Afro-Colombian Day and Life – Angelica Ricaurte Villalobos

Angelica Ricaurte is an Afro-Colombian human rights lawyer (Universidad de Cartagena) and activist with over 10 years of professional experience in the field of human rights. She holds an LL.M. from The Pennsylvania State University, where she concentrated on ‘Law, Race, and Equity’ as a Fulbright fellow. She has served as a legal consultant for several NGOs in Canada, the United States, and Latin America.

Afro-Colombian Day or ‘Día de la Afrocolombianidad’ is an annual commemoration of the abolition of slavery in Colombia on 21 May 1851. 21 May is also the day of the first established free town in the Americas, Palenque de San Basilio. Afro-Colombian Day was first celebrated in 2001.

The organizers of Afro-Colombian Day hope to show the natives the importance of the Black population and the effect they have on the history of Colombia. Afro-Colombian Day celebrates the artistic, intellectual and social contributions of Afro-Colombians in Colombia. During the event, people celebrate through food, music, art and local folklore.

Why is this day important? Where does it come from? Why, nowadays, don’t we give enough space and attention to mixed identities and the Black heritage?