Tiznando el país, an organization dedicated to promoting the recognition of Black communities in Puerto Rico, has announced new collaboration with the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras (UPR-RP), and the Puerto Rico Museum Alliance (Alianza de Museos de Puerto Rico/AMPR). These groups will work together on the project “Tiznando el país: Visualities and Representations,” which features a website, publications, a live digital platform, and a series of television programs that will boost the visibility of Puerto Rico’s Afrodescendants.
During an in-person/virtual press conference at UPR’s Botanical Garden, Olga Chapman-Rivera, creator of the group’s digital branding, spoke about how Tiznando el país –– which translates as “Turning the country Black” –– formed as a collective in 2023. She described the philosophy behind it –– tiznando –– as an active verb, a powerful action. “It’s a way to give color to the country, to give color also to the galleries and museum spaces that historically have lacked the presence of artistic pieces by Black and Afrodescendant people in an affirmative way,” Chapman-Rivera said.
The initiative supports the promotion of Afro Puerto Rican artists through its website, exhibitions, performances, scholastic resources, and projects like the Afrofuturist-oriented television series “GRIOT 2124,” directed by videographer Welmo E. Romero Joseph. This seven-episode series documents the works of more than 150 artists and aims to highlight how recognizing the contributions of Puerto Rico’s Black artists can help address the country’s internal racial issues. Marianne Ramírez-Aponte, AMPR president and co-director of Tiznando el país, announced that the group has already had discussions with two television channels that have expressed interest in broadcasting the program.
UPR historian Dr. María Elba Torres-Muñoz, the other co-director of Tiznando el país, said her interest in seeing how Puerto Rico and the Caribbean view their role in promoting anti-racism grew by leaps and bounds once the United Nations declared 2011 the International Year for People of African Descent. Her proposal for the “Afrolatinos” exhibition, looking at the history of Afro Puerto Rican and Afro Caribbean art, was accepted at the Museo de Arte de Caguas and shown in 2012.
“We didn’t have a centavo for this exhibition, but we did have the goodwill of the Museo de Arte de Caguas and its team, who approved our proposal, and we called out to artists through our social networks,” Ramírez Aponte said. “We were so bold and daring that we told all the artists who wanted to submit from around the world that they could submit.” That influential show remains significant today.
Tiznando el país wants to make that kind of a mark. The collective is looking to work collaboratively with museums, community-based organizations, artists, and colleges in Puerto Rico and throughout the Puerto Rican diaspora. Its members want to create more projects that showcase Afro Puerto Rican visual artists and aid in the fight against racial discrimination, Ramírez Aponte added.To learn more about Tiznando el país, visit tiznandoelpais.org
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