Intergovernamental committee for the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage : seventh session

摘要

The holders of the nominated element are the Afro-descendant communities of Quibdó, in the department of Chocó. In the late nineteenth century, several descendants of slaves of African origin, who had populated the Colombian Pacific region since the seventeenth century, migrated to the urban area of Quibdó. During this period, the Festival of St. Francis of Assisi was established as an annual gathering for the inhabitants.Currently, the Afro-Chocó population is around 220.000 inhabitants, the great majority of whom take part in the Festival with different functions: members of the Committee of the Franciscan Festival Foundation and the district committees, flag-bearers, members of local authorities and private entities, and members of the parades and carnival groups.Similarly, Afro-Chocó families who have migrated in the last decades to other cities of the country (Bogotá, Cali, Medellín) meet and celebrate “San Pacho” (St. Francis) in these cities.