Afro-Colombians

Afro-Colombians are Colombians of African descent. Their history has its origin with the arrival of the Spaniards, in conditions of slavery. They assume Africanism as a personal value. Moreover, they represent one of the more important ethnic groups in our country. Afro-Colombians represent 10.6% of the Colombian population and they are located in places like Cali, Quibdó, Buenaventura, Cartagena, Chocó, Tumaco, and others.

Some of their contributions are recognized by UNESCO as the cultural space of San Basilio, marimba music and traditional songs from the Colombian Pacific. According to the Virtual Library Luis Carlos Arango, the Afro population arose with the issuance of the law of liberty of slaves, in 1851, in which legally was abolished the slavery of people in Colombia.

In my opinion, Afro-Colombians are the heart of our country. They bring the autochthonous things that we have today. Besides, we are represented by many of them in aspects such as music and writing. For example, some Afro writers are Manuel Zapata Olivella (Lorica, Córdoba), Arnaldo Palacios (Chocó), Mary Grueso Romero (Guapi, Cauca) and some Afro-Colombian musicians are Alejo Durán (Cesár), Joe Arroyo (Cartagena), Totó la Momposina (Mompox), Chocquibtown, Petrona Martínez.

They are part of our culture!