Finance Colombia presents a short documentary by Loren Moss about San Basilio de Palenque, its people, its history in their own words, and how the town is doing today. Its inhabitants, the Palenqueros, also share advice for those who wish to visit.

Special thanks to:

• The people of San Basilio de Palenque, los Palenqueros
• El Maestro Rafael Cassiani (RIP) and his family
• The musical group Kombilesa Mi, especially Ali Mc PM & Afroneto
• HBCU Connect, LLC
• Chevron Petroleum
• The Talento Total Foundation

VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL https://youtu.be/LdDYDpm6m6k?si=-I7qQbGIfV_QgYsP

• Produced by Unido Digital Media, LLC https://unidodigital.media/
• Read more: Finance Colombia: https://www.financecolombia.com/
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• More about Loren Moss: https://lorenmoss.com/
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Agradecimiento a:

• La gente de San Basilio de Palenque, los Palenqueros
• El Maestro Rafael Cassiani QDEP, y su familia
• El grupo Kombilesa Mi, especialmente Ali Mc Pm & Afroneto
• HBCU Connect, LLC
• Chevron Petroleum
• The Talento Total Foundation

Cinematografia y dirección: Loren Moss

Fotografia adicional: Liliana Padierna

Editora: Sofia Figueroa Imfeld

Versión en inglés pendiente.

Producido por Unido Digital Media, LLC https://unidodigital.media/

Leer más: Finance Colombia: https://www.financecolombia.com/

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El lugar para bilingual talent! https://empleobilingue.com/

Más sobre Loren Moss: https://lorenmoss.com/write

Contactanos: https://unidodigital.media/contact-un…

Espero que te gusta nuestra ultima documental cortometraje. Les pido darnos un like, comentario, y siguenos…tan importante, comparte con todos! (Luego tendremos una versión en inglés también)

There are, however, success stories. On a grand scale, there is the peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) negotiated by former President Juan Manuel Santos in 2016. On a smaller scale, there are successes that are too often overlooked by media, NGOs, or big city residents.

Finance Colombia’s Loren Moss traveled to the historic city of San Basilio de Palenque, about 90 minutes outside of Cartagena, where a symposium was taking place between Colombia’s many indigenous and unarmed community policing corps that work to keep the peace in many rural areas — the areas that never make the news, for the good reason that many villages and rural areas in Colombia have returned to a harmonious lifestyle, free of major violence or organized crime.

Indigenous leader Brayan Montoya took time out of the event to explain the concept of the Guardia Indigena and the goals of the symposium to Finance Colombia.

Finance Colombia: Can you tell us who you are and what you are working to accomplish?

Brayan Montoya: Good afternoon. My name is Brian Montoya, legal representative of the foundation Savia Cultural, and also the Guardia Indígena and Guardia Cimarrona adviser of Chocó and San Basilio de Palenque. At this moment, we are in the second national inter-ethnic meeting of Native and Maroon Guards. On this occasion, we are in San Basilio de Palenque. Our first meeting was in the village of La Peña in Chocó.

What is our aim with these meetings?

First, to strengthen our Guardias in terms of everything needed throughout the territory: human rights Law 70 [of 1993], international humanitarian law, indigenous law, measures regarding protection and self protection, and uncovering evidence along with public prosecutors.

Our second objective is to show the national government — and the world — that we, the Guardia Indígena and Cimarrona, are not a part of any armed groups. We strongly call on the national government to understand and embrace us with a helping hand to advocate for peace in these territories and to defend for life and defend for the territories that are hard to reach and that have endured so much violence throughout history.

That’s the main goal of this meeting: Build a path focused on defending life, defending human rights, defending territories, and the coordination between afro-descendent and indigenous communities.

Finance Colombia: In what important way could the government help the guards?

Brayan Montoya: I believe the primary assistance the government can provide is to recognize us, in a legal way, as potential members of the government.

We were speaking to the representative, and she said, who better than us since we know the territories fully, to become the stewards during this search for peace, which is being carried out according to the law. Who better than us to occupy those spaces  that they are going to vacate?

We don’t want to repeat what has happened historically within the country: groups outside the law leave, the territory is left vacant, and another group arrives.

Finance Colombia: Here, in San Basilio de Palenque, it is very peaceful — but we don’t see the police or military. For those who don’t understand how the Guardia Indigena system works here in Colombia, can please explain the concept? Because it’s something only seen in Colombia.

Montoya: It is. Here in San Basilio, there is self-government headed by our Mayor Segundo Cáceres, whose functions are similar to that of a police officer, a judge, and a mediator — all put together.

That’s the way we correct, direct, and solve issues here. Everything is handled by a group of mayors to determine appropriate sanctions, so to speak, for any crimes committed. The house at San Basilio de Palenque has its own jail cells, too ,where they carry out necessary measures, but I think, in this part, there would be a better person to speak about this, our Mayor Segundo Cáceres.

Finance Colombia: Here, the Guardia aren’t armed. There aren’t any rifles or guns. Please, explain this concept.

Brayan Montoya: This concept was brought by Benkos Biohó, someone well-known here in Colombia. He was the first Guardia Libertador (liberating guard) of San Basilio de Palenque. We are in the first free territory of Latin American thanks to Benkos Biohó.

Our weapon is the “baston del mando,” [a staff], known as “el perreo” in San Basilio. Symbolically, it’s what gives us status and power to oversee and lead these places. That’s the idea.

Finance Colombia: What can people learn from this system of Guardia Indigena in terms of combatting violence in places like Bogotá, Medellín, and Cali? What lessons or messages can be learned by the armed forces, the police, and the citizens of urban area from the fact that this system is successful here?

Brayan Montoya: Well, I believe San Basilio is the perfect place to show what you are saying. I think this system of talking first and this system of carrying out corrections is a little more flexible — but it’s also forceful because of the jail cells as well as in native communities with the stocks. It generates a trauma in the brain, or leaves a direct message, so that those who were in the stocks will never commit the same crime, because they internalize all those hours spent there with little water under the sun.

The success here is about understanding that most issues — if not all — are solved, first and foremost, by talking. When we sit with the victim and the offender we make much better improvements, and we notice that the offender has also suffered.

Finance Colombia: Thank you for your time. Is there a website for those who want to learn about you or support you? Maybe some kind of contact method, a website, or social media.

Brayan Montoya: La Guardia Cimarrona of Chocó has its own Facebook and Twitter account in case someone wants to contact us. Thank you very much.

Colombia maintains a compulsory military draft for male high school graduates, or non-graduates 18 and over. Certain exceptions such as conscientious objection was added in 1991. Orphans, victims of conflict, and parents are also excused. Sometimes on Colombian streets, especially in low-income neighborhoods, military can be seen rounding up young males and herding those into trucks who cannot demonstrate proof of exemption. A lottery system exists that randomly exempts certain youths once the armed forces is supplied with ample recruits.

Statute of Benkos Biohó, who escaped from the slave port of Cartagena with 10 others and founded San Basilio de Palenque, about 45 minutes outside of modern day Cartagena. (Photo © Loren Moss)

Most Colombians with partial or even majority African descent do not necessarily self-identify as  NARP, but there are certain groups that maintain a distinct ethnicity that has survived for centuries. For example, the Palenqueros are those who can trace their roots through San Basilio de Palenque, founded in the 15^th century by escaped African captive Benkos Biohó. The Palenqueros speak a unique language that blends Spanish with an African language that can be traced back to what is now Angola.

Colombia’s Ministry of the Interior operates the “Dirección de Asuntos para Comunidades Negras, Afrocolombianas, Raizales y Palenqueras” (Directorate of Black, AfroColombian, Raizales and Palenqueras Community Affairs)

The Colombian Ministry of Justice defines the Raizal community as the “population located in the Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina, which has Afro-Anglo-Antillean cultural roots and whose members have socio-cultural and linguistic characteristics clearly differentiated from those of the rest of the Afro-Colombian population.” San Andrés is a popular Caribbean island vacation destination where the local Raizal population speaks English at home and learns Spanish in grade school. Many if not most of the island residents are completely bilingual.

The ministry goes on to identify Afro Colombian communities as those “of Afro-Colombian descent that have their own culture, share a history and have their own traditions and customs within the rural-urban relationship, which reveal and preserve the consciousness and identity that distinguish them from other ethnic groups.”

The court had previously ruled indigenous (Native American) groups were exempt but expanded their ruling to include NARP members in response to a motion filed by ethnic leaders Pedro Alexander Silva, Jeison Eduardo Palacios Robledo, Ramiro Rodríguez Padilla, Rossana Mejia Caicedo, Adelmo Carabali Rodallega, Juan Carlos Ospina, and Libardo José Ariza Higuera.

Judge Paola Meneses of the court indicated that by omitting NARP communities, the principle of equality was violated to their detriment, since the compulsory conscription exemption was intended to “defend the existence and identity of minorities ethnic groups, in order to protect the cultural diversity of the Colombian nation,” and the omission of  NARP members “constitutes a negative discrimination or inequality, since it prevents the development of cultural aspects of their life in community.”

Headline photo: Palenquero musical group Kombilesa Mi, based out of San Basilio de Palenque (Photo © Loren Moss)