I knew this adventure with Kim Haas wasn’t ordinary the moment we climbed onto a motorcycle-powered wooden train cart in Córdoba, bound for the remote village of San Cipriano. Home to just 600 people and tucked deep within Colombia’s rainforest, San Cipriano has no roads in or out. The only way to reach it is by rail. By rail, I mean a handmade contraption of wooden benches attached to a motorcycle.
Locals call the ride ‘moto-brujas’ or ‘brujitas.’ Bruja in Spanish means “witch.” It’s a name that comes from the broomstick-like poles previously used to push wooden carts when the ride was designed over 50 years ago. The motorcycle attached is why the ride is now called moto-brujas. Little Witches is the perfect name for the handmade engineering because what the villagers created is nothing short of magic for a region in the country that has long been denied resources and investment.
Activists and local human rights groups say this is no coincidence. Located in the Valle del Cauca department (similar to a state) on Colombia’s Pacific Coast, it’s home to the second-largest Afro-Colombian population in Colombia. The Chocó department is believed to be home to the largest population of Afro Colombians, which is also located on the Pacific Coast. The communities have historically been overlooked despite their profound cultural influence.
Uncovering Afro-Latino Contributions And Cultures
While many travelers assume Colombia’s Bolívar department has the largest Afro-Colombian population because of its modern capital, Cartagena, Kim Haas is a travel visionary on a mission to debunk myths about Afro-Latin identity and culture. Through her guided tours, she spotlights hidden Afro histories, people, and stories that you don’t readily see.
“Colombia has such a great, amazing Afro descendant community that it is time to spotlight,” says Haas. “You may hear that the Black population is 10% in Colombia, but once here, you realize it just can’t be.”
According to Haas, some researchers estimate Colombia’s Afro population is around 30%, perhaps even more. Race, however, is complicated because it depends on how people identify. Historically, identifying as Black has been perceived negatively, according to Haas, but the attitudes are shifting. Notably, Colombia elected its first Afro-Latina Vice President, Francia Márquez.
Throughout her Latin American travels, what’s clear to Haas is that Black communities have shaped Colombia’s culture in undeniable ways.
“So much of what people enjoy here and throughout Latin America comes from Black people,” Haas adds. “Salsa, the marimba, cuisine, and viche.”
How Kim Haas Is Reclaiming The Map
Most people know Kim Haas from her PBS show, Afro-Latino Travels With Kim Haas. The show is dedicated to Afro-Latino communities along with their talents, legacies, and contributions.
The show stems from a passion that began when she was seven. Her grandmother took her on a trip to Mexico that changed her life.
“My grandmother took me to Acapulco, Mexico. I remember being in the hotel lobby, and a stranger approached me and asked, ‘Would you like to learn how to count in Spanish?’ From that moment on, I was hooked,” she tells Travel Noire.
Haas studied the language from elementary school through high school, eventually majoring in Spanish in college. The Philly-native became interested in Afro-Latino culture while studying in Seville, Spain, during a study abroad program. She did a paper on enslavement in Brazil and compared it to Cuba, two countries where she was well aware of the Afro communities.
Traveling throughout the region after college, she noticed something that stuck with her.
“When I would travel, I would take notice of the Black Spanish-speaking people in these countries and the contributions they made to their countries. But, none of this was reflected on Spanish TV in the United States.”
That absence inspired her to create her own show. Hosting travel groups was never a part of the plan until viewers started reaching out. They wanted to experience the Afro-Latin cultures she was spotlighting on screen, specifically with her.
What Makes Travels With Kim Haas Unique
In San Cipriano, Haas brought our group to the jungle resort Mamá Yeya Raíces, where we were served a traditional home-cooked Afro-Colombian meal: plantains, yuca, rice, and seafood stew, along with the Afro-Colombian ancestral drink, viche.
Like tequila, which can only be made in specific regions of Mexico, Colombia recognizes that viche is protected by law and can only be produced in the Pacific coast region of Colombia. Fermented and distilled from sugarcane, then infused with local herbs and fruits, viche originates from enslaved Africans and holds deep cultural significance within Afro-Colombian communities. It’s used for medicinal purposes and ceremonial uses.
“This drink is similar to moonshine,” the owner jokingly says. “Traditionally, midwives would give this drink to women after they had a baby for 40 days. It was seen as a healing that women of African descent would drink.”
After years of fighting for recognition, the spirit distilled from sugarcane was officially recognized as a heritage drink in 2021, protecting it from exploitation by outsiders.
It’s moments like this, the ones that are deeply personal, culturally rooted, shared directly by Afro communities, that define Haas’s tours. She partners with Afro communities and families to provide intimate experiences that allow people to connect with Afro-Latino culture ethically.
Her travel company is one of the very few intentionally mapping Afro culture across undiscovered regions of Latin America.
Expanding To Other Destinations Across Latin America
Since launching the group tours in 2024, Haas is now expanding into other countries, including San Salvador, Brazil, the capital of Afro-Brazilian culture, Guatemala, and Uruguay.
Her work is more than tourism. It’s cultural preservation, empowerment, and singlehandedly reshaping how the African diaspora sees itself globally.
“The mistreatment of Black people in Latin America saddens me, especially given how much they have given. I also get inspired by how much they’ve done in unbelievable circumstances,” says Haas. “I see myself in Afro-Latin communities, and I get excited about learning about Black cultures in Latin America.”
