Corn Island Virtual Library is a digital initiative dedicated to preserving and sharing the cultural, historical, and intellectual heritage of Corn Island. Designed to increase access to local knowledge, the platform hosts oral histories, archival documents, photographs, and educational resources that reflect the island’s Afro-Caribbean identity and traditions. It serves as a valuable tool for researchers, students, and community members seeking to engage with the island’s past and present through a dynamic and accessible online space.
David McField Richards (b. 1938, Rama, Nicaragua) is a poet, professor, musician, and diplomat whose literary and political career has been central to Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast. Raised in Bluefields, McField rose from humble beginnings to become a key voice in Afro-Nicaraguan literature and politics. A pioneer of modernismo with a distinct Creole Sandinista perspective, McField blended political critique with vibrant musical rhythms in poetry collections such as En la calle de en medio (1969) and Poemas para el año del elefante (1970). Deeply involved in the revolutionary cultural movement, he supported the Frente Sandinista through art and activism, composing politically charged folk songs like “Nació el Niño Negro.” His poetic and diplomatic work reflects a lifelong commitment to Black identity, social justice, and cultural autonomy. Since 1980, he has served as Nicaragua’s ambassador to Jamaica and received the Rubén Darío Order of Cultural Independence in 2011.
Deborah Robb Taylor is a writer, poet, and journalist from Bluefields, Nicaragua. She began her career in the 1980s writing for local publications such as Rundown and Sunrise, and later contributed to national outlets including Barricada Internacional and Pensamiento Propio. Her work expanded internationally in the 1990s, writing on sustainable development, child labor, and international conflict for organizations such as UNICEF, UNFPA, and the International Labour Organization. She is the author of The Times and Life of Bluefields, a historical account of the city, and the award-winning short story Doreth’s Cay. Her writing spans fiction, journalism, and cultural history, with a focus on Afro-descendant life, memory, and politics in the Caribbean Coast.
Dimensión Costeña is a legendary musical group from Bluefields, Nicaragua, known for popularizing the rhythms and culture of the Caribbean coast. Blending Creole English lyrics with traditional genres like maypole, mento, calypso, and reggae, their music celebrates Afro-Caribbean identity and coastal life. Since forming in the 1980s, they have become cultural icons in Nicaragua, often performing at festivals and national events, and serving as key ambassadors of coastal musical traditions.
Based on a decade the author spent among the African-Caribbean Creole people on Nicaragua's southern Caribbean coast, Disparate Diasporas (University of Texas Press, 1998) is a study of identity formation and politics in that community. Edmund Gordon lived in Bluefields, Nicaragua, during most of the 1980s, a turbulent period during which he participated in the community's search for solutions to problems ranging from a crumbling economic base to the mutual mistrust and animosity between most Creole people and the Sandinista revolutionary government.
Dos Aguas is a powerful coming-of-age drama set on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast, a region rich in cultural and natural beauty yet long marginalized within the nation’s idyllic image. Directed by Patricia Velásquez and Oscar Herrera, the film follows a young Afro-Costa Rican boy in Limón as he grapples with poverty, family loyalty, and the lure of fast money. When he agrees to move drugs to help his struggling household, the consequences spiral into violence, exposing the layered realities of a community shaped by colonial neglect and systemic racism.
The Spirit of My Mother is a Spanish-language Honduran film by Alí Allié that follows a Garífuna woman’s return from Los Angeles to Honduras, where she honors her late mother, rediscovers her cultural roots, and seeks healing from a past marked by trauma with an American soldier.
El Negro en Costa Rica is a documentary held in the National Archives of Costa Rica that explores the history, cultural traditions, and lived experiences of the Black population in the province of Limón. Through interviews and historical context, the film highlights the community’s Caribbean roots, contributions to national life, and ongoing struggles for visibility and equality within Costa Rican society.
Carlos Meléndez and Quince Duncan's El Negro en Costa Rica (first published in 1972, Editorial Costa Rica) is a landmark historical and social study that traces the experiences and contributions of Afro-descendant communities in Costa Rica. Released on the centenary of Jamaican migration to Limón, the book brings together the perspectives of historian Meléndez and celebrated Afro-Caribbean writer Duncan in what they describe as an “anthology” of essays, archival materials, and critical reflections. It explores both the colonial-era African presence and the later arrival of Afro-Caribbean migrants, highlighting their central yet often overlooked role in shaping Costa Rican society. As the first major work of its kind, El negro en Costa Rica remains a foundational text for understanding race, national identity, and Afro-Costa Rican history.
The EscuelAfro "Miguel Ángel Ibarra" is an educational initiative by the Fundación Afrodescendientes Organizados Salvadoreños (AFROOS) in El Salvador. Named after Miguel Ángel Ibarra, author of the 1932 novel "Cafetos en Flor," the school aims to empower Afro-Salvadoran individuals through comprehensive training programs. Participants engage in courses that cover historical, cultural, and social topics pertinent to the Afro-descendant community, fostering a deeper understanding of their heritage and promoting active citizenship.
