Introduction: Pacific Migrants in Cali and the Festival

Colombia's Pacific region is an environment of lush jungle and water, including the ocean, rivers, estuaries and mangroves (Motta 2005). Located in the west of the country, from the border with Ecuador to Panama, this region stands out as one of the richest and most important areas, along with the Amazon, thanks to its exceptional biological diversity and abundance of natural resources (Oslender 2008).

Despite these natural characteristics, the region has experienced historical physical and economic marginalisation compared to the rest of the country, being relegated to the exploitation of its resources, and forgotten by the centres of political and economic power (Castillo 2006). In fact, the region, which is mostly inhabited by Afro-descendant populations, exhibits significantly low development indexes compared to national averages, facing notable disadvantages. In this regard, indicators such as life expectancy, infant mortality, public service coverage, schooling levels, illiteracy rate and per capita income show radical contrasts with urban and developed areas of Colombia (Cano Molina and Arrullos 2019).

In terms of demographic composition, this Pacific region is home to both indigenous and mestizo communities, but a predominantly Afro-descendant population, given that, during the colonisation process, they were transferred to the mining enclaves to be used as slave labour. As a result, historically, this population has been denied its fundamental rights, suffering strong discrimination and profound social and economic marginalisation. Nevertheless, through their persistent cultural resistance and protection of their environ-ment, they have been able to survive in the face of various adversities and have managed to develop their own models of thought, economy and culture (Ibid., 93).

However, the city of Cali, known as the ‘heart of the Pacific’, which is the third largest and most influential city in Colombia, has become the most prominent cosmopolitan area for the Afro-descendant community, accounting for more than 35 per cent of its total population (Urrea, Arias and Hernández 2018). This fact was generated during modernisation in the early twentieth century, when the Afro populations of the Pacific region began a process of urbanisation and left the riverside and rural areas in search of work and educational opportunities and, in short, a more prosperous life. In this context of mobility, Cali emerged as a fundamental destination for Pacific migrants and consolidated itself as the epicentre of the region's migratory processes (Barbary and Hoffman 2004).