again, this book is published by Wesleyan University Press. Author: Heidi Carolyn Feldman
title: "Black Rhythms of Peru"

continued quotes

page 96

According to Nicomedes Santa Cruz, these lyrics were sung as part of a game played by Black children in Lima [Peru] up until the 1920's. The preceding verses, in the beginning, would be sung by one solo singer. When the soloist came to the line of verse, "Like that one sitting down," she or he pointed to a child who was sitting down, and that child immediately stood up to escape being "the one" alluded to by the lyrics.
In the latter half of the song [verses roughly summarized in earlier messages on this thread], the boys offered potential suitors to the girls: bottle-maker, carpenter, baker. The girls turned each of them down saying "a mí no me cumbén" or "that doesn't suit me at all" for a variety of comic reasons, such as bottle-makers sell bottles, he could sell me too; carpenters cut wood, he could cut me too; and so on.
Nicomedes' revival of "A mí no me cumbén" resulted in its rebirth and continued performance in Peru.

page 97
Between 1908 and 1932, when the game "A mí no me cumbén" was popular among Black children, Blacks were the Peruvian racial group second most likely (after Asian males) to intermarry....Because Nicomedes identified the song as part of a game played by Blacks in Lima, it can easily be imagined that its performance socialized Black children to avoid being identified with stereotyped characteristics....
Why, then, did Nicomedes Santa Cruz, a proud champion of "negritude," revive this seemingly racist children's game? Understood in the context of this revival, Nicomedes' use of this 'festejo' reveals a second possible reading. If taken literally, the racist lyrics demean Blacks and urge others not to marry them. However, if the lyrics are understood as satirical, they ridicule the attitudes of those who are afraid of marrying Blacks by comparing their reasons with others that are equally absurd.