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Published: June 22nd 2006
Well, I am wrapping up my time here in Colombia. I spent the vast majority of my time in the capital city of Bogotá. One of the reasons I am intrigued by Colombia is the lack of knowledge we as North Americans have of the culture here. Similar to Russia of the Cold-War era it seems the information we receive about our latino-brothers to the south is narrowly focused on the problems (in this case drugs and violence) and the vast spectrum of culture is missed. To be sure, this filter has deterred international travel here to the extent that there is a refreshing lack of turism infrastructure. Bogotá is a vibrant, powerful city that exists on its own terms because it is has not yet been influenced by the financial opportunities of turism. For those who have not visited this country before I hope to provide a sample of Colombian culture so as to provide some perspective.
The people here are beautiful in a Jack Kerouac sense: strong, independent and passionate. The majority of them are slightly tan with black hair. (think more italian than mexican) The style is serious and urban. Being in the mountains at around 8000
feet there are alot of sweaters and either slacks or jeans. There is a large minority population of blacks that live mainly on the pacific coast. There also exists a prevalent racism between the more "white" latinos and the blacks. This exists to the degree where I have seen several nazi tattoos on poor Latinos; not knowing that they, too, would be considered a lesser race by our, better, racism. The food is delicious. Well, at least I think so now. It took me a couple weeks to get accustomed. For breakfast I eat Arepas every day at a corner store. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day here and typically consists of soup, rice, juice, salad and some meat. The two most famous dishes of Colombia are the "Bandeja Paisa" and "Ajiaco". The Paisa comes from Medellin and is a colossus of a meal with beans, rice, pork, meat and banana. The Ajiaco is a soup with chicken, rice, avocado, corn and cream. In addition to the restaraunts you can get food from numerous street vendors. The people are very friendly in one-on-one situations. With suprising ease they have invited me to their houses or on weekend trips
to their farms in the countryside. This intimacy disintigrates rapidly, however, as you step into the streets. Here it is a veritable battle. The concept of "courtesy" seems to have been lost in translation as these people elbow and shove their way through life. Not to say large cities in the U.S aren't aggresive but at least we have the decency to be ashamed about it. Here, the lack of regard for others extends into every aspect of life. It is very common for someone in the movie theater (usually the guy sitting next to me) to not only have his phone ring but to answer it and have a full-on conversation without a hint of embarrasment. Perhaps it is a dark and sarcastic conclusion but it seems to me the civil war in Colombia has no hope of peaceful conclusion until the people learn how to at least wait in line together.
The violence. This theme has been haunting Colombia for the past 100 years. Similar to the United States, there was a political dispute after the Independence over the best form of government: federalism or centralism. Whereas we killed the remainder of our pesky States-rights advocates in
the civil war, a lack of military efficiency and old-fashioned follow-through has led to persistent combat in Colombia. This dispute has transformed with time into one of conservatives and liberals, with the conservatives holding power for the majority of the last century. The origin of current violence can be traced back to the "banana massacre" that took place in 1913. During this massacre hundreds of peaceful laborers/protestors were decieved into attending a "negotiation" and murdered. A lawyer named Jorge Gaitàn roused the public with denouncing speaches of the aristocracy. Destined to be president due to a large following he was assassinated in downtown Bogotá. (close to my old hotel) This murder, followed by the murders of other prominent liberal leaders, prompted distrust in the democracy of Colombia and an eventual withdrawl from participation in the "legal" political process. In addition, fearful conservative leaders attacked several southern towns thought to be harboring liberal sentiments. This led to the creation of defense-oriented militias with the aim of protecting their towns and families. With the influence of the international politics of the Cold War these groups adopted communist ideologies and became the FARC. This group, along with the ELN in the north and
the F-19 have terrorized the Colombian psyche since. There is currently a civil war. One prominent liberal professor was murdered and several taxi robbing/shootings have taked place. In addition, Colombia has recently been honored with the recognition that more people are killed here every year as the result of land-mines than anywhere else in the world. Take that Laos! That said, I have not witnessed any violence during my time here. The best analogy I can think of is to the news back home; judging from the newscasts murders and tragedies are rampant in the States, but I believe their "newsworthiness" skews a realistic understanding of the community at large. In years of travelling I have consistently been surprised by the amount of goodwill in the world. However, I think it would be dishonest to simply present a "warm and cozy" picture of Bogotá. I have "felt" more tension and danger in this city than in any other I have visted, escept maybe Cairo and parts of Panama City. One must be on guard here, always thinking "what neighborhood am I in, Is it night, Are there people on this street, etc." This, in the end, is very tiring. With
the election of President Uribe 4 years ago this has changed dramatically for the better.
Before President Uribe was elected in 2002, the general public had tremendous sympathy for the guerillas. They were seen as the defenders of the poor. However, President Pastrana (1998-2002) sincerely attempted to negociate a peace with the Farc and their refusal to peacefully cooperate disillusioned the majority of the Colombian people. This sentiment allowed the election of Uribe, whose father was killed by the Farc and is known for his "tough stance" on terrorism. I had the luck to be here during the elections. It was sweet. I had the opportunity to see Gaviria, the leftist candidate, give speeches in public plazas. Both candidates actually came to my university to talk with the students. In Colombian elections they have a cool system where if the "first round" of voting is close between two candidates, they have a second round. This allows people to vote for whom they believe truly represents their values/interests and not have to vote strategically.(think Nader) When all was said and down, however, to mainain his "street rep" with his fellow Latino-American presidents/dictators/mafi-lords, the president refused to debate his challengers and
coasted to victory on his reputation.
What else? The cultural and social development of Bogotá has some intriguing elements. For example, every Sunday the major streets are closed to automobile traffic and opened to bicycles and runners. There is a public aerobics class held in a major park downtown to encourage healthy living. The cars are regulated by a "Pica y Placa" system where, depending on the numbers on your license plate, you can only drive certain days. There is a major public transportation system called "Transmilenio" that effectively moves tens of thousands of people around the city. Instead of building a floating highway or whatever the hell they want to build in Seattle they should check this out first. Oh, additional "sweetness" to Colombian travel is that the buses don't stop at bus-stops. They stop whenever you tell them to. If you see a bus cruising down the road you just have to wave your hand and he will swerve like a madman and cause a traffic jam just to pick you up. One of the not-so-sweet elements is the poverty. In Bogotá I have been battling myself whether to imitate urban "grit" and ignore the beggars or
use this opportunity of relative wealth to give money away like Anton smokes herb: frequently. There are tons of poor people here. The majority of them are displaced people who have fled the countryside due to violence to find a better life in Bogotá. Admirably, many attempt to "earn" their money by perfoming street acts or helping people park their cars or whatever. These people demonstrate a discipline and resolve I know I don't have.
Lastly, I'll give a break-down on what I've been up to here. I live in a rented room in a neighborhood called Palermo. It costs 80 bucks a month and the Señora of the house is named Maria (they are ALL called Maria) and is about 72 years old. I have been studying Spanish at the University Javeriana. My class wasn't that challenging and I think I managed to anger the entire teaching-corps with my questions and "suggestions". Every morning I face death as I take a shower with exposed wires from the shower-head and occasional sparks flying. I am part of the swim team for the faculty of medicine here and we have practice in a beautiful pool in the north of the
city. There is also a great cinema here that has internacional and independent films and once-a-week I watch the orchestra because my buddy here plays the french horn . That's about it. Until Peru. Where I will be travelling with Lauren!
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mimi
non-member comment
colombia
hola nels! me recuerdes? soy mimi; la chica japonesa que encontraste en costa rica (olvide el nombre del pueblo...pero esta cerca de san jose, y fuimos a una escuela espanol..)hace 2 anos. que bueno estas en colombia!! yo fui hace 1 ano alla, y me encanta muchisima!! me encanta la gente, la playa (tayrona), la salsa... bueno, keep me updated on ur travels!! best of luck!! ciao.