«Grandparents of black lineage». Body, orality and identity in María Teresa Ramírez, María Elcina Valencia and Nena Cantillo

Abstract

The term “Afro-Colombian literature” refers to a concept under construction for which each author contributes their particular vision. In this paper, we promote a dialogue with three authors who share the place of enunciation of the black woman: María Teresa Ramírez (1944) in La noche de mi piel, María Elcina Valencia (1963) in Pentagrama de pasión, and Nena Cantillo (1981) in Aquella noche con Winnie the Pooh. We choose three axes: body, orality and identity. Regarding the body, in the three books the woman is associated with nature, although it varies greatly in the relationship with the male body. Orality is very present in the three works, although in different ways: connection with ancestral songs, with the sounds of nature and with the colloquial speech of the city, respectively. In terms of identity, we find great differences between Ramírez's pan-Africanist vision, Valencia's ecosophy and Cantillo's radical openness. In the conclusions, we discuss the variety of approaches, the possible causes and the richness that they contribute to the concept of “Afro-Colombianity”.