BLACK LITERATURE AND THE VOICE OF TERESA CÁRDENAS

Abstract

Literature is one of the most powerful forms of resistance and preservation of collective memory. From ancient times, when stories were passed down orally in conversation circles, to the present day, when the written word conquers the world in different languages ​​and formats, telling and listening to stories has always been a way of understanding who we are, where we come from, and where we can go.
In the case of Black literature, this function takes on even greater importance. It is a form of writing born of the silence imposed by colonization, slavery, and structural racism, but which, even in the face of these forces of oppression, found ways to exist. Reading Black literature is to rediscover voices that were silenced and recognize subjects who always had stories to tell but were rendered invisible by traditional literary canons.
It is in this context that Cuban writer Teresa Cárdenas emerges, one of the strongest voices in Afro-Latin American literature. Her work transcends geographic and cultural boundaries, bringing to light narratives that explore themes such as childhood, racism, ancestry, and identity. With delicacy and courage, she offers readers stories that move, but also disturb, as they expose open wounds of social and racial exclusion.
Throughout this eBook, we seek to reflect on the importance of Black literature and, in particular, on the legacy of Teresa Cárdenas. Divided into six chapters, the text presents the roots and meanings of Black literature, the representation and resistance present in writing, the author's trajectory, her works and central themes, the dialogue with other Latin American writers, and, finally, a reflection on her legacy.
Our goal is to show that Black literature is not only a literary genre, but a space of resistance, empowerment, and memory. By valuing voices like Teresa Cárdenas's, we reaffirm the importance of recognizing the diversity of human experience and promoting cultural and educational inclusion.
Thus, this eBook is an invitation for each reader to delve into the stories and reflections presented, allowing themselves to hear voices that echo from different times and places, yet remain profoundly relevant. May reading be, at the same time, an exercise in sensitivity, awareness and transformation.