These tribes mixed a bit of Spanish, Portuguese, English, French and the African languages Bantu and Pingui to create their Palenquera language.
News Colombia.
In San Basilio de Palenque today, the inhabitants proudly and generously share the Palenquera language and Palenquera cuisine, which are a true reflection of the identity of their people. Their language is admired in Colombia and in other parts of the world.
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More than 200 years before Colombia become independent from Spainthe free lands of were founded Saint Basil of Palenque. In 1603 the peace capitulation between the maroons and the Spanish was signed. Years later, in 1713the Crown of Spain issued the Royal Decree declaring that palenque free from slavery
San Basilio de Palenque, the first community of freed Africans in America. The first free town on the continent, established by slaves who escaped during the colonial era, is preserved intact there.
A unique place in the world, where time seems to have stopped; known for its cultural wealth, its language, its traditional cuisine and its historical legacy.
San Basilio de Palenque. This is one of the 69 indigenous languages that still exist in Colombia. The Palenquero language, shared among the palenques of the time and typical of African communities in America, is today only preserved and used in Colombia, thanks to the runaways who escaped from Cartagena and established San Basilio de Palenque.
Even in the Walled City, located 60 kilometers away, the palenqueras who walk the streets selling their products communicate in their own language; language unique and of incalculable value to Colombian culture.
The Colombian Ministry of Culture declared the site a Site of National Cultural Interest.
They teach how to speak the Palenquera language
Since 1989, the Palenque language, rich in knowledge and culture and the result of a mixture of Spanish, Portuguese and African expressions, began to revive in preschool and primary school classrooms with the aim of perpetuating itself in the community. Some of these young students, now teachers, continue with this work.
Young people also have access to technology, which has been a key tool in spreading Palenque words. An example of this is the influencer KingGerardo27, his nickname on TikTok. Many of the comments from users express that they did not know that this language existed, much less that the people are located in the Colombian Caribbean.
Words like Bó (You), Kombilesa (Friend), Saranguiá (Dance), Chakero (Messenger), Lunga (Die), among others, are part of the young man’s educational videos.
@kinggerardo_27 WORDS IN THE PALENQUERA LANGUAGE 💪🏿✊🏿🖤✅ #language #palenque #reel #viral ♬ original sound – Kinggerardo_27 ✅
@kinggerardo_27 PALENQUERO LANGUAGE ✊🏿🖤💪🏿✅ #language #native #Africa ♬ original sound – Kinggerardo_27 ✅
