It can’t be brushed under the carpet. A tour of Medellín showed only too clearly the drug problem in this city and other parts of Colombia. We saw users, probably in the worst state than we have ever seen, slumped on the ground with absolutely nothing around them. Drug addiction cuts across all echelons of society, crack cocaine being one of the biggest problems. Colombia is a big cocaine producer. When I asked about the level of this I have had a variety of answers, from it being very low now and in small uncontrolled areas, to it being worse than in the days of Pablo Escobar. Some studies put the production area in excess of 200,000 acres, a doubling in recent years. But there is hope.
Medellín was once considered the most dangerous city in the world. Now it is said to be the most innovative. There are the seedier sides of town, especially involving the sex industry, but there is so much going for it, and a trip to Colombia would have been so much the weaker without experiencing Medellín.
Our first excursion took us onto the the Metro from San Antonio to Oriente in the north of the city. Despite an area with lots of graffiti the Metro was spotless. Residents are simply told not to mess the tram and they do not. From here we jumped onto the cable car taking us to Villa Sierra which gave us a view of a poorer part of the city.
We could see that houses are built up in layers as the family expands and more money comes in. But don’t be deceived. Medellín has many rich parts of the city, and if one visits a shopping mall one can see all the international brands: Nespresso, Garmin, Starbucks, L’Occitane, Dunkin’ Donuts, Under Armour and all the usual clothing names. For some there is no shortage of money.
Another visit on foot took us to the south of the city and the Comuna 13 (Commune 13) area. Today this is known for its street art, but was once the most dangerous part of the city and ruled by guerrilla groups. An ex-gang member took us around and explained that kids as young as 10 once played with machine guns.
Today this area is considered a symbol of urban transformation. “People just got tired of the continual violence”, our guide said. Mothers had a lot to do with the turnaround. Too many had lost children to the feuding. Some aspects that have helped this change have involved education (teaching young children about the perils of drugs and violence), sport facilities, better nutrition, and free library services.
What might seem a surprising additional aid in this turnaround has come from the introduction of escalators taking residents of Comuna 13 up and down the mountain side in which they live. Rather than have to travel on foot down the mountain to work which once took 90 minutes, this has been cut by half, leaving more time for people to be with their families.
The street art reflects the lives of some of the residents. There are considered to be around 600 ‘masterpieces’ (as they are termed) which are created for free. Some are by famous graffiti artists.
Rather than a once violent place where outsiders would fear to tread, now the area attracts 40,000 visitors a year who are made most welcomed and can walk around in perfect safety.
Copyright: Words and photos Sue Barnard 2019
Gosh, my first thought is of the history and dangers that are associated with this city. I am sure that there are parts of the city that would be dangerous to visit but then doesn’t every city have its dangers? It reminded me of our visit to the favelas in Rio where we went on a tour with a former gang member who now was running a pre school for kids. I felt quite safe but I am sure that “tourists” on tours with certain people were not fair game, but I was not in favour of wandering around “unsupervised’. Very interesting!
Thanks for the feedback Diane. We felt really safe, but I did ask the guide this morning (following your post) if the town was safe throughout. Not so, but that is the same in most parts of the world of course. Even the sparse polar regions have their polar bears. However, the guides have been excellent with there advice and every day we have been able to wander unhindered. But it is good that different aspects of life here are being covered and guides are not following a sanitised ‘marketing’ line.
Sounds like you’re having a really fascinating time. Makes me all the more excited about going there myself.