AFROECUADOREANS

Afroecuadoreans are generally described as constituting between five and ten percent of the national population. They are principally the descendants of Africans who were brought to the region in the sixteenth century to serve as slave labor on the coastal plantations. The Afroecuadorean population remains centered on the coast, in the Province of Esmeraldas and Guayaquil, with sizeable numbers in the Sierras, in El Carchi, La Cuenca del Rio Mira, Imbabura and more recently in Quito.

The existence of racism in the ecuadorian society is cited as a severe impediment to the ability of Afroecuadoreans to realize their rights and freedoms. Particular issues included widespread discrimination in employment, and the utilization and perpetuation of negative stereotypes. It is pointed out that few blacks are employed in professional positions. This is both a method and a consequence of making this segment of Ecuadorean society feel inferior to others.

Looking to the role of both the public and private spheres, it was indicated that Afroecuadorean culture was not respected, but was rather ignored or disdained. The Commission was informed that the history of the Afroecuadorean population was not generally known, and was not included within the national curriculum concerning the history of the country. This was characterized by Afroecuadoreans as a manifestation of the inferiority with which they are treated as a social sector -- and as a means of further repressing their identity, history and culture.