PRESS RELEASE:

12.5 million Africans were shipped to the New World. While just over 11.0 million survived the arduous journey, only about 450,000 of them arrived in the United States. The rest -- over 10.5 million -- were taken to the Caribbean and Latin America and kept in bondage far longer than the slaves in the United States. The Africans of the New World created vibrant cultures with a synthesis of various African, English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish influences. Black In Latin America, a four-part series, begins Tuesdays April 19, 26 and May 3, 10 at 7:00 p.m. on KUED Channel 7.

Throughout the series, renowned Harvard historian Henry Louis Gates sets out on compelling quests. The program uncovers how Latin Americans of African descent live today, and how the Latin countries acknowledge or deny their African past. Starting with the slave experience and extending to the present, Professor Gates unveils the history of the African presence in six Latin American countries through art, music, cuisine, dance, politics, and religion, but also the very palpable presence of anti-African racism that has sometimes sought to keep the black cultural presence from view.

The program uncovers the legacies of the following nations - subjects that are rich, moving and irresistibly compelling:

Episode One: Haiti & the Dominican Republic: An Island Divided

Episode Two: Cuba: The Next Revolution

Episode Three: Brazil: A Racial Paradise?

Episode Four: Mexico & Peru: A Hidden Race

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