A PRESSURE-COOKED CULTURE

As another month goes by and my film (Boricua Soy Yo) production continues, I’m amazed at the awesome connections I’m making and how much of our history and culture I’m uncovering. Filming a documentary project is an arduous task and one that can be very time consuming, especially when one is an independent filmmaker, with a day job and family obligations. Of course, planning and filming during a pandemic doesn’t make things easier, however, I’m very happy to have made a few connections over the last few months that have given me different perspectives on how to approach the question of “What it means to be Boricua?” which is one of the main themes of my film.

I’ve recently had a chance to meet and speak with Arleen Ramirez, a historian and soprano singer/songwriter who has established herself as a crossover artist in the field of music, specifically in the opera and Ladino (not Latino) musical genres. Ms. Ramirez breaks the typical mold of “what it means” to be Boricua. Not only is she a successful musician and Opera singer, but Ms. Ramirez also belongs to the Puerto Rican Sephardic community, a community whose people and heritage can be traced to the island going back to the Spanish Inquisition days. 

By speaking with Ms. Ramirez, I was able to learn about the research she has been involved with over the last ten years, exploring Judeo-Spanish heritage and how it influenced culture throughout Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. The “Boriken-Sphared Ladino Music Project” is the name of the research Ms. Ramirez is conducting and it is devoted to preserving Ladino culture and music along with educating people about Hispanic Sephardic traditions and heritage. Per Ramirez, “BorikenSpharad is a fusion of Sephardi music with Caribbean and Middle Eastern cadences and melodies.” The more I spoke with Ms. Ramirez, the more I opened to the idea that there is no specific picture of what defines a Puerto Rican. As a historian, I’m always open and eager to learn more about history, specifically OUR history, and speaking with Ramirez opened my eyes to a part of our history that seemingly isn’t really explored even among most Puerto Rican academic circles. I share this column in hopes that it opens the idea of what it means to be Boricua. It has nothing to do with language.

I’ve seen people criticize Puerto Rican kids for not speaking Spanish, all the while not even considering that our Taíno ancestors didn’t speak the language either. We are more than the familiar food and music we typically see. Our people are a beautiful mixture of cultures, beliefs, traditions, and identities that circumvent the globe, all concentrated and pressure cooked in that small island in the Caribbean, made to share with the world. 

Note: Photos of Ms. Ramirez @ September 2021 issue, page 3. More about Ms. Ramirez and the work she has done, please visit www.arleenramirez.com