Columbia (South America, That Is): Rich in Black History

Is Bogotá the new Harlem? Could be, if you ask Bonnie DeShong and Ja'Vonne Harley. “Each week we’re going to highlight a destination that’s rich in black history and we recently discovered that Columbia is one of those destinations,” say The Traveling Eye hosts. “Columbia has the Amazon, so there’s dense jungle, but there are also the coast lines, both the Pacific Ocean and the Carribbean Sea. They have great beaches and food and cultural diversity, including Africans who came over through slavery,” adds Bonnie. “Now, African history there certainly wasn’t the first thing that came to mind, but in 1992 there was an estimate that Afro-Columbians comprise up to 21 percent of the entire population in Columbia.”