|
The first thing that made Antanas Mockus famous in Colombia was his white ass. It was October 28 of 1993, 500 students were whistling a speech he was giving as rector of National University. Antanas left the microphone, turned and dropped his pants, showing his pale back to the students. Once he gained their attention, he continued his speech. That same night, every Colombian knew Mockus and his political career had begun.
A theater as big as a city, this is Bogotá during the Festival Iberamericano de Teatro. The festival was created in 1988 by Argentinian performer Fanny Mikey and Colombian Cultural Minister, Ramiro Osorio to celebrate the 450th anniversary of the founding of Bogotá. Since it’s beginning, the FITB has become the most significant cultural event in Colombia and one of the most important theater festivals in the world. With the presence of theater groups from five continents, there is one main objective, the integration of Latin American art to the world. When president Alvaro Uribe was elected back in 2002, he had just one goal; to exterminate the world’s oldest guerrilla organization, the 40-year-old FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias Colombianas).
A land forgotten by governments, but well known by armed militant groups as the never ending Colombian conflict rages on. Chocó also serves as a forest pass, for cocaine, guerrillas and as an illegal passage into north America.
“You can now travel. Before he arrived (it) was a mess here. The highways were full of bandits and you couldn’t get out of the cities”. José Miguel explains while driving his taxi through the busy streets of Bogotá. He is referring to President Álvaro Uribe Vélez, undoubtedly the most popular leader in recent Colombian history. “So you travel a lot now?” I reply, trying not to distract him. He bellows with laughter: “No – emphasizing the ooo… I don’t have enough money to travel.” |
Locations & WritersBerlin - Germany
London - UK
Melbourne - Australia
Tokyo - Japan
New York - US
Cape Town - RSA
Colombia - Colombia
Find Us On FacebookSubscribe to RSSDownload Widget |
|||
