By: Parsa Avaz-Barandish
December, 2023
When we think of Colombia, there are a few things, or commodities, that come to mind. Coffee, Chocolate … and here comes the big one: Cocaine. In the United States, besides Shakira, we don’t have a very great perception of Colombia because we have been fed the sole narrative of illegal drug dealing and cocaine by the media. Over the past summer, my family and I were lucky enough to go and see Colombia for ourselves for two weeks, and we really didn’t know what we were going into. I have an interesting family to say the least. Our traveling style is, let’s say, a little different. Whether getting stuck in the middle of Albania during the pandemic, joining an independence protest in Basque Country, or getting in trouble for being the stupid American chewing gum in Singapore (that was my dad, not me), we tend to join the fun rather than watch. So, I was a little uneasy about going to a country that doesn’t have a very good reputation. What trouble would we be caught up in this time?
We started off our trip having to fly to Florida, and from there we flew into Cartagena (pronounced Carta-hena, not Carta-jena). The reason we went to Cartagena was because of my mom’s conference for her work, so we decided to join her. To be brutally honest, I don’t think we would have gone otherwise. They call Cartagena a beach town, but it’s really a commercialized touristy beach city where crazy college kids go to party in an effort to find themselves. So, unfortunately, it didn’t prove to change our minds about Colombia, but we didn’t let it put a damper on our goal: to find the true Colombia, not Hollywood Colombia.
Off we went to our next destination, the city Hollywood loves, the capital of narcoterrorism, the cocaine capital: the one and only Medellín. Many may know of Medellín from Netflix’s “Narcos” series, but for those that haven’t heard of Medellín, it is known for having a lot of cartels, but it wasn’t always that way. Colombia has had a deep political struggle between far-right and far-left factions, especially throughout the 20th century. In 1948, Jorge Eliecer Gaitan, a liberal socialist, who gave hopes of prosperity throughout Colombia, was assassinated. This resulted in a violent period in Colombia, known as “La Violencia”. For 10 years, Colombia’s conservative and liberal parties fought each other brutally, killing almost a quarter million people and pushing thousands of families from their farms into cities where they would be safer. Although reforms took place afterward, creating a governmental system in which the leading coalition would be rotating between the liberal and conservative parties, it very quickly failed. The hostility between the parties, in addition to the rise of a far-right president, Leon Valencia, who made drastic decisions, angering leftist parties, resulted in the rise of two very powerful groups who would become the center of Colombia’s history for the next 50 years: the ELN, a Marxist guerilla group inspired in Cuba, and FARC, a Soviet-influenced communist guerilla group. These two groups instilled violence and devastated communities across Colombia. Later, in the 1980s, far-right paramilitary groups trained by the government were created to counteract FARC and the ELN, which ultimately contributed to much of the violence. One of the cities where the violence was most evident was Medellín.
Medellín is broken up into 16 “comunas” or districts. The 13th one, Comuna 13 or San Javier, is arguably the most famous and fascinating. Comuna 13 faced the largest amount of violence having been controlled by Narcos and Pablo Escobar, as well as being a hotspot for fighting between the paramilitary groups and FARC/ELN. It was born out of the displaced farmers that were pushed out of their farms into the city during the La Violencia period. However, they were often discriminated against and faced destitute living conditions, causing discontent for generations. Many later joined the cartels or FARC/ELN in hopes to fight against the unfair system they were living in. The violence devastated the community, making it so dangerous that many couldn’t go out during the day. Brutal kidnappings and murders were prevalent, constantly leaving very bloody scenes. In 2002, a major government operation took place called Operation Orion, in which many guerilla groups and cartel members were killed and driven out of the comuna. Although it had its controversies, it led the way for great change. In recent years, the progressive policies of Gustavo Petro’s administration have pushed to address the root causes of violence like poverty, inequality, education failures, and substance abuse as a means of preventing the growth of conflict. When I went to Comuna 13, the most red I saw was not from blood, but paint across the walls in mystical paintings. There were murals beautifully crafted by the greatest painters in Medellín with the brightest colors lining the narrow strips where children and travelers walked down, and hip hop and rap could be heard everywhere.
I had found the true Colombia, not cartels and drugs that the media spreads, but its true beauty. At some point, I may have walked over a part of the street where a puddle of blood, a dead body, or a bullet lay, but no longer. The crevices and intricate lines in the cobblestone tell a centuries old story of passion, politics, and violence. The Colombian police, who appeared more like military officers, stood around us, wearing intimidating uniforms and bulletproof vests and holding long ferocious weapons: a stark reminder of the violence and harshness that haunted this community for decades. Yet in contrast to the magnificent vibrant murals right next to them, those soldiers seemed merely a slight bruise. The people of the comuna have used the power of art, dance and music to change their lives. The beauty of the culture, the true culture of Colombia, of Medellín, of the comuna, is a testament to the fact that we can’t change how history was made, but we can change how we make it.
A mural depicting 3 birds representing Colombia’s flag (yellow-gold, blue-seas and red-blood fighting for independence)
More recent investments and developments have improved the comuna’s infrastructure, easing movement through the comma
Medellín housing is very congested in between numerous hills
Colombian military police stand around Medellín; a stark reminder of the violence that once tainted the community
Medellín’s mystical paintings all have greater meanings