Stories about Colombia from August, 2012
Venezuela: Preserving the Oral Traditions of the Plains
The oral traditions of the plains are brilliant protagonists of the culture that has spread to other regions of Venezuela. Many natives of the Venezuelan plains use social networks and other Web 2.0 tools to spread, highlight, and preserve these traditions.
Colombia: Miners Flee from Killings and Attacks
In his blog “El que piensa gana”, [es] Juan Jose Hoyos talks about the precautions that miners, union leaders and others who oppose illegal mining or mining by multinational companies (like Gran Colombia Gold) are taking after murders and attacks against fellow miners in Antioquia. He adds that union leaders from...
Combatting Cocaine Production in Bolivia, Colombia and Peru
Drug production and trafficking is a major issue in Latin America that governments are constantly trying to deal with. However, as the continent leaders gathered last April in Colombia for the Summit of the Americas fully agreed, the so far US-led war on drugs has failed in the Region. Peru, Colombia and Bolivia are the three largest illegal cocaine producing countries in the world. What are these Andean Countries doing to combat illegal drugs?
Colombian Government Plans Peace Talks with FARC
In the blog Crónicas, Santos García Zapata explains the context [es] around the Presidential decision to start peace talks with guerrilla groups. The Congress’ Peace Commission has declared that President Santos “is not alone” in his determination to reach peace.
Colombia: Former General Santoyo Admits Ties to Paramilitary Group
Retired general Mauricio Santoyo, former chief of security under ex-president Álvaro Uribe, pled guilty to having helped the paramilitary organization United Self-Defense of Colombia (AUC in Spanish). His confession has created a political scandal in Colombia.
Colombia: President and Indigenous Leaders Meet to Discuss Cauca Conflict
President Juan Manuel Santos met with the indigenous people of the Cauca to hear their grievances and to talk about the ongoing conflict in this department. Thousands of indigenous people came from several regions of the country with the intention of speaking with the President and to push an initiative of peace. The meeting ended without having reached substantial agreements.
Colombia: Students’ National Mobilization Call
On Twitter [es], Facebook [es] and other [es] media, the National Student Board (Mane) [es] is calling for a national mobilization on September 5 to protest President Santos’ failure to keep his commitments to higher education. Image from their facebook page.
Colombia: A Demonstration in Favor of Accessibility in Transportation
The movement Fuerza Incluyente from Medellín is calling for a demonstration against the violation of rights in public transportation. Fuerza Incluyente invites those with or without disabilities to participate: “Let's remember that thousands of people don't leave their homes due to a lack of accessibility in public transportation.” The demonstration...
Colombia: 13 Years Since the Assassination of Jaime Garzón
Jaime Garzón, a Colombian journalist, lawyer, and pacifist, was murdered on August 13, 1999. Thirteen years later, the crime against Garzón continues unresolved. Colombians remember Garzón and ask for justice on every anniversary of his assassination.
Colombia: Online Campaign Seeks to Reform Health System
In their YouTube [es] channel, the group Todo lo que hay [es] posts the story [es] of a Colombian cancer patient whose treatment has not been continuous due to various administrative procedures that are part of the health system in the country: “Jorge Mario's call is similar to that of...
The Nazi Past of the Father of Colombian Anthropology
Cristina Vélez posts [es] her thoughts about “Nazi intellectuals” in her blog after it was revealed [es], at an academic Congress in Vienna, that Austrian-born Gerardo Reichel-Dolmatoff (1912-1994), considered the “father of Colombian anthropology,” had been a member of the Nazi party and the SS in Germany before World War...
Video: What Egypt, Congo, Uganda and Colombia Have in Common
The search for justice in the wake of conflict is what Egypt, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Colombia have in common. The Case for Justice is a series of videos debating on the relevance of what is known as transitional justice, a set of systems that is put into place to allow for accountability in the wake of massive human rights violations.
Colombia: Salsa Musician Jairo Varela Dies
On August 8, Colombian musician Jairo Varela Martinez died at the age of 62. Varela is known for founding the famous salsa band Grupo Niche. There were many comments on Twitter under different tags (Jairo Varela, Grupo Niche and Cali Pachanguero) as soon as his death was known.
Colombia Adds Gold and Bronze BMX Medals to Their List
Carlos Oquendo and Mariana Pajón added two medals to Colombia's collection. The country ended the Olympics achieving a historic eight medals. Mariana Pajón's medal is the second gold medal in Colombia's history in the Olympic Games.
Colombia: Gold for Cyclist Mariana Pajón
Colombians on Twitter anxiously awaited the performance of BMX cyclist Mariana Pajón. Hashtags like ORO (“gold”), #ÁnimoMariana (“Go Mariana”), or Mariana Pajón became local Trending Topics before and after Pajón won the gold medal. With this achievement, Colombia ratifies the country's historic performance at the this year's Olympics and now ranks...
Colombia Achieves Historic Results in London 2012
With 6 medals up until now, the Colombian delegation that is participating in the London Olympics has achieved the best performance in the history of Colombia in the Olympic Games.
Video: No Pool? No Problem! Creative Solutions to Beat the Heat
The hot summer in the Northern hemisphere is forcing many people to seek ways in which to escape the high temperatures or get some relief. These next images and videos show how with creativity and ingenuity, people young and old find ways in which to beat the heat.
Colombia: Journalists and Citizens Tracking Corruption
Monitor de Corrupción [es] (“Corruption Monitor”) is a crowdsourcing platform which aims to “expose areas of corruption in Colombia, where misuse of funds, bribery and fraud are common,” Lindsay Kalter explains at the IJNet blog.
Video: Dreaming of the Olympics in Colombia
The short film "Speed" by student Esteban Barros from Barranquilla, Colombia, shows an Olympic hopeful's dream of competing in the Olympics. Will hard effort, good results and perseverance be enough to get him to the competition? Watch the subtitled two minute video and find out.
Colombia: Caterine Ibargüen Wins Silver in Triple Jump
This post is part of our Special Coverage of our London 2012 Games. During the afternoon of Sunday, August 5, Colombian Twitter users expressed their emotion, expectation and tension due to the performance of Caterine Ibargüen, who represents the country in long jump, high jump, and triple jump at the...
Colombia: Outrage Over Councilman's Racist Comment
Colombian netizens are outraged after a Bogotá councilman used a racist expression to call for order during a debate. Here is a sample of some reactions after a video of the councilman's comments began to spread on social networks.
