue that in an indirect way even expats and migrant groups have come to embody African heritage.

To sum it all up, in a physical/biological way, not all Dominicans might have African heritage, but in a cultural/traditional, way they do.


Mr. Lu

THIS WAS SAID SO PERFECTLY. Even if you are a white dominican, the mofongo you eat, and the merengue you dance (and other things) is a result of the african slaves' presence in the dominican republic years ago.