They came from Guinea-Bissau, the Congo, Senegal and Nigeria as runaway slaves. In 1603 they created the San Basilio de Palenque village, tucked-away in the bowels of the Amazon forest. Four centuries have gone by and not a strand of their culture, passed down from their ancestors, has been abandoned.
In the sweltering heat of a tropical afternoon, children's feet hammer the dusty stone-scattered ground. The jolts of their movements schlep along with the endless rhythm of a tireless tambourine. Barely 10 years old, like obedient little soldiers, the children have already mastered complex dance steps on the tips of their toes.
At San Basilio de Palenque, dance is a battle - a daily grind that ensures the survival of a culture that suffered near extinction. The culture of Colombia's former slaves has come a long way.
Throughout the country, San Basilio de Palenque is seen as an indomitable village, a symbol of resistance and freedom. Lying at the foot of the mountains, an hour away from the Caribbean coast, the village – with its 3500 inhabitants and founded in 1603 by 37 slaves - occupies a special place in the heart, heritage and claims of African-Colombians.
The slaves who originated from Guinea-Bissau, Congo, Senegal, Nigeria, among others, became the pioneering mothers and fathers of the first palenqua (a fortified village inhabited by runaway slaves) in the history of Latin-America.
Heritage
For four centuries, Palenqueros were cut off from the outside world. To this day, their African heritage remains intact as a result of their self-sufficient preserving practices.
The Palenquera language, a mix of Spanish, Portuguese, German and Bantu languages such as Kimbundo and Kikongo, bears testimony.
While the village has been able to fend off the outside world up until the middle of the 20th century, the need to feed their families pushed Palenqueros to subsequently migrate towards cities and surrounding villages. Thus opening themselves to racism and becoming a laughing stock among Colombians.
Seated in a rocking chair at the doorstep of her house, Concepción Hernández remembers: "They would poke fun at our way of talking. They would say blacks like us weren't even fit to work in their fields".
Humiliated and down, a feeling of shame and rejection against their own culture started to grow among the emigrants.
"As soon as they got back to the village, parents ordered their children not to speak Palenquero anymore but Spanish," recounts Solbay Cáceres.
As soon as they got back to the village, parents ordered their children not to speak Palenquero anymore but Spanish
With brutal force, their mother tongue gave way to Spanish. Nonetheless, only a third of the habitants, mostly the older generation, abstained from speaking Spanish during the 1980's.
But a silent revolution was soon to begin. A handful of Palenqueros finally gained admission into big-name Colombian universities. Now part of the intellectual and militant elite, and influenced by the US civil rights movement, Palenqueros came to discover anthropology, sociology and above all linguistics.
It was then that young Palenqueros started taking note of the slow extinction of their culture, making the renaissance of their mother-tongue their first port of call in what became a cultural battle. The Palenquero dictionary was borne out of this realisation.
A decade later, the first ethno-educational programmes began, with an unbending aim to save the Palenquero identity.
"We must teach the young people who are going to leave the village to not become enemies of their own culture," explains Manuel. "In the school village, we teach Palenquero traditions, we call upon the elderly to tell their stories, and, above all, contribute a new dimension to Colombian history."
"We have to talk about the contribution of Black people to this country," adds Professor Rodrigo Miranda. "That we talk about Simón Bolívar? Yes of course, but we also talk about Benkos Biohó (the founder of San Basilio de Palenqua)."
With no outside support, the villagers mobilised their efforts to have the authenticity of their culture recognised by UNESCO. In 2008 their efforts were rewarded when San Basilio de Palenque got listed by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage for Humanity. Their music, their dance, their gastronomy are now to be preserved under the international body's value programme.
For the Palenqueros, this is not just a cultural victory. It is also a political victory.
Autonomy
Now proud of their African roots, Palenqueros do not intend to stop half way through their success story and are leaving no stone unturned to obtain their administrative and political autonomy.
Since 1993, Colombian legislation recognises specific rights for communities of African descent. In 2008, San Basilio de Palenqua sent a request to the state to become owners of the 7300 acres that make up the village.
They intend to obtain an autonomy equivalent to that of indigenous communities in the country.
"They are our model. We are in permanent contact with them," reveals anthropologist Jesús Palomino.
San Basilio de Palenque has become the model for African communities in the country.
"Before our battle, there was not one public policy for African Colombians," recalls Palomino. "Today, we're helping the other communities. We're sharing with them our know-how in terms of preserving our heritage and we're giving them judicial support."
San Basilio de Palenque thus continues to build its legend in sync with its daily battles, like the rhythm of a never-ending dance.
