A City That Holds You in Past and Present

Cartagena is a city that doesn’t sleep — not just because of its glowing lights and rhythmic heartbeat, but because of everything it remembers. The walls remember. The air remembers. And when I arrived, it felt as if the city whispered, “We’ve been waiting for you.”

A Celebration of Abraza La Vida

One of the most meaningful moments of my time in Cartagena was being celebrated for the release of my book, Abraza La Vida, the Spanish edition of Embrace Life. With the support of the University of Cartagena, we gathered in a courtyard that echoed with history — colonial arches above us, and strong women around me.

The women of Cartagena came out in such beautiful numbers. We had real conversations — about pain, about joy, about the ways we carry our stories across borders and generations. It reminded me that healing multiplies when we sit in circle.

A City Rooted in Diaspora

There is something ancestral in Cartagena. The colors, the rhythm, the way Afro-Colombian culture is both preserved and pulsing in the present. I saw it in the faces of women who reminded me of my aunties. I felt it in the music echoing through the streets. The city is a mirror of what it means to survive — to endure colonization and still create beauty, poetry, and power.

Where Books and Dreams Live

Cartagena is also full of hidden literary treasures. We visited the most charming bookstores and cafés tucked between colonial buildings and flowering courtyards. One of the most powerful moments was sitting right across from the statue of Gabriel García Márquez, the legendary Colombian author of One Hundred Years of Solitude. I couldn’t help but feel the presence of his words — and wonder what it meant for my story to now live in his land.

Final Reflection: Night City, Story City

Cartagena is a night city, but not because it’s dark. Because it glows. Because it dances. Because it refuses to stop dreaming. Just like Rwanda, Cartagena carries a past full of pain — but it insists on beauty. It insists on resistance. It insists on telling its story.

And now, somehow, my story lives there too.

Call to Action:

Have you ever visited a place that felt familiar to your soul, even if you’d never been there before? Share your thoughts in the comments — let’s build a global story circle.