Race Relations In Venezuela And The Black Consciousness Challenge, Through The Lense Of La Red De Organizaciones Afrovenezolanas (The Afro-Venezuelan Network)

This thesis investigates race and Black consciousness in the context of Latin America with a focus on Venezuela. The needs of African descendants in Latin American communities are often ignored and disregarded. This lack of attention along with the historical relationship between Blacks and non-Blacks in Latin America has caused a rise in Black consciousness. Among the leaders of the Black conciousness movement in Venezuela is La Red de Organizaciones Afrovenezolanas (The AfroVenezuelan Network). This thesis also investigates how La Red, as a mode of sustainable resistance and activism in Venezuela, is fighting to gain recognition for Afro-Venezuelans. This research aims to afford La Red de Organizaciones Afrovenezolanas with recognition and agency through exposing its role in attending to the current plight of African decendants in Venezuela. This work employed field research in Venezuela. La Red is currently leading the socio-political movement of African descendants in Venezuela. This organization preserves and disseminates cultural, political, and social information. La Red also propogates Afro-Venezuelan artistic, historical, and cultural knowledge and expression throughout Venezuelan society. This thesis demonstrates that La Red is combating the historical and contemporary race question. It also demonstrates that La Red is a valuable asset to the Black consciousness movement in Venezuel