· August, 2012

Stories about Colombia from August, 2012

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?

30 August 2012

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.

23 August 2012

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.

15 August 2012

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.

15 August 2012

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...

10 August 2012

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.

6 August 2012

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.

6 August 2012