Piloting the Counter-Memorias Digital Testimonio Project

The vision for the Counter-Memorias Digital Testimonio Project is to create an online non-custodial archive of video-recorded testimonios and pedagogical resources centered on memories experiences women from Latin American Caribbean diasporas living in Southern California. project centers those with social identities traditionally excluded homogenous conceptualizations latinidad, including, but not limited Afro/Black, Indigenous, Asian, Central American, Muslim, Queer, Trans, multi-racial/ethnic identities. In doing this, seeks reformulate oral history methodology testimonio engage voices often U.S. Chicana/Latina theorization genre, while critiquing colonial power relations. As a part this process, de-centers Western digital archives methods by employing everyday technologies used diasporic migrant (e.g., mobile phones WhatsApp) forge networked connections loved ones. Currently, its pilot phase, essay focuses process recording project’s first testimonies, which come two Garifuna women, grandmother granddaughter. (or Garinagu) are Afro/Black Indigenous people descended Carib Arawak peoples West Africans who escaped enslavement during shipwreck 15th century near Island known today as St. Vincent. intervention made here attempt highlight stories have been systemically erased, guided principles reciprocity redistributive relations achieve transformation even face seemingly insurmountable obstacles. regard, I hope that our will enact new modes storytelling move us further toward translocal ethical-political strategy liberation.