: It serves as a "family elegy" not just for himself, but for all Afro-descendants in the Americas whose lineages were severed by colonial structures. Major English Translations
This is the title of a famous poem by the Cuban poet (1902–1989), in which he explores his identity and the loss of his ancestral African name due to slavery and Spanish colonization. Feature: "El apellido" (The Surname) by Nicolás Guillén
“Will it return from the root of fallen trees? / ...from nothingness?”
Not knowing his African surname means not knowing his lineage, his tribe, his history. The poem is an elegy for a specific loss but also a metaphor for the destruction of African family structures under slavery.
El Apellido Nicolas Guillen English Translation [work] Link
: It serves as a "family elegy" not just for himself, but for all Afro-descendants in the Americas whose lineages were severed by colonial structures. Major English Translations
This is the title of a famous poem by the Cuban poet (1902–1989), in which he explores his identity and the loss of his ancestral African name due to slavery and Spanish colonization. Feature: "El apellido" (The Surname) by Nicolás Guillén el apellido nicolas guillen english translation
“Will it return from the root of fallen trees? / ...from nothingness?” : It serves as a "family elegy" not
Not knowing his African surname means not knowing his lineage, his tribe, his history. The poem is an elegy for a specific loss but also a metaphor for the destruction of African family structures under slavery. el apellido nicolas guillen english translation