Yo Me Llamo Cumbia : A multimodal autoethnographic analysis on the re-presentation of Cumbia’s AfroIndigenous cantautoras

Abstract

Despite a growing number of BIPOC characters in children’s books, images of Black and Latinx women continue to be underrepresented or stereotyped. This article presents a Latina/Colombiana graduate student’s semiotic choices in creating a children’s book about Cumbia music that re-presents the contributions of AfroIndigenous cantautoras [female singer-songwriters]. We present a brief history of Cumbia and its origins to situate Anna’s book and semiotic choices within a larger sociocultural context. Using multimodality and design as lenses, we analyzed four images from her book titled Yo Me Llamo Cumbia. Furthermore, we utilized multimodal analysis using a social semiotics approach with autoethnography to understand Anna’s reflections about her choices. Our findings show that Anna makes several representational, compositional, and interpersonal choices that depict a narrative of AfroIndigenous cantautoras dancing, singing, and teaching others. Cantautoras are centered on the page and their salience is heightened through the use of gold paint and bright colors to symbolically re-present them as queens. The cantautoras are painted from low and eye level viewpoints that elevate their power in relation to the viewer. Our analysis of Anna’s choices shows how children’s book creators should self-reflect on their interests when creating culturally diverse literature.