The mother (a black one) homeland. Race, gender, and nation in a traditional festivity

Abstract

The festivity of the Patria Gaucha is a traditional event annually celebrated in the department of Tacuarembó, Uruguay. In October 2018, the launching of the poster that convened to the 33rd edition, triggered a controversial polemic which started from an picture created for the occasion. In this image, situated in the colonial or post-colonial period, an afro-woman was breastfeeding a white baby-child. The debate acquired national dimension and was core of the mass media; unleashed in many directions, including a variety of actors, namely: influential people from afro-descendant organizations, members of parliament, political representatives, besides the persons related to the authorship of the image itself. From this complex scheme of interpretations confronting the absence of a racist image, is that I conduct an analysis of the relationship between the racial and gender interpretations of the nation.

Keywords:
wet nurse; coloniality; political arena; Afro-Uruguayan people