Director’s Statement

I made this film as a way to reaffirm my own identity as a Black-Mexican-American, or as I like to say, a “Blaxican.” My mother is Mexican-American and my father is African-American. All of my life, my Mexican side was negated because of my Black features. “A Black girl cannot be Mexican,” they would tell me. These words have caused me to reflect on the role that Blackness plays in Mexican identity. What does it mean to be Mexican? Jamaica y Tamarindo: Afro Tradition in the Heart of Mexico illustrates the existence of African heritage in everyday aspects of Mexican culture. The jamaica hibiscus flower and tamarind are two popular ingredients in Mexico, but many in the country are not aware that these two plants have origins in Africa. Jamaica and tamarind become metaphors for the invisibilization of Mexico’s African heritage. In the film we meet Afro-Mexicans from different walks of life who speak about their own identities and experiences. For me, someone who grew up drinking agua de jamaica and eating spicy tamarindo candies, this film has allowed me to share a bit of my experience through the testimonies of other Afro-Mexicans. We aim for this film to serve as a platform for discussion in the global conversation of diversity and inclusion.

Director´s Biography

Ebony Bailey is a “Blaxican” filmmaker and photographer from Central California whose work explores cultural intersections and diaspora. Her documentaries have screened at film festivals and forums in the US, Mexico and Europe. Her photographs have appeared in NPR, LA Times and Remezcla. She has been awarded the Samuel L. Coleman scholarship for emerging filmmakers at the Haitian International Film Festival and was selected for the Tomorrow’s Filmmakers Today program by HBO and Hola Mexico Film Festival. She is currently completing her Master’s degree in documentary film at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Ebony tells stories through film as a way to represent her communities and to build spaces of empowerment between diverse populations.