Mona monita, una monedita?

Il se remarque a peine. Un tas inerte de couvertures sombres et usées. Un coin de rue, tout juste un bout de trottoir. On le passerait sans même s'en rendre compte. Pourtant, un sursaut dans son sommeil lui fait bouger le pied, et là, brusquement, l'insignifiant ramassis de linge sale découvre un corps rachitique, si petit, si recroquevillé, que l'on ne discerne pas bien qui de l'enfant ou de l'homme y passe sa nuit.

Un regard autour, rien a changé. Les passants continuent leur promenade dominicale, une poignée de vendeurs se disputent leur attention en paroles bienveillantes, quelques voitures viennent et disparaissent dans une avenue de la capitale. En Colombie le chiffre officiel est tombé il y a un mois: 20 millions de pauvres, soit presque la moitié de la population totale. Parmi ceux-là, plus de 5 millions d'indigents. Un quotidien d'errance inlassable dans les rues des grandes villes, de mandiance, de fouille parmi les detritus, et finalement un banc, le coin d'un pont, où s'achevent des nuits longues et solitaires.

On les remarque à distance, au premier coup d'oeil: démarche claudiquante, les epaules recourbées, une couverture sur l'epaule et un ensemble de guenilles noirâtres en guise de vetement. Ils portent souvent un gros sac poubelle, qu'ils remplissent ici et là, d'objets trouvés dans la rue. Ils se remarque de loin et vous remarquent également: “Mona monita, una monedita?” Quelques-uns insistent, vous suivent, certains parfois deviennent agressifs, mais au final, chacun fini par suivre sa route. Evidemment quelques pesos s'offrent en chemin, mais quel geste bien absurde face à une détresse humaine qui se compte en millions.

Ils sont là, vous interpellent, vous font changer de trottoir, ils sont là mais se remarquent à peine. Car finalement ici comme ailleurs, la ville se vit sans les voir...

Music and national History

August 6th, 2009, thousands of Colombians gathered in Bogota's Parque Simon Bolivar enthusiastically wrigle their hips on Gilberto Santa Rosa's salsa. On that very day, Bogota celebrates its 471th birthday. Tremendous experience.

As a matter of fact, this is not the first concert Bogota offers to its citizens. Two weeks ago, in order to celebrate Colombia and its "cry of independence" (july 20th), the government also organized a series of concerts; allowing some dozens of Colombian artists to perform all over the country. In Bogota, many more of these events are yet to come, following the same generous scheme: although each concert hosts nationally and internationally well-known artists, each show is completely free.

Free, yes, but under one sensible condition: the non-possesion of arms. A fact that is thoroughly verified at the entrance while the army, spread all around the park, keeps an eye on the crowds. However impressive that image may be to a foreigner, soldiers, here in the city, generally fade into the background. And although (or perhaps parly because) illegal sellers of aguardiente (local licor) abound amongst the dancers, nothing there alters the overall happiness.

Commemorating important historical date and national unity with music, in a country where regionalism remains a strong component of identity, appears to be a wise call. Even though the numerous spectators may have been more obsessed with G. Santa Rosa's lyrics than the two events Colombia was about to celebrate: 6th of july, Bogota's birthday (beginning of the Festival de Verano), 7th of july, the battle of Boyaca ( a decisive battle in the national war of independence against the Spanish) a concert open to all, added to the following national holiday, probably manages to bring a people together in more efficient ways than long rumbling speeches...

So, why Colombia?

Here is the witty and patriotic answer given by the national office of tourism...

"Si quiere conocer el Caribe, vaya a Cuba o a Republica Dominicana

Si quiere conocer el Pacifico, vaya a Chile

Si quiere conocer los Andes, vaya al Ecuador

Si quiere conocer la selva amazonica, vaya al Brazil

Si quiere conocer las culutras precolombinas, vaya a Mexico o a Peru

Pero si quiere ver todas eas cosas reunidas...vaya a Colombia papa!"

“If you want to know the Caribbean, go to Cuba or the Dominican Republic

If you want to know the Pacific Ocean, go to Chile


If you want to know the Andean Mountains, go to Ecuador

If you want to know the Amazon Jungle, go to Brazil

If you want to know pre-columbian cultures, go to Mexico or Peru

But if you want to know all of those in just one place, go to Colombia!”

As tourism is surely not the only motive driving someone to go and spend a year in a specific foreign country, this may only reflect one side of the story. So, why Colombia? Here is a recurrent question. Some ask this simply, others go on: "we often see people leaving the country for Europe, the US or other parts of the world, so it is always suprising to see foreigners come here and stay." But what about this good old "American dream"? Although the idea is often wrongly tied to the United States, South America has become to many as attractive as its northern neighbor, if not more.

Needless to say that the very word "Latino" does not do justice to the extreme variety caracterizing the continent. Yet, foreigners are probably all driven by a common idea: there is here, from the desert of Northern Mexico to Patagonia, a particular taste to life...

That being said, the original question remains: why Colombia? Because in many ways, its geographical, historical, cultural and political features make it a perfect compromise between the best, and unfortunately the worst, South America has to offer. Here is the rational answer. Now, there is something else, something that does not need justifications. Peculiar attraction or as the national saying goes: "passion", perhaps?

First steps in Bogota (or how not to be too much of a European tourist)

"Cuidado!" this is what I heard the most as I ventured for the first time into Bogota's streets. Some will call it "preventive paranoia", others, basic comon sense, but all will remind you, perhaps ad nauseam, that around here one principle rules: "no hay que dar papaya". This popular Colombian saying may be translated to foreigners as a list of Dos and Donts which will propably prevent oneself from being robbed, or else.

It includes, for instance, not wearing external signs of wealth, not walking or grabing a taxi alone in the streets in night time, trying to avoid the center and forgeting about entering the southern neighborhoods. Those advices are clearly not the prerogative of Bogota, and could easily be considered as a basic "welcome guide" to understanding life in most of large cities in the world.

Nevertheless, it remains quite difficult for a new comer to precisely comprehend to which extent Bogota is or is not a secure place. Security, after all, seems to be a very biaised concept. One only needs to compare personal testimonies (which greatly vary from one another) with the french foreign affairs' webpage to understand the ambivalence of the judgement (cf. map above: red areas are strongly inadvisable/ orange areas are inadvisable!). So here I am, five days after my arrival in the city, perhaps even more at loss than I was before. The right path away from ridiculous paranoia and insane boldness shall be discovered over time, I guess.