There is a double jeapardy to being Latino in London; if the concept of 'being Latino' itself causes enough debate among Latin Americans, you can imagine what the idea of being Latino in the world's most cosmipolitan city can produce. Can there really be more ways of being Latino, Latina or Latinx than there already are?
"Being Latin means that we can add a little bit of flavour to what we do in life. I am proud of being Latin American and I find it incredible to be able to pass on our warmth to other people," says Tav from Brasil.
Meanwhile Uruguayan-born photo-journalist, Julio (above), associates Latin with everything that is ‘vibrant’ and Andrea from Colombia, speaks about sunshine, energy and sense of humor; “being Latin means enjoying every moment of my life, as if it was the last thing she was to do."
Lots of paper has been used by scholars, artists and intellectuals to write about identity. It is crucial to identify who we are, what we do, how we behave, and link it to some cultural background. Everybody somehow relates to his or her country of origin - either with passionate love, or with more complex feelings involving pain, hurt and anger. But there is no getting away from the fact that the climate into which we were born, our first experiences in this world and our mother tongue shapes they way we learn to describe things for a very first time.
People can change the country they live in, learn a new language, integrate into new environment and assimilate its culture, but it’s impossible to cut yourself off totally from where you grew up. Childhood memories, traditions, language all shape who we are.
In his book ‘National Identity, Popular Culture and Everyday Life’, Tim Edensor argues that national identity is ‘grounded in the everyday, the mundane details of social interaction, habits, routines and practical knowledge’.
So what is Latin Identity in Britain? What makes the Latin identity here unique to Britain, like the British-Asian identity? The older generation often came here for political reasons, for some it was economic, the youngest usually come to seek the new experience, to continue their education in Europe or just to live a different life for a moment, and some have been born here to Latin American parents. Whatever their reasons, by moving to another country, our perception of ourselves and our homeland changes.
What is Latin Identity?
"Being Latin means passion, passion in everything," says Felix from Colombia. He identifies food, music and love as important parts of his Latin soul: "Music, Latin music is something, that takes me though the day’, he adds. Being Latin also means being a bit extreme: ‘If you love, you are fire hot or icy cold, never in the middle".
For some, like Landa, who grew up here, its is a romantic exercise. She founded Colombian festival Colombiage to honour her roots as a result of feeling too detached from her culture. "The older I get, the more important (my latin identity) becomes’. But she admits that ‘Latin Identity’ is much complex than that. "It has its positive face but also the more real, difficult one."
Indeed, for others who came here as young adults, searching for a better future, like Yanet, a dancer from Cuba, reality not romanticism, colours their experience; not being able to travel freely (without visa restrictions), like the Europeans for example. "It represents for me 'effort', because Latin people have to work very hard to live in a country like England. For example to study in the UK: it is really difficult to afford that, considering that our governments cannot pay scholarships for us. And the other difficulty is the language.
But what links a person from one country in Latin America to another? questions Mauricio from Chile "Does the fact that my language derives from Latin make me Latin? Is there a way to define Latin? Personally it means nothing. I do not think it has an objective meaning".
Even if he can’t explain that ‘link’ Tato admits, that both being Latin and Colombian means a lot to him: "It is part of my cultural identity, so it is part of me. I feel very proud of being what I am, and that includes being Latin."
Idenity: The personal experience
Chileans in London in the 70s giving birth to a UK Londoner (photo by Julio Etchart)
Many people would argue it is important to identify oneself with something and then celebrate this uniqueness. That gives a sense of belonging and alleviates the solitude we all experience in life. Sense of national or ethnic identity is one of the most common ways of doing this. It can be social experience or a personal one, with no wider meaning beyond the experience of the individual.
Mauricio admits: "I express it through food, to commemorate special occasions. It is important to me, but it has no patriotic meaning. Savouring homemade delicatessen brings memories back that only belong to you." Tato agrees: "I just try to be a good person and do the best from me".
Landa underlines how important it is in the way she is bringing up her daughter; speaking Spanish to her, taking her to Colombia to see her family. Yanet expresses her Cuban nature with music. She really enjoys singing and dancing in front of the audience.
Changing countries, changes perspectives.
The simple fact of leaving your country, completely changes our perspective of ourselves and who we identify with. How good a place is London in bringing Latinos together?
Landa admitted that before starting the festival, she did not have much contact with Latin communities in London. But she claims London is a great place to be, it is great in terms of potential funding opportunities, support from the local governments. ‘London embraces other nationalities. There is a sense of opportunity in this country, which does not makes things easy, but it makes them possible’.
Landa learnt that there are more Colombians here than she ever imagined. But still sometimes, when she speaks with local Colombian communities, to encourage them to get some interest in the festival, she sometimes encounters reticence: ‘sometimes they just have no time for that, having to work too much to send money home.’
Having travelled to many places in the world, fluent in three languages, Julio, who came to the UK in the early seventies this is home. He admits people from Uruguay are much closer to europeans than other Latin nations, and he explains me the origins of his Basque surname.
For Andrea the main challenge for the Latin people in the UK is lack of sunshine. That affects her emotionally and makes enjoying life a bit more challenging. Also cultural sifferences like the English need for planning their social life, people don't DO spontaneous, and that there is much less time for social life in busy. In Colombia even very busy people are more likely to go out and socialize, they need it more: ‘Partying is a feeling, interaction, just in a moment when you go you start to laugh, joke, make fun of your problems, move your body - it purifies you and improves your self-defence’.
Latinos may not all think they have something in common, but they commonly notice e certain deprivation in their environment and, often, the urge to relieve it : ‘I think that we can break the ice a little bit and show English people that they can be responsible but also warm and happy at the same time, without having to live a stressful and miserable life. Which, in fact, can also be a bit of a challenge in London, sometimes it can be quite easy to get caught into the Londoners way of life and that's why I find it really important to always remember where you come from and keep that lively attitude within you’.
‘I think its make me realize that we are part of a same world, but with a lot of differences, different traditions and believing.” Says Tato.” Living in such a cosmopolitan city, you can see different but also how similar you are compared to others, something that you might realize when you live in your own continent".
People imperialism
Does being Latin in London mean promoting Latin in London? Most Latinos are proud of their origins and, part of that means wanting to share and promote it. The Britiah have always gone abroad at a government, economic and military level. A little thing called imperialism. Latin American governments don’t have the power, perhaps even the ambition, to conquer. Instead, maybe by default, the people do it. A little thing called Spreadnig the Latin Love!
‘I think the promoting thing just happens naturally, in conversations and socialising’, says Tav. For Yanet that would be mostly by Cuban music and dance. Mauricio says provocatively: ‘through alcohol!’. Julio inspires with his extensive knowledge of Uruguayan literature and art, and his photographs. Landa has done it through her festival which has been a fantastic experience, but it has also revealed many scars: ‘Every one is here for different reasons. But we all left behind a past of tragic history, as far as Colombia is concerned, we all experienced something tragic, either personally or not. I did not expect this experience [the festival] to be so powerful. The start was a bit idealistic, even naive. Because you just want to have it done, and concentrate on the positive, but there are some tough truths where I come from, and its difficult to deal with if you are not prepared. But you can never be prepared’. But she admits: ‘I can now connect with my country in a much deeper way, maybe more painful, but much deeper’.
Todos Vuelven
But hardly ever they come to the UK with clear idea to stay here forever. Some would just come looking for a short time experience, and then stay here, having set up families, work, friends. The longer you stay somewhere -the harder it gets to leave everything (once again!) and move back. Yanet regularly goes to visit her family there, but, she says "it would be a bit difficult to live in Cuba again’.
But the idea of returning never goes away. And some say, or atleast as the famous Rubén Blades song goes...Todos Vuelven.
"I think about it sometimes." Tav says. "Actually, my idea is to go to Brazil in about two years from now but only to spend a whole year and not to go back for good. Do some studies or work, get involved with activities, social work, spend Birthdays, Carnival, Christmas and New Years. Just celebrate and enjoy life over there with my family and friends really". Mauricio says: ‘In an idealistic world I would but not right now’.
Landa says she changes her mind all the time whether she likes to go back to Colombia or not. She admits that sometimes when she goes to Colombia, she feels like she no longer fits in in there, she feels like she doesn’t belong there, like she expected to: ‘Maybe my expectations are too high, because at the end of the day I’ve been living here for so long.’ She admits that, despite her craving for the warmth and beauty of Colombia, she does not share the mentality, the ways of doing things. "One thing is embrace your culture from the far, another one is actually be there, living it, day after day, with all the difficulties that it might imply. I would need to be older and wiser to be able to confront all those challenges’, says Landa.
For all their different situations and countries, Deysi (Peru) Andrea (Colombia) Andrea and Felix (Colombia) all feel the same dilemmas. they miss the warmth (physical and emotional) and the 'seize the day' approach to life but all know that the practical difficulties of living in societies with more inequality, instability and insecurity makes them think twice. All think...maybe when they're older....they will return ‘Yes, I know for sure that in one point of my life I will return," says Tato, "It is because of this I try to learn as much as I can from this country’. For Julio, there are no doubts "Sure, i will retire in uruguay, and i have written in my will that i want my ashes to be scattered in our garden in punta colorada!"
Indeed...Todos Vuelven.
