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This day has been sponsored by : Amanda Linley

Week 8 Day 3 - "Pañas y Morenos"

Today's topic comes from a fascinating book I have read: "Limón Blues" by Anacristina Rossi. Fanny recommended the book, and lent it to me, as well. Great reading while laying in a hammock with a pillow and a blanket and listening to rain drops hitting the tin roof... lots of rain drops.

All of a sudden you find yourself in a different world, following ... a century ago through his life and passions. Though the main character is ficteous, he lives amongst real characters from the past: Marcus Garvey who wanted all black people to move back to Africa and sold tickets for his Black Star Line ships that would take people to Liberia. Irving tells me that there are old people in Limón today who still have their tickets and wait for these ships to come and pick them up. Minor C. Keith who built the railways (but who really built it for him and at what conditions?) and had considerable economic power and political influence. The story sounds very different from a "black" perspective than from a "white" perspective (like Don Nelson, the historian, introduced it during his presentation). The author has done an impressive research.

Pañas is the word for white Costa Ricans at the time, and morenos are the black people. There is little to no sensitivy around "politically correct terminology" in Costa Rica. I heard a mom lovingly call her child "mi negrito". And anybody who is not skinny to their bones risks to be called "gordit@".

Now, I'd like to read "Limón Reggae" and wait for the third part of this trilogy.

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For today's sponsor

Amanda... I can really recommend this book, I thought it was a great read. Not sure you find much time for reading these days, though. How is settling down in Denver?