Kids’ book sparks racial controversy
A fond account of the adventures of a black youngster or a racist caricature of an entire culture?
This question is at the heart of a debate raging in Costa Rica over the children’s book Cocori, long regarded as a national literary classic.
Written in 1947, it tells the tale of Cocori, an AfricanCosta Rican boy who scours the jungle for a monkey to fulfil the request of a mysterious blond girl.
It describes him as having the face of a star apple (a local fruit), teeth like a rattle and gums of papaya.
It also says the white girl has flesh like a pineapple and eyes like a slice of sky.
The book has long been compulsory reading in Costa Rican schools and has even given its name to various businesses, including the tourism website cocori.com.
But now it is under scrutiny as never before. Members of Costa Rica’s black community — about 8 per cent of the 4.9-million population — increasingly view it as a skewed interpretation of their identity by its white author, Joaquin Gutierrez.
In April, Costa Rica’s only two black lawmakers launched a lawsuit to have Cocori removed from school reading lists. Their objections led the government to briefly block a musical adaptation, funded with public money, until a court ruled the production could go ahead.
One of the legislators, Epsy Campbell, says her daughter was teased at school because of the book. “For the Afro-descendant culture and people, the only thing this book has done is reproduce some of the most primitive stereotypes,” she added in the speech posted to her Facebook account.
She appears to have the backing of Costa Rica’s official human rights agency. It recently issued a statement, reminding the government of its obligation to “guarantee all people the right to live in an environment free of discrimination and racism.”
But the moves have also caused consternation in Costa Rica, one of Latin America’s most peaceful and racially inclusive societies, where many regard Cocori as part of the national identity.
Some Costa Ricans have even accused the two representatives of stirring up problems where none existed. Yet for some, the dispute about Cocori really reflects the shortcomings of Costa Rican society both today and when it was written: one year before AfroCaribbeans were recognized as citizens of the country.
Rina Caceres, a University of Costa Rica history professor specializing in Afro-Caribbean culture, says the real issue with the book is that its entire characterization of its protagonist revolves around his perceived racial features. It makes no reference to the rich culture of Limon, the Costa Rican province where most of the country’s black community lives.
But she also defended Gutierrez, whom she once studied under, and who died in 2000.
Costa Rica’s government is now considering how to handle Cocori in schools. One idea is to continue teaching it but alongside other texts that encourage students to question its racial and cultural assumptions. That won’t satisfy Clark and Campbell, who want the book off reading lists entirely.