This is a complicated and HUGE topic that cannot be covered in just one article, but I will do my best to stay focused. In this article I’ll talk about the existence of classism and colorism in Colombia, how black foreigners ought to think about it when directed at us, and how it’s different from racism in the USA.

WARNING: This article isn’t trying to be Politically Correct; it’s meant to educate people. For those foreigners who already live in Colombia, or plan to move here, this might offer some more insight into the culture. For those foreigners on the receiving end of discrimination, I hope this article gives you some comfort in knowledge.

Let’s start off on common ground with some important definitions.

Classism is defined as “The unfair treatment of or negative opinions about someone based on their social class (= economic and social position), especially because they are thought to be from a low social class”.

Colorism is defined as “Prejudice or discrimination against individuals with a dark skin tone, typically among people of the same ethnic or racial group”.

Colombia is a deeply and systemically Classist and Colorist, and as a result, highly prejudiced towards dark-skinned people.

This isn’t merely an opinion, it’s a sociopolitical fact.

If you’re going to be intellectually dishonest, defensive, or gaslight me like SO MANY PEOPLE have tried to do, then this article is NOT for you. Leave in peace and enjoy the whitewashed delusions 👍🏾

For everyone else who wants raw TRUTH, then read on.

Colombia is a deeply and systemically Classist and Colorist country

Fact

We Cannot Take It Personally

Personally, I don’t think that the racism towards black foreigners in Colombia is necessary malicious.

Let me be clear: I’m not talking about the racism from the elites, nor people who have the authority to over-police, disenfranchise, and callously slaughter afro-Colombians just because they can. THOSE people are “the power structure”, and yes, their mindsets and actions ARE malicious and evil. That’s for a different topic.

In this article, I’m talking about the “average people on the ground”, because those are the people I come in contact with on a weekly basis. People as powerless as you and I. People who are descendants of Colombia’s difficult history of violence and slavery. People who are in “survival mode”, people who don’t watch World News, or know much (if anything) about the outside world and how attitudes towards discrimination are changing.

To me, their discriminatory behavior seems based on ignorance and brainwashing. They “simply don’t know better”. It’s just their culture.

In Russia, the average working stiff might start the weekend with a mug of vodka… to them it’s not “borderline alcoholism”, it’s just their culture.

In Japan, younger people bow to their elders… to them it’s not being “needlessly submissive”, it’s just their culture.

In Nigeria, people often answer a question with a question… it’s not “rude”, it’s just their/our culture (I have a cousin like this, it’s annoying AF… I’m like, BRO JUST ANSWER THE QUESTION, man!! 😆).

Back to Colombia… the average person lies like it’s their job… to them it’s not “being untrustworthy or a lying piece of shit”, it’s just their culture.

In all these examples, they’re not TRYING to be alcoholics, submissive, rude, or dishonest. They’re just… existing. It’s literally all they know, it’s how they’ve been raised/conditioned, and so they behave accordingly. After all, we are ALL animals, AKA “organic computers”. Computers have programming. And in some cases, the programming is difficult or impossible to ignore or overwrite.

Blackface in Barraquilla Carnaval

Lemme paint a picture. Back in early 2023, I had an afrocolombiana girlfriend here in Barranquilla. In the long term, she turned out to be completely phony (that is, not really “my” girlfriend but a secret sex worker), but I’ll reserve that depressing cautionary tale for another article.

Anyway, back then, my buddy from New York City – let’s call him “Buddy” – and I were talking to our respective 100% afro-Colombian girlfriends about the fact that the Barranquilla Carnaval features performers in blackface.

We expected our girlfriends to decry it, and talk about how they hate it, etc. But guess what? Both afrocolombiana women AND their – black families, apparently – were VIGOROUSLY defending the portrayal of blackface! 🤔 Buddy and I were like… wait, what the actual FUCK??? 😟

That’s just one example of how the common people – at least here on the north (Caribbean) coast – have 100% accepted, internalized, and even justified the classism/colorism and racism. Ignorance and illiteracy are real problems here, and that drives much of the acceptance of the status quo.

I’ll be calling out more examples in future articles, so stay tuned.

Racism in the USA vs. Colombia

What does this section title mean? What’s the difference? Don’t Racism and Discrimination come with the same shitty and vile mindsets everywhere in the world? Well, yes… Racism and Discrimination are bad everywhere in the world. However… it’s still important to understand the nuances and potential mindsets.

In Colombia, the racism and discrimination – again, I am talking about from regular Colombians towards black foreigners – seem to be based on ignorance, while in the good ol’ disUnited States of America, the racism is definitely based on hatred.

In the USA, we know better. The US population KNOWS that racism and discrimination are bad, even illegal. We have free access to information about the world, a higher literacy rate, anti-discrimination laws, marches and protests… the list goes on.

And YET we still have people doing hate crimes, including mass shootings targeted at people of color. We still have people calling for blacks to be stripped of their rights and returned to chattel slavery 🤡 We STILL have police officers executing black men for basic infractions, based on some vague “I feared for my life” bullshit, and facing no consequences. We STILL have companies, agencies, apartment lease offices, and businesses discriminating based on a person’s name or skin color. Sometimes these companies lose business, get sued, lose the lawsuit… and they STILL privately or publicly double-down on their rabid bigotry.

This is quite different from “it’s just their culture”. It’s NOT their culture. For all the reasons I listed earlier, it’s quite intentionally and pointedly malicious and hateful.

THIS is what I mean when I say that the racism in Colombia SEEMS based on ignorance, while that of the USA is based on pure hate.

This Isn’t Excusing Colombian Racism

No country’s racism is “better” or “worse”, just “different”. After all, the ultimate effects of discrimination are still the same, and every country needs to fix that shit.

At the same time, I strongly believe it’s still good to know the root causes or sentiment behind human behaviors, especially when adapting to a new culture. It’d not make sense to be extremely upset when we – black foreigners – are discriminated against in Colombia – or referred to with certain terms like “negrito”- by oppressed, semi-educated people who LITERALLY don’t know better.

Here’s an analogy. If you visit an animal shelter and a previously abused cat reacts to you in a hostile manner, do you take it personally? Or do you try to understand the cat’s history and point of view, and – if you care to adopt it – have patience and try to gain its trust and teach it a better way?

Listen, we are guests in a developing nation where classism and colorism are basically “hard-wired” into the system… where system, unapologetic, and open discrimination are simply facts of life. It’s their culture, we are merely guests, so we can’t take things too personally.

Your Experience Might Differ

Colombia is very regionalized, so the levels of ignorance, classism, colorism, and discrimination might vary from region to region. This article is based on MY experience and observations, living near “everyday Colombians” here in the ass-pit of Colombia (the north/Caribbean coast) since November 2022. It is also based on some anecdotes from about a dozen people in my reality… both locals and expats who are conscious enough to observe, and brave enough to discuss, this sensitive topic.

Up till today I still experience microaggressions almost every time I step out of my Barranquilla apartment, so much so that I barely leave this luxury prison anymore, focusing on planning my exit from this wretched region. My travels have shown me that Cali has more sensible, educated, employed, and socially aware afro Colombians… it’ll be a more “compatible” place for me to live.

YOUR experience might be different, depending on various factors. So, take this article with a grain of salt, and I hope you never have to suffer the way I have.