Cristina Bendek

Cristina was born on the island of San Andrés (Colombia) in 1987. In 2018 her first novel, Salt Crystals, won the Elisa Mújica National Novel Prize (Colombia). Cristina is also a journalist and spends her time researching Caribbean literature and writing fiction. She is creative advisor and researcher with a local audiovisual and music label, Yehman Rekaad, setting standards of arts and culture for social impact and transformation through collectivity.

Colombia

Victoria Baruq, 29, returns to her birthplace San Andrés after a painful breakup and the loss of her parents. She finds herself adrift between languages, identities, and histories she no longer recognizes. As she delves into her Raizal heritage, grappling with colonial legacies, diabetes, and the island’s political tensions, her journey crystallizes into a personal reckoning and a broader exploration of what it truly means to belong.