Archbishop Jorge Enrique Jimenez Carvajal of Cartagena, Colombia, said in reference to the synod currently being held at Rome of African bishops that the scope of the conference must be expanded in scope so as to encompass the reality that Africans were brought to the Americas and form a distinctive part of the culture of both South and North America.
Said Archbishop Carvajal, "Thousands and thousands of black people were brought to America where they were auctioned and forced to work until they died. ... Peter Claver awaited the 'slave ships' with expectations different from those of the traders. ... For the apostle, the new arrivals were 'children of God' who needed to know all the truth of the Gospel. ... Africa is the 'Great Motherland' of all our black peoples from Canada to the Tierra del Fuego, including all the marvels of their presence in the Antilles and the Caribbean."
How many things that make the American continent great have only been possible with the contribution of black people, heirs to such still-hidden richness, to such a wealth of symbols that with the passage of time have enriched the Christian message, to such joy of believing in the faith even though life has been so hard to them?"
The history of Africa in America is not of yesterday, it is living today. For this reason I believe that this Synod should also include a reference to the black people of America (I hope you have noticed the use of the word 'American' to designate the whole of America: North, Central, Antillean, Caribbean and South). A large part of their heart still lives and will continue to live in Africa; they will appreciate what happens here and consider it as pertaining to them".
Cartagena was a main seaport during the Spanish colonial period of South America through which thousands of Africans transited to slavery on plantations, mines, and manufacturing. It retains a vibrant Afro-Hispanic culture.
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