Cultural productions are a reflection of the social context(s) they navigate and are influenced by the different power dynamics in place. This paper seeks to establish how the sexualization and...Show moreCultural productions are a reflection of the social context(s) they navigate and are influenced by the different power dynamics in place. This paper seeks to establish how the sexualization and racialization of the black body manifest in the different spaces the Afro-Colombian dance Mapalé and its dancers frequently and permanently occupy in the Colombian city of Cartagena de Indias. It is argued that social segregation and colonial aesthetic standards both reflect colonial race relations and simultaneously perpetuate colonial stereotypes and the consumption of ‘the other’. The decolonial option provides the theoretical framework for the positioning of the Mercado Cultural del Caribe (MCC) within modernity/coloniality, thereby allowing a critical reflection on the MCC’s ambitions and values in the promotion of Mapalé.Show less
