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In honor of the ancestral Afro-Colombian culture of the Caribbean coast, the Palenque Festival of Drums and Cultural Expressions (Festival de Tambores y Expresiones Culturales de Palenque) is held every year in mid-October in San Basilio de Palenque, in the jurisdiction of the municipality of Mahates.
The origin of this population is strongly rooted in the resistance against slavery during the Colony, being founded by slaves who escaped from their masters in Cartagena, led by Benkos Biohó.
Since the 17th century, the population of San Basilio de Palenque remained relatively isolated from the rest of the country, thus developing a characteristic culture that is celebrated within the framework of the Festival.
Different elements of the Palenquera cultural identity have a place in this festival. As its name indicates, the drum and rhythms of African origin are the protagonists of the festival, but they are by no means the only element of an agenda that seeks to celebrate and publicize various aspects of the Afro-Colombian culture of San Basilio de Palenque.
Workshops on percussion, dance, hairstyles and Palenque language, discussions on ancestral medicinal knowledge and musical presentations comprise the diverse program of a festival with more than three decades of tradition that pays tribute to the rich history and cultural relevance of the “First Free People of America.”
