Diálogo Volume 7 | Number 1 Article 16 2003 The Seven African Gods (Los siete dioses africanos) Frank Varela Johanny Vázquez Paz Follow this and additional works at: http://via.library.depaul.edu/dialogo Part of the Latin American Languages and Societies Commons 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 This Rincón Creativo is brought to you for free and open access by Via Sapientiae. It has been accepted for inclusion in Diálogo by an authorized administrator of Via Sapientiae. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. 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."