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Palenque Outreach Program

THE ANCESTRAL TERRITORY OF SAN BASILIO DE PALENQUE, COLOMBIA

In the interest of the preservation of the precious heritage and history of the Palenque culture dated from the 17th century, The Peter Uba Foundation has made a commitment to work with the community of San Basilio de Palenque in areas of Health (Midwifery), Education, and Agriculture. We believe in preserving this unique oasis of African culture and tradition in the Americas.

ABOUT PALENQUE

The community of San Basilio de Palenque is a Corregimiento (country subdivisions for royal administrative purposes ensuring districts were under crown control as opposed to local elites) of the municipality of Mahates in the department of Bolívar – Colombia. A corregimiento was usually headed by a Corregidor.

Creole languages, used as a means of communication by descendants of enslaved Africans, who are in the Caribbean (Haitian, Louisiana French Creole, Papiamento, San Andresano, Palenquero, and others) and West Africa (Saotomense, Principesse, Annobones, among others). At present, the Palenquera language is the only Creole with a Spanish lexical base, a product of the African diaspora in the world. At present this oral manifestation is in processes of appropriation from the different community processes, especially in children and young people who are passive speakers due to the great external influence.

Oral Tradition


The Palenquero oral tradition is a resource of resistance, a tool of struggle and reaffirmation of cultural identity, it is a referent of the past that guides the present and keeps the worldview alive, which contains magical religious manifestations. The wisdom transmitted orally is a basic element for community self-control, hence the word has a lot of value and is one of the ways to maintain identity. Through this oral tradition, community values ​​are also perpetuated from childhood, through stories, myths and legends that guide training in values ​​and anti-values.

 

Agriculture

Most of the activities carried out by the Palenquero men have been characterized by cultivating the land and taking advantage of its three seasons that are used for the cultivation of yams, cassava, banana, orange, papaya, rice, and other commercial fruit trees. The activities of the field in San Basilio de Palenque are associated with the cultural manifestations of the Palenquero heritage, since their crops and products are useful in a first measure for food security, another for the elaboration of typical products led by women natives, who with their punch bowls on their heads take the palenquera culture to different cities of the country. The Peter Uba Foundation is working with the community farmers to commercialize the growing of organic and natural vegetables. The region is known for having a rich fertile soil.

Maintaining the Palenquera Language


The Peter Uba Foundation eagerly works with elders and educators within the Palenque community to educate the younger generations. We work on maintaining the heritage language as well as the modern school curriculums. The language was formed as a necessity for slaves from different countries and cultures on European ships who were deliberately mixed to stop any ideas of mutiny. The slaves, however, came together to create their own language using a combination of Castilian, Portuguese, English, French, Bantu, and Pingui languages. Palenque language used to be spoken in all of the African communities in the Americas, however, today, this language is only spoken in San Basilio de Palenque and is slowly dying out there. Many residents of Palenque retain African first names and surnames.

The Peter Uba Foundation is determined and working to preserve this unique language and society for future generations.

The unique society of San Basilio de Palenque has no police, additionally, there is no crime in the community. The village is organized into Groves called Ma-Kuagro. This system of rights and duties is accepted by all, and citizens watch out for one another. The Cimarroma Guard work for the community’s overall welfare while the Ma-Kuagro manage the community. Approximately 3,500 live inside San Basilio de Palenque 50,000km from the city of Cartagena in the Indies. The Columbian government has declared San Basilio de Palenque a place of “National Character and Cultural Interest” as an international treasure.

 
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