There is a glaring issue within the genre of reggaeton: the exclusion of black women in music videos. This is the topic that Panamanian-American host Gata tackles in an 8-minute Youtube clip. “We have a problem, we want black music but we don’t want black women?” the 25-year-old asks at the beginning of the video. The clip, which is part of the show Reggaeton Con La Gata, is a testimonial account where the host speaks on the history of reggaeton, the exclusion of dark-skinned Afro-Latinas from the genre’s music videos, and her own experiences navigating Latino culture.
“A lot of that experience is the love for black women,” Gata says when explaining the early days of reggaeton, “It started there but it’s not there now.”
In this edition of the show, which will be premiering on Bronx Net TV in July, the host also includes visuals of some of today’s most popular reggaeton videos, and explains the need to not only cast black Latinas but also make them protagonists once they are casted.
Mid-way through the video, Gata points out why this issue of lack of representation is so important: “It says that we’re not worthy of adoration, we’re not worthy of love,” she says.
Watch the video here:
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Amanda Alcántara is the Digital Media Editor at Futuro Media. She tweets from @YoSoy_Amanda.
