Duerme Negrito is a popular Latin American lullaby, originally
from an area near the Venezuelan and Colombian border.
The song was compiled by folk singer Atahualpa Yupanqui when
visiting this region and popularised by himself and other musicians, including
Mercedes Sosa, who sings our version.
The song tells the story of a slave who leaves her child in
the care of a friend or neighbour while she goes out to work in the fields. It
is sung to the child who has been left under her care. The carer tells the child
to fall asleep because his mother is working in the fields. She promises that
the child's mother will bring him treats if he falls asleep.
The carer tells the boy that, if he doesn't fall asleep, the
white devil, meaning the slave driver, will come to eat his little feet. His
mother continues to work, coughing (we assume she has tuberculosis).
Nothing like a happy story and threats of mutilation
to send your child off to sleep.
In South America, negrito or negrita is a term of affection
and used for black or non-black children. Lucy was called negrita by her father
when she was little and she knows a couple of people who are still negrita even
though they are now adults.
The word gained some notoriety when Luis Suarez, the former
Liverpool footballer, called Manchester United's Patrice Evra 'negrito' during
a match. Evra complained and the FA found Suarez guilty of using "insulting words with a reference to Mr Evra's
colour”. He was fined £40,000 and banned for eight games.
His defence was that in South America 'negrito' is a term of
endearment. It’s true, but it didn't convince the FA. The word is probably
politically incorrect in the UK, but fine for Spain and Latin America.
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