The Seven African Gods (Los siete dioses africanos)

Diálogo
Volume 7 | Number 1
Article 16
2003
The Seven African Gods (Los siete dioses
africanos)
Frank Varela
Johanny Vázquez Paz
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Recommended Citation
Varela, Frank and Vázquez Paz, Johanny (2003) "The Seven African Gods (Los siete dioses africanos)," Diálogo: Vol. 7: No. 1, Article
16.
Available at: http://via.library.depaul.edu/dialogo/vol7/iss1/16
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The Seven African Gods (Los siete dioses africanos)
Cover Page Footnote
This article is from an earlier iteration of Diálogo which had the subtitle "A Bilingual Journal." The publication
is now titled "Diálogo: An Interdisciplinary Studies Journal."
This rincón creativo is available in Diálogo: http://via.library.depaul.edu/dialogo/vol7/iss1/16
The S e v e n
African Gods
by Frank Varela
Los siete
dioses
africanos
Traducido por dohanny Vázquez Paz
W illie "el loco" esperaba cerca
de la entrada de H um boldt Park.
Hizo una señal con la mano para que me apurara.
Ignoró mi mano extendida
y siguió el pasa lado mío.
"Todo comenzó por los siete dioses africanos.
Tú sabes, mi pana, dejamos de adorar
a los siete dioses africanos".
Yo estaba confundido.
"Lo que dices no tiene sentido",
le dije.
W illie "el loco" me hizo una guiñada
y tarareó música de Machito,
pero al caminar hacia la profundidad del parque
noté que la realidad cambió:
los robles se extendieron como palmas,
los olmos eran higueras extranguladas;
el cielo gris del invierno se to rn ó turquesa.
"Tú sabes", dijo W illie "el loco", cuando dejamos
de adorar a los siete dioses africanos
ellos se fueron en contra de nosotros".
Paralizado, caí en cuenta.
"Se vengaron".
"Pues claro, estás en lo correcto,
desterraron a los boricuas
a Chicago".
Crazy Willie waited near the entrance of Humboldt Park,
motioned for me to hurry.
He ignored my outstretched hand
and fell into step beside me.
" it all started w ith the Seven African Gods.
You see, bro, we stopped worshipping
the Seven African Gods."
I was perplexed.
"You're not making any sense,"
I said.
Crazy Willie winked, hummed musica de M achito,
but I noticed as we walked deeper into the park—
reality shifted: oaks lengthened into palm trees;
elms— strangler figs; the gray sky of w in te r—turquoise.
"71/ sabes," Crazy W illie said, " cuando we stopped
worshipping the Seven African Dioses,
they turned on us."
Numbed, it dawned on me.
"They got even."
" Rues claro, damn right,
Puerto Ricans were banished
to Chicago."