Who is Benkos Bioho?
Who is Benkos Bioho?
Benkos Biohó (late 16th century — 1621), also known as Domingo Biohó was a Bissago and South American leader who escaped from the slave port of Cartagena with ten others and founded San Basilio de Palenque, then known as the “village of the maroons”.
When was Benkos Bioho born?
Benkos Bioho was himself born in Africa, in a place called Bioho, Guinea Bissau, in the mid to late 1500s.
Where Benkos Bioho?
Benkos Biohó (born late 15th century – 1621) was said to have been born in the region of Bioho, Guinea Bissau, West Africa where he was seized by the Portuguese Pedro Gomez Reynel, the dealer, sold to businessman Juan Palacios and resold as a slave to the Spaniard Alonso del Campo in 1596, in Cartagena de Indias.
Who was the king of San Basilio de Palenque?
King Benkos
This community began in 1619, when Domingo Bioho led a group of about 30 runaways into the forests, and defeated attempts to subdue them. Bioho declared himself King Benkos, and his palenque of San Basilio attracted large numbers of runaways to join his community.
How many years has San Basilio de Palenque existed?
Palenque was founded in the 16th century – the exact date remains unknown – by Benkos Biohó, a former African king from either the Democratic Republic of Congo or Angola, who was sold into slavery and escaped the slave port of Cartagena in 1599.
What is special about San Basilio de Palenque?
The first ‘free town’ in the Americas, Palenque founded by those who fled a life of slavery in colonial times, has been preserved intact in Colombia. It’s a unique place, famous for its culture, language, gastronomy and, of course, its history.
When did slavery start in Colombia?
16th century
Slavery was practiced in Colombia from the beginning of the 16th century until its definitive abolition in 1851.
What language is spoken in Palenque?
Palenquero (sometimes spelled Palenkero) or Palenque (Palenquero: Lengua) is a Spanish-based creole language spoken in Colombia. It is believed to be a mixture of Kikongo (a language spoken in central Africa in the current countries of Congo, DRC, Gabon, and Angola, former member states of Kongo) and Spanish.
What are black Colombians called?
Colombia has one of the largest populations of people of African descent outside of Africa, Brazil, and the U.S. The population includes blacks, “mulattoes,” “raizales,” “palenqueros,” and “zambos.” Afro-Colombians have heavily influenced the country’s art, music, and customs.
What is the meaning of Palenque?
Palenke references the Spanish word “palenque”, as a platform, ring, arena or the like, used for different forms of entertainment, surrounded by seats for spectators and made with posts or stakes. Other meanings of Palenque or Palenke are: An ancient Mayan city, located in modern-day Chiapas, Mexico.
What does Palenque mean in Colombia?
palenquenoun. A community of runaway slaves.
Who was Benkos Biohó?
This month the AAHM&CC pays a solemn and grateful tribute to our heroic freedom fighter Benkos Biohó, on the 400 th anniversary of his brutal execution by hanging and quartering in March of 1621.*
Where is the statue of Benkos Biohó?
Statue of Benkos Biohó in the main square of San Basilio de Palenque, the free town which he founded in 1599. The statue’s right arm is outstretched eastward towards Africa.
What did Ben Benkos do for Palenque?
Benkos led the people of Palenque in a just and courageous war against the Spanish Empire’s slave traders, frequently raiding the nearby Atlantic slave port of Cartagena and setting the captives free.
Where did the last name Benkos come from?
El nombre Benkos, recogido en la tradición oral, corresponde a un lugar al oriente del río Senegal que, así como aquellos del territorio de Bambuque con alrededor de trescientos poblados, era un vasallaje del pueblo masái. El pueblo bijago no era favorecido por los esclavistas dado que se les adjudicaba una naturaleza rebelde.
