Expresiones controvertidas: Afrobolivianos y su cultura entre presentaciones y representaciones

Abstract

The article confronts the representations of black people that have been part of the Bolivian Andean folklore for a long time with concepts Black people articulate about themselves as Afro-Bolivians in recent years. The central point of this dispute is the "saya”, i.e. is a rhythm, a song and dance style that was initiated and created among the Afro-Bolivian culture but in a certain moment has been and still is reinterpreted in the typical Andean folklore style gaining in this way international recognition. In this context "saya” became the object of negotiation of presentation and representation of Black people within an area of tensions of Bolivian Andean folklore and the revival of the cultural traditions of the Afro-Bolivians.