Hasta Abajo !

In the village of San Basilio de Palenque, department of Bolivar, Colombia, there are two sources of pride : Kid Pembele, the world super welterweight boxing champion of 1972 and the History of this place. It was the first free community of former black slaves, founded at the begining of the XVIIth century. Many of the Palenqueros people today live in Barranquilla or Cartagena, the largest cities of the Caribbean, looking for opportunities. In the run-down areas of La Manga, Nueva Colombia or Las Nieves, every weekend, to have some fun, some beers, some rum, people meet at the verbenas. There, we listen to African music and bodies let loose to Champeta dance. We gather around the totemic figure of the Pico, a monumental roaring soundsystem. Its name is El Dragon, El Gran Lobo, El Gran Fidel and its paintings always evoke power. Thus, it appears as a symbol of the afro-caribbean counterculture, in a country where this community feel marginalized.

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