THE LAST PALENQUE Documentary
Once I "discovered " San Basilio De Palenque I fell in love with the people. I quickly came to realize that in terms of material wealth they did'nt have much. So I made it a point to bring things I thought could be needed pens, pencils, toothbrushes etc. These two young men got the last pairs of flip flops I had left.
Hello Everyone! my name is Michael Rucker and I am a freelance photojournalist.Today I'm asking you to join me on a special mission. The mission if you choose to fund it is to make THE LAST PALENQUE a documentary film that tells the story of San Basilio De Palenque,the first free African settlement of the Americas. It's an inspirational but little known story of Africans in Colombia,South America who fought and won their freedom from the Spanish more than two hundred and fifty years before President Abraham Lincoln's 1863 signing of the Emancipation Proclamation and almost two hundred years before the Haitian revolution and their defeat of Napolean.
Genesis Of THE LAST PALENQUE
The Back Story
The back story of my taking on this documentary starts with a confession. I did'nt choose to make THE LAST PALENQUE. It chose me! It all happened it seems quite by "accident" but I'll leave that up to you to decide.
Three years ago I had an unstamped passport and money set aside to travel to Africa , to reconnect with the Motherland. Never having time before, it would be my first travel abroad. Faya ,a very good friend of mine and fellow photographer, suggested that I go to Cartagena, Colombia with her. She had gone there a few times and thought I would enjoy it . After considering it I decided to go because I thought it would be good preparation for traveling to Africa. I also knew there was an African presence in Colombia so I figured I could make some good images about the subject.
So off to Colombia we went for a two week visit.,It was great and I saw alot of Afrodescendentes but felt I did'nt capture anything significant. I thought long and hard and made a choice that would later change the direction of my life. The day before we were to return to the U.S. I decided to stay for another week.It was a big decision for me knowing very little Spanish and being inexperienced in international travel . And it was Colombia of all places, with such a bad reputation, that I was a little afraid but drawn to stay. Somehow it was the right decision .
Before leaving, Faya gave me the phone number of a guide she knew in Cartagena named Ishmael, and told me he would be good to contact. When I did, the first thing I told him was ,"I don't care about anything else ,take me to where the Africans live".
The next thing I knew, I was in a taxi cab heading well outside of Cartagena. On a winding highway passing small town after small town, the houses became increasingly scarce. Then suddenly the taxi veers off the main highway onto a bumpy dirt road prompting the cab driver to express concern for his taxi's ability to handle the rough terrain. The further we drove the more precarious the taxi's durablity became evident. Then we came to an abrupt halt, but the road was'nt the problem nor was the taxi. It was a herd of cattle content to just stand there. The road was flanked by steep hills dwarfed by mountains in the near distance, effectively trapping us for about five minutes. Until slowly the cattle shuffled along giving us passage. We bounced along for about seven minutes more, making it about fifteen minutes since we left the main highway.
Then it happened. I started seeing cinder block
houses painted in colorful pastels just like the photos I've seen from West Africa. Children appeared riding horses, stopping to curiously see who would be arriving by cab. I feverishly shot every fleeting moment as if it would be my last. Then up on our right, came a cemetery seemingly filled to capacity, because of the above ground New Orleans style crypts.
I could see that the road had given way to a street lined with houses that funneled into a kind of square bustling with many people, many black people.
As the taxi kept going forward,,It was a blur trying to process it all. This was unlike anything I had seen in Colombia up til now, which was'nt much, but this was an all black community in the middle of nowhere.
As we were riding along almost exiting the square, out the corner of my eye I see it." Stop! Stop! What's That!!! What is That"!!! I jumped out of the taxi,then Ishmael got out and followed. "When were you going to show me this???," I said while emphatically pointing. It was a statue of a man with strong African features, a long broken chain more than a yard long dangling from his right wrist, his arm extended forward and his fingers spread out as if literally reaching to grasp freedom.
A shirtless ,but sombreroed man with a large stomach approaches us ."Buenos tardas!(Good Afternoon)Me llamo es Raoul!(My name is Raoul)". He continues to talk but my Spanish is poor. So Ishmael translates, "He says, 'This is Benkos Bioho, he is the hero of this community , he founded it.' "
Raoul points to me, then himself, and says, "Lo mismo Sangre." Ishmeal interprets, "He said you and him are the same blood." I had to fight back tears for a moment, I was'nt prepared. I always imagined going to Africa and hearing those words but ironically I found a corner of it here in Colombia.I could'nt believe what I saw,standing under his likeness. Benkos Bioho!!! I never heard this story. I'm thinking if I never heard it, how many others don't know? I must tell this story.
From that moment, the dye was cast, and THE LAST PALENQUE documentary was born. My life would never be the same.
Palenque? Some Basic Information
Palenque, as it is informally called, is located in northern Colombia an hour and a half by car inland, southeast of the city of Cartagena , the number one seaside tourist destination of the country,which also boasts the best examples of Spanish colonial architecture in the western hemisphere. Hundreds of years ago Cartagena was the principal port established by Spain for the importation of enslaved Africans during its expansion into South America.
In Colombia African slaves were used to mine for gold and silver under harsh conditions and brutality. During this time some Africans were able to escape to freedom, establishing Palenques, which means "communities fortified with sticks ". These Africans the Spanish called Cimmarones meaning "wild ones".This is the word from which the English " maroon" is derived.
The most famous of the Cimmarones was Benkos Bioho, a West African from the Guinea Bissau region. Benkos ,who was believed to be of royal lineage, is credited with the establishment of San Basilio De Palenque after leading a small group of Cimmarones to the remote area surrounded by the Montes de Marie.
These mountains proved to be instrumental in aiding
Benkos and his followers in fighting off the
many attempts the Spanish made to capture them.
Beyond fighting to defend the region of the Monts De Marie ,Benkos developed an intellegence network and led raids in and around th city of Cartagena attacking Spanish assets and freeing other Africans.
After years of futile attempts at capturing San Basilio De Palenque ,the Cartagena Governor Geronimo de Suazo y Casasalo offered a treaty recognizing Benkos and the Palenqueros autonomy on July 18 ,1605.
There were other palenques, but they fell to the Spanish , leaving San Basilio De Palenque,as the only one to survive. San Basilio became known as the sole refuge for an African escaping to freedom.
What Is Needed?
Airfare:the cost will come to about $800 that includes a round trip flight to Cartagena,Colombia,baggage
fees and transportation to and from the airport in the U.S.. Once in Colombia I'll be taking public transportation.
Production Equipment: DSLR w/video capablity(USED) @ approx. $500.00 min. to $1300
Digital Audio Recorder (Used) @ approx. $ 300 to $500
I have been using equipment that I bought some years ago, but these additions will help in the production values or quality of what will be seen by the audience.
Translator/Fixer (fixer: credible local person who knows the environment of your production ,ie; geography,langauge,customs,attitudes,and general and specific,social layout of the land). It is close to impossible to get anything done, or to avoid very real potential problems that may threaten the success of your production without this person. I am lucky to have two both are friends. One I bring a nice gift to from the U.S., the other I help out here and there with gas money or food for the family.
Total cost:approx. ($ 250 mil) ( $125.00 U.S.D.)
*These expenses are to cover a 3 or 6 month
period depending on the amount of contributions
Hey Gang! this video above is an example of the accomodations I've had while living in Palenque.
This room came in second in terms of general comfort,no holes in the mosquito net and the fan worked. I shot this with my point and shoot Sony.
*Room & Board: includes the room rental @ $50.00 per month .
*Meals @ $125.00 per month,I can get by on this amount because I cook whenever I can and take responsiblity for my own meals.
*Transportation: @ $90 per month, including all bus and motorcycle fares for travel between San Basilio De Palenque and Cartagena. also periodic travel to neighboring towns to shop for food, and phone calls back to the U.S.. Mom worries a little.
Reinactments; The largest scene in terms of characters is twenty five people minimum.They will be armed standing at the top of the mountain that surrounds Palenque.
All reinacments will be acted out by Palenqueros,
with the exception of the use of re-enactors to portray the Spanish in a battle. I think it is only fitting that the palenquero be able to help portray their story. Each Palenquero will be compensated $30 mil($15.00U.S.D.). This in total amounts to
$750 mil ($375.00 U.S.D.)
This reinactment will not be accomplished without payment because it is seen as a rare opportunity by the Palenquero to earn money, because of their remote location and racial discrimination in employment. These payment amounts I have arrived at by way of gathering a concensus amongts Palenqueros as to what would be fair minimum compensation.
I Pledge
All donations will be used towards the making
of THE LAST PALENQUE. My asking for your help is a
humbling and serious matter to me. I deeply appreciate
any donations you deem appropriate and please know
it is very much needed and will be used with care.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I feel it necessary to state that the exchange rate on the U.S. dollar is practically 2 to 1 in Colombia. Every dollar donated can effectively be used as two Colombian dollars .I know these days money can be tight for many people so I appreciate anything you can spare. If you are fortunate enough to spare fifty dollars, you are really donating one hundred dollars towards the production.If it‘s ten dollars that’s still in effect twenty dollars!