A small town founded by runaway slaves in the foothills of Colombia in the 17th century has been granted administrative autonomy after a long fight.
San Basilio de Palenque, Colombia – Overlooking the usually sleepy, languid town of San Basilio de Palenque is a statue of Benkos Bioho, runaway slave, town founder, and symbol of the town’s heritage and unique nature.
“Africa is everything to me, it’s everything to us Palenqueros,” says Nuno Bembele, education adviser of the San Basilio de Palenque community council, who is sitting in the shade of the town square, wearing a bright green polo shirt emblazoned with the image of Bioho.
Nestled away in Colombia’s rumbling, green hills, the town is hot and lush, and quiet murmurs of pedestrian activity pepper the humble town square.
It’s a quiet Saturday afternoon and the town is still following a brief downpour. People amble around the two parallel streets that frame the square – the only two paved streets in town – seemingly looking for something to do. Most others pass the time simply sitting on their stoops, or clustered around a large speaker blaring traditional vallenato and sipping on cold beers or sharing lukewarm rum to whittle away the hours.
