Colombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia

In an exclusive first interview with the press as the new Director of the Colombian National Land Agency (Agencia Nacional de Tierras) Miguel Samper Strouss sits down with Colombia Calling to give us the inside track on land issues and transitional justice in Colombia and the peace dialogues with the FARC.

Son of former Colombia President Ernesto Samper (1994-1998), Miguel Samper has followed his father into the world of politics having worked in various roles including that of the Vice Minister for Justice amongst others.

To have been able to gain access to a politician of such calibre, rank and note has been nothing short of a coup for Colombia Calling and you'll enjoy the open dialogue which we enjoyed with Miguel Samper on this occasion.

Why is this interview of interest? Well, to understand the nature of the long-running Colombian conflict, to understand the on-going peace dialogues with the FARC guerrillas in Havana, Cuba and the very real expression of a spiritual connection which Colombians have with the land, are all tantamount to understanding the Colombian psyche. That's why we feel so privileged to have been able to record an interview with someone as notable as Miguel Samper Strouss.

Given that our television channels are inundated with food-inspired shows of every shape and size it is for this reason that we have decided to explore the world of food tours in Colombia with Nicole and Jeremy of La Mesa Food Tours (www.delamesa.com) with their offerings in both Medellin and Bogota.

La Mesa Food Tours are gastronomy-inspired adventures to discover the history, culture and cuisine of a country! Our local food experts act as your culinary guide to authentic flavors and hidden food gems while uncovering the unique character and sights of incredible Colombia.

So in this fun Episode 143 we sit down and discuss Colombian cuisine, the opportunities to explore street food and high end offerings in Bogota and Medellin and why Colombia is perhaps experiencing something of a culinary renaissance.

But, La Mesa's tours don't end there, (additionally they run a tour in Antigua, Guatemala) but there's also the option to enjoy a tour of a coffee hacienda and see all of the processes from the picking and harvesting to roasting and tasting, just down the road from Medellin.

Tune in to Episode 143 with Nicole and Jeremy of La Mesa Food Tours and explore another side to Colombia's tabletop culture.

Simon was born in Bogota, Colombia and was raised in Detroit, Michigan. He's been working in the International Education/Meaningful Travel field for over 10 years. After graduating from the University of Montana with a degree in Rural and Environmental Sociology, he found himself volunteering internationally in Trujillo, Peru. He credits this experience as the springboard into the world of International Education and Meaningful Travel.

And now he's back in Colombia tracing his heritage (more about that during the show) and setting up a program so as to bring US students down to this country. Tune in to hear about Simon's life, his plans and support him in this quest to bring meaningful travel to Colombia.

www.simonwinograd.com

Having spent several years in direct contact with the Comunidad de Paz in San Jose de Apartado (a very isolated yet violence-afflicted community) in northern Colombia, academic Gwen Burnyeat teamed up with Pablo Mejia Trujillo to make a documentary about the people, their suffering and now a feeling of hope for the future due to their organic fair trade cacao production. (see the trailer at http://chocolatedepaz.com)

The documentary spans 55 mins during which, the viewer is transported to what should be a pastoral life of farming and family in fertile and promising lands, yet, it is here and not unique in Colombia, that the communities have faced massacres, threats and displacement due to the strategic location of their land and becoming sandwiched between the Armed Forces, left-wing Guerrilla groups and the right-wing paramilitaries.

But, while the tales are harrowing and unthinkable, there is hope. Burnyeat and Mejia have produced a documentary that is accessible to all, not just experts on Colombia and we are presented with positive outcomes from the community's struggles.

Please watch this documentary, spread the word and share this film as these are real events which have taken place and in some circumstances continue to take place in Colombia.

Mixing things up a little, this week we sit down with Anthony Patrick LaRose, associate professor of criminology at the University of Tampa, and talk about his work of fiction, Cathedral of Salt (available on Amazon: http://goo.gl/dzF29Z)

"Fighting depression and alcoholism, the FBI agent must evoke all of his former training and expertise to help solve the crime. While working the case, his story intersects with Santos, the local police captain assigned to the case, who is indignant having been assigned to babysit a drunken gringo; Guasá, a notorious activist for indigenous rights who claims the cathedral’s land as her people’s; Cárdenas, the arrogant salt mine executive obsessed with keeping the mine operational; and Chamí, a shadowy anthropology professor with a secret double life. Mixing ancient history, contemporary political reality, and modern forensics, Cathedral of Salt weaves a gripping, fast-paced tale of murder and intrigue over the course of several days. What starts as a simple offer of collaboration with a crime scene investigation, becomes a quest for redemption for Grant who soon realizes that the salt wants to keep its secrets."

As the Director of www.tropicomedia.org, Federico Pardo holds a BS in Biology and a MFA in Science and Natural History Filmmaking from Montana State University. He has documented scientific expeditions in Ecuador, Perú, Mozambique and throughout Colombia. Federico’s work has been showcased by National Geographic, Fusion, The Field Museum and the Humboldt Institute in Colombia.

We managed to squeeze in an hour with Pardo in Bogota before he jetted off to another exotic location having just arrived from the Magdalena Medio region where he combated clouds of mosquitos to track and film some endemic and endangered brown howler monkeys.

With Pardo we talk about the filmmaking trade, future projects and indeed some of the environmental issues facing Colombia as the country moves towards a potential peace agreement with the largest guerrilla group. What impacts might this have on the environment and on society and more.

Tune in to a fantastic and frank interview with someone who clearly knows their trade and clearly understand the issues facing contemporary Colombia.

Spoontano is an online platform that enables you to meet other open-minded young professionals with different backgrounds and the Bogota chapter is hosted by the friendly local Danny Barragan who joins us here on Colombia Calling.

In Episode 138 we sit down with Danny in one of Bogota's new cafes and mull over what it means for the Colombian capital to have an event like www.spoontano.com where foreigners and locals can dine out together and experience new and hip places.

How does a graduate of microbiology get into the dining game? You'll have to tune in yourselves to hear all about Danny's story and her love for Bogota and bringing people together.

If Spoontano.com sounds like something you'd like to get involved in, they now have a presence in 10 cities worldwide and are always looking for willing and able potential hosts.

This week in Episode 137 we strike out with Colombia Calling and

In Episode 136 we talk to Nick Kershaw, the brains behind the

Having had the opportunity to visit a couple of prisons in South America including two in Quito, Ecuador and one in La Paz, Bolivia, I can vouch for the misery encountered within. So, in the light of recent articles regarding the poor state of Colombian prisons it was time to have someone on the show who can speak firsthand about this terrible situation here.

Wally Broderick is Colombian but with Irish and Australian roots and who, in the twists and turns of life, ended up visiting a school friend who was held in two Colombian prisons over the course of 11 years for rebellion.

We speak of the realities in Colombian prisons, the issues regarding the peace talks with the FARC guerrillas and the need to reform the penitenciary system and the atrocious human rights record found within these institutions.