African Passions

Beatriz Rivera 1995

Beatriz Rivera’s short story “African Passions” first appeared in the Bilingual Review in 1995. In the same year, it was published by Arte Público Press in Rivera’s first full-length book, a collection of short stories titled African Passions and Other Stories. The reaction to this collection, as well as to her subsequent books, has been very positive, with most critics praising Rivera for her sense of humor and intelligence, as well as for her memorable characters.

“African Passions” is a story about an ambitious and loving thirty-four-year-old woman, who, despite her lover’s ambiguous nature, believes that she and he will one day be married and have children. The tale covers one day in the couple’s life — a significant day, as by the end of the story they will have ended their fourteen-year-long relationship.

This is no ordinary story about relationships, however, unless a cat being pushed out of the window to its death by Afro-Cuban gods that are conjured up to guide the protagonist through a difficult challenge is considered a commonplace occurrence. Woven through this plot are themes of love, compassion, and the ability to laugh at those unexpected details that add both sorrow and a better understanding of what is really important in life. Rivera has created lovable characters, both real and fantastic, with the out-of-the-world gods sometimes appearing more bona fide than the human beings.