Milli mála - 01.06.2016, Page 136

CENTRAL AMERICAN COASTAL IDENTITY
136 Milli mála 8/2016
men, according to Rossi’s representation, both Orlandus in Limón
Blues and Ahmed in Limón Reggae, appear disoriented, uprooted and
lacking role-models. They take an active part in the civil rights
movement and try to raise local awareness and political conscious-
ness, but, in doing so, adopt foreign models and follow an external
leadership, thus promoting an identity that is alien to their own
culture. They are unsuccessful because what they look for is an un-
attainable utopia instead of something rooted in the reality that
surrounds them, which they might be able to influence. Conversely,
Rossi shows the female characters to be rooted in their authentic
everyday reality and cultural ambiance. They carefully consider
their condition, weigh their options and are apparently able to ac-
commodate their individual and collective selves with more flexi-
bility than the men. When required, they demonstrate an ability to
remodel their identity, even if the predominant gender patterns
practiced elsewhere within the hegemonic ‘establishment’, where
men speak out and women serve with complete dedication, also ex-
ists within the Costa Rican marginal world.57 Irene, “this biblical
queen, his wife, his other half”58, according to Orlandus, is left
abandoned and in solitude by their marriage. She seeks comfort
with a North American, Jewish medical doctor, working temporar-
ily in Limón and, as a result, gives birth to a beautiful blue-eyed
daughter, whom she presents to her husband as his. She explains the
daughter’s looks by referring to their own mixed and partly un-
known ethnicity. The daughter, therefore, just as Laura/Aisha in
Limón Raggae, represents one of the numerous faces of mestizaje pre-
dominant in the Costa Rican ‘other’.59
When it comes to the formation of ethnic complexity, and thus
identity, the women are not only the bearers of but also the media-
tors for racially mixed, future generations. The role they play in this
regard in Rossi’s novel is striking. A good example is when Irene
57 For more see Garðarsdóttir, “Transculturación paulatina: La integración del pueblo negro en la
sociedad costarricense.” El Caribe Centroamericano. Helsinki, Finland: The Renvall Institute, 2005,
pp. 138–152, and “La mujer de color: Diáspora globalizadora de la subalternidad”. Serie VII de
HAINA, Gothenburg, Sweden: Gothenburg University. 2007, pp. 171-183.
58 Rossi, Limón Blues; “esa reina bíblica su mujer, su par”, p. 128.
59 Harpelle, Ronald N., The West Indians of Costa Rica: Race, Class and the Integration of an Ethnic
Minority. 2001. See also Corticelli, María Rita, El Caribe Universal: La obra de Antonio Benítez Rojo.
Berlin: Peter Lang, 2006.