As a UNESCO World Heritage old city boasting a 500+ year old fortress, a pluralistic, diverse population, all while completely surrounded by white sand beaches and bounty that is the Caribbean Sea.

Introducing our official travel partners, GEMA Tours. They are an award winning travel and event management agency that have been working across Latin America and Europe for more than 50 years. For all of your travel needs, please reach out to Gema Tours and tell them the Festival of the Diaspora sent you!

One of the great pleasures we enjoy as the curation team behind the Festival is that we invite amazing women from all over the continent to come speak, participate and make magic happen when they connect with peers they didn’t know prior to the event. Come hear inspiring leaders like Dr. Zabina Bhasin, Terri Broussard Williams, Lucie Claire Vincent, Maite Lourenco and many, many more!

On an Earth brimming with opportunity and resources, we have to figure out ways to bring some of the economic empowerment seen in other parts of the Americas to Cartagena. As you walk outside of the tourist zone, you will see potential, human and otherwise, everywhere.

As alarming numbers of educated, young people are looking north and westward for opportunities, brain drain has become a burning issue in Colombia (as well as Latin America). This topic covers several themes of the #FOTD2023 themes, but the most important aspect might be how to tackle this issue in order to prevent further emigrations and developments of diasporas. Discussion on concrete solutions and possibilities for a more innovative future in Colombia.

The world is changing before our eyes with armed conflict of the type seen in our grandparents’ childhood have visited modern times. Given the surprise and dismay in national capital cities, one has to think about opportunities to bring more allies and trading partners. Latin America represents the youngest group of consumers - with untapped economic possibilities - in the Americas. A new world order of trade agreements need to be put in place now so that all of the Americas will enjoy the fruits of such agreements.