Maybe you know Cartagena for its beaches, for the beauty of its architecture, and even for the mythical literature of Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

and right nearby there is a secular community recognized by Unesco as the first autonomous black territory in the Americas.

San Basilio de Palenque is located about 50 km from Cartagena de Indias, in Colombia. There, medicine, language, school, traditional rituals, gastronomy... everything is imbued with traces of African culture. For over 200 years, the territory located amidst the hills of the Colombian interior has been recognized as the first free black community free from any colonial rule - Colombia would only become completely independent from Spain about 20 years later. 

Palenque, in Spanish, is equivalent to our quilombo - it refers to a territory where blacks and indigenous people sought shelter against colonial oppressions. The oldest still preserve their own, original language - dissociated from all African languages and also from Spanish. This specificity was crucial for the community to be recognized as Intangible Heritage of Humanity by Unesco.

The community has since preserved its tradition fiercely. There are about 600 families living in a village with unpaved streets, many trees, spacious brick houses, well-kept schools and community center, and a lot of history.

In San Basilio, history is printed on the walls, in murals painted by local artists, in the songs sung by rap and reggaeton groups recognized throughout the country.

One of the most emblematic local groups is called Kombileza-mi. The Sexteto Tabala group is an international reference in traditional Palenquera music, using drums. Even today, these drums are the rhythmic base of reggaeton and champeta - a genre that is very successful in the country and resembles funk. 

History is also present in the city's central square, where a statue pays homage to Benkos Biohó, founder of the community back in the 15th century. The elders say he was a descendant of a royal family from Guinea Bissau, and he rebelled in different cities and farms that tried to enslave him. Finally, he founded the community and fought with weapons against colonial power - he was hanged after his hideout was revealed.

The leader's story is known by all in the city and passed down through the generations. Schools have autonomous content, focused on Afro-Colombian history. Language teaching is no longer mandatory, but weekly, the elders gather at the community center to tell stories to students of different ages enrolled in the local school who attend the session within the mandatory class hours. 

 With few income-generating options, tourism is one of the main ways of maintaining the community, which has organized with guides, restaurants, as well as parties and cultural activities that animate the village all year round and attract visitors from all over the world. One of the attractions are the hair salons, with a variety of Afro hairstyles that exalt the beauty of the local black women and have become a national reference.

Funeral ceremonies are a highlight in the local tradition - the whole community is involved. The sung music is also considered a heritage - with a unique drum beat linked to African matrix religions and exported from San Basilio to different cities in Colombia!

The pride, joy, and dignity of the local population persist even under the most diverse pressures. The mystique of the place is unique and the visit is marked as an inexplicable form of ancestral connection, that only those who live in the diaspora can feel. 

#LongLiveDiaspora