Black Heritage in Costa Rica and Limon Roots.

It does not make any difference what color your complexion is; many people with a spirit of adventure are looking at the possibility of moving to Costa Rica.

The name of the country has a sexy sound; it sounds romantic and intriguing. Plus there is lots of talk about retiring in Costa Rica so it’s gotten to be a very popular thing to do these days. Not everyone who comes to Costa Rica stays but at least they took a chance. Living in Costa Rica is not for everyone, no matter their color.

Costa Rica is a diverse country. There is a population of Africans who migrated here from Jamaica after the British freed them from slavery. This population of blacks came primarily to work on the railroads and then later more came to work in the banana fields. The Africans that came to Costa Rica came as free men.

No matter what your complexion is, we are all looking for a way to have a better life. The freed Africans who had been slaves in Jamaica came to Costa Rica in the mid 1800’s looking for work and a better life. Their real desire was to work and make enough money so they could go back to Africa.

In fact, the people of Limon just celebrated the fact that it was 100 years ago this August that Marcus Garvey came to Costa Rica. He inspired the folks here so very much. These were people who had been made to think less of themselves and Marcus was able to show them that they were somebody.

The people of Limon are very proud of their roots and they are not ashamed of their African heritage. Those who look white are proud to say that they have African blood in their family.

There is a young lady who works for me who looks like a white woman and has sisters that are my complexion and darker. She proudly shows their pictures and talks about her family. Her family does not live in this area. If she did not mention her heritage no one would know it. I’m finding that those Costa Ricans who have African heritage are not ashamed, nor do they try to hide it.

Limon is not only a city in Costa Rica but also a Province. In fact it may be the richest province in Costa Rica because of its wealth in fertile land and clean waters. The Province of Limon will one of these days be the second best developed province in Costa Rica. Limon is the Cinderella of Costa Rica; often overlooked and often not respected, but there is much opportunity in the making.

There is a magazine by the name of “Limon Roots” published here in Costa Rica. August was the beginning of Limon Root’s African, Costa Rican heritage celebration, which lasts until Oct 31st. There are different celebrations occurring throughout Costa Rica during this period (see the schedule at Limon Roots).

Last Friday I went to an awards ceremony which was part of this celebration. African nurses of Costa Rica were awarded for their years of service to the country. President Laura Chinchilla was present for the awards ceremony. The Roy Prescott choral group from New York performed as well as a group from Senegal, Africa.

Getting to know about my fellow countrymen here in Costa Rica has made me even more proud to be an African American who is also a woman living in Costa Rica.

Discover the world! We people of African descendants have traveled the globe. You can find us in many parts of the world. Come to Costa Rica, you will find Africans who are proud of their heritage and who are respected and admired for their differences.

Look for my next blog on Limon and follow me to the 100 year celebration of Marcus Garvey and his enterprise called the Black Star Line.

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Written by Jeanetta Owens who owns the lovely La Terraza B&B in Grecia which is about one hour from San José, Costa Rica. For a taste of living the good life in Grecia, Costa Rica, may we suggest you to book yourself into Jeanetta’s B&B for a nice long vacation.

Jeanetta’s B&B has been rated the #1 B&B in Grecia, Costa Rica by Trip Advisor. You can find her blog here at La Terraza Blog

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.