Musical Documentary Examines the African Roots of the Tango.
Tango
Negro, The African Roots of Tango (2013)
Unrated
In Spanish, French and English with subtitles
Running
time: 93 minutes
Distributor: ArtMattan Productions
Directed by Dom
Pedro
www.AfricanFilm.com
Film Review by Kam Williams
Very Good (3 stars)
The word “tango” mean “sun” in Congolese. Given that derivation, it comes
as no surprise that the dance thought of as South American might be traced
back to Africa.
That explains the mission of Tango Negro, a labor of
love marking the writing and directorial debut of Dom Pedro. What makes the
project of educational value is the fact that Argentina, the country most
closely associated with Tango, has generally been averse to admitting its
African heritage.
Truth be told, a post-slavery purge of blacks
there which resulted in a whitening of the region by the early 20th Century.
For, while the descendants of Congolese slaves were being slaughtered or run
out of the country, immigration was encouraged by settlers from Italy,
France, Lebanon and Syria.
Thus, it is argued in Tango Negro that
“the history of the Americas is an absolute lie, from the extermination of
the indigenous peoples to the destruction of African cultures.” And it is
further stipulated that this shameful legacy “will have to be acknowledged
for reconciliation to occur.”
Besides the revisionist lessons this
informative documentary includes numerous songs and performances of the
Tango. Unfortunately, the music proves to be the low point of the picture,
due to its woefully low-production values.
Nevertheless, three "Ole's"
to director Dom Pedro for daring to raise the taboo subject right in Buenos
Aires, an ethnically-cleansed environ where it's admittedly hard to find any
dark-skinned citizens.
Ole! Ole! Ole!
