Colombia: Peace and Reconciliation

In 2007, two teachers from Francis Parker took a trip to Colombia to visit a unique community by the name of San Basilio de Pelenque. Let’s learn about their history.

Bankos was an African slave captured in Guinea, brought to Cartagena, Colombia, where he managed to escape into the jungle where he established an escaped slave community known as Palenque. It became the symbol of independence for runaway slaves.

In 1713, a royal decree of the King of Spain granted its free status. The Palenque de San Basilio was declared in 2005 as a masterpiece of oral and intangible heritage of humanity by UNESCO. Many call Palenque the corner of Africa and America.

Colombia has the second highest internal displacement rate in the world after Sudan, with estimates ranging from 2 million to almost 4 million, or about 6% of the population displaced.

In the cities, Afro-Columbians are commonly subjected to discrimination and ethnic stereotyping, leading to a denial of their cultural values. Most African Colombian families who transition from the countryside to crowded cities’ slums slide down the social scale into a level of poverty virtually impossible to escape.

Our mission is to reverse this vicious cycle for the students of Palina Segaldo through a sustainable scholastic partnership. FACA students become teachers.

In a trade-off of their cultural value, we learn their music, we dance their songs, and we improve our Spanish.

This is a great opportunity to visit one of the most diverse countries in the world. Come and make a change.