Colombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia

By Richard McCollSociety & Culture News News Commentary Places & Travel

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Colombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia episodes

June 29, 2015 104: Bogota is Bogotastic with Jade Longelin
It's not every day one gets to chew the fat (apologies, this is cockney rhyming slang for "chat") with a Franco Vietnamese expat in Colombia and less so when she's the author of the highly recommended website www.bogotastic.com! So, settle back with a good drink and tune in to listen to a fun chat with Jade Longelin on Colombia Calling who is making the most of her move to the Colombian capital city.

Hear Jade and myself talk graffiti, identity, architecture, networking and more as we discuss her life in Bogota, the reasons for being here and indeed the reasons behind her website. If you are curious, drop her a line.
48 min
June 22, 2015 103: Talking Colombian Festivals with Charlotte McKenzie
We know that Colombians love to party and what's more they are good at it, if not the best, but what about taking a look at Colombia's carnIvals, fiestas and ferias from a more academic perspective?

When I heard that long time colombiaphile and Briton Charlotte McKenzie had actually written her Masters thesis on this very subject taking three celebrations to study from the Caribbean coast, I knew we had to get her on the show.

Tune in and listen to journalist Charlotte waxing lyrical about the Vallenato Festival in Valledupar, the Carnival in Barranquilla and the fiestas in the small town of Cienega. This show offers a unique insight to what may be a Colombian obsession with partying.
47 min
June 15, 2015 102: A sitdown with the Australian master story teller, Barry Max Wills
This week we sitdown with the Australian master story teller, Barry Max Wills. Were he a Colombian and were his stories fictional, he would be referred to here as a cuentero, but no, Barry's stories are true and told in a fashion that makes one want to pull up a chair and listen for hours on end.

An international citizen, Barry has lived in his native Australia, France and England, but is equally at home on his coffee finca called Rancho Grande out in Colombia's Eje Cafetero coffee region. As you can imagine, much of his humour and love for his adopted homeland stems from almost unbelievable tales about running this farm "out in the bush" as he likes to say.

Rather than spoil the show by revealing too much of the content, just suffice it to say that Chapter One of the collection of non fiction essays we published a couple of months ago "Was Gabo an Irishman? Tales from Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Colombia," (http://goo.gl/Bmw7UE) was penned by Barry. We discuss his book in the works, "Letters from Colombia"....oh and did you hear the one about russian roulette? No, you'll just have to tune in.
47 min
June 08, 2015 101: Adopted from Colombia with Alex Westendorf
Colombia Calling is tackling a sensitive but very newsworthy subject this week and it is that of adoptions from Colombia. Some months ago I was contacted out of the blue by Alex Westendorf, a Colombian by birth who was adopted at a young age and subsequently grew up in Iowa, USA.

Now married and with two children of his own, Alex has started to investigate his past and is searching for a little more information about his identity. After having scoured the documentation available regarding his adoption he decided to come down to Bogota to have a look around, meet with the various relevant government bodies and try and trace a little of his background.

We get to speak to Alex once he has returned to the US about his experiences in Bogota, whether he was able to trace his roots, find the orphanage where he lived and so on.

This is an intensely personal and emotional interview this week and I hope that anyone out there who may have been through the same experience might reach out to share their findings in a similar situation.
47 min
June 01, 2015 100: A review of the Colombian Peace Dialogues with Kevin Howlett
Who would have thought that little old Colombia Calling would reach 100 episodes?! It's thanks to you the listeners out there for inspiring us to keep on going and keep on improving, 7000 plus downloads a week and growing!

This week to celebrate this landmark 100th episode, we have frequent guest, political analyst, Kevin Howlett to the show to discuss with us the realities and the concern abounding about the on-going peace dilaogues between the FARC rebels and the Colombian government in Havana, Cuba.

Howlett's work as a Colombia expert can been seen here www.colombia-politics.com and his insight into the actual situation is second to none. Expect a conversation taking in the issues of the FARC guerrillas, mentions of the ELN rebels, the political cllimate in Colombia and indeed potential outcomes for the situation.
47 min
May 27, 2015 099: Bogota for Foodies with Loon Lio
What does an Australian ex accountant do when he comes to Colombia? Why, set up a food appreciation experience of course! This week we speak to Loon Lio of the highly recommended www.bogotafoodie.com website and talk to this stranger in a strange land about his new venture into the world of Colombian cuisine.

Out to prove that Colombian food is anything but bland or insipid, Loon gives us an insight into how he came to create the Bogota Foodie website and indeed the Bogota "Food Safari" for the discerning visitor to the city.

This "Food Safari" is described as offering something different say, "Anthony Bourdain with a dash of James Bond." We put Loon to the test and talk to him on Colombia Calling about how he came to appreciate Colombian food, why and how he is converting others to join the cause via the safari.

Get in touch with Loon if you are interested in a fun-filled gastronomic journey through Bogota, the city's culture and cuisine.
46 min
May 19, 2015 098: Creative Mornings Bogota with Maria Linares
I have to be bluntly honest and say that I knew almost nothing about Creative Mornings, but now, having had the opportunity to sit down and chat with one of the organizers of the Bogota chapter (www.creativemornings.com/cities/bog), Maria Linares, I am hooked.

Well, to keep it short, Creative Mornings was started in 2008 by Tina Roth Eisenbery out of a desire for an ongoing, accessible event for New York's creative community. The concept was simple: breakfast and a short talk one Friday morning every month. Every event would be free of charge and open to anyone.

The Bogota chapter was created in February 2013 and has gone from strength to strength encouraging people to come each month to an interesting venue to participate and listen to creative people. That Bogota should have a chapter is more than appropriate as the city is full of young enterprising and altruistic people and speaking to Maria Linares, one gets a feel for the potential here.

Linares herself is an established musician and has composed for a vast array of projects including film, documentaries, theatre and television. She'll also be releasing her own album soon. Get in touch with her here www.marialinaresmusic.com/
46 min
May 14, 2015 097: A Change in form: Canadian Author Ian McKinley guest hosts Colombia Calling!
Why the change? Well, to keep it brief it would be facetious to interview myself and so along with my two co editors I am interviewed by guest host, author, diplomat and former interviewee himself (Dec 2014) Ian McKinley.

What is the interview about? Well, Ian gets to pose a number of questions to Victoria Kellaway, Caroline Doherty de Novoa and myself about our recently released book, the collection of non fiction stories entitled: "Was Gabo an Irishman?: Takes from Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Colombia."

So, hopefully this interesting take on Colombia Calling freshens things up and just maybe the powerful and insightful questions asked by McKinley might make us squirm uncomfortably, but this is the game and we are playing it! You are bound to enjoy it!

Hear all about our book which sold out at the Bogota Book Fair, has been featured in the Colombian and international press and which is available to buy on Amazon (http://goo.gl/zfR60Q)

46 min
May 06, 2015 096: The Security Implications for Colombia in the event of a Peace Agreement with Guerrillas
This week we sit down once again with British Risk Management Consultant Ben Hockman (first interviewed on 1/9/14 http://goo.gl/xJG1ue) here in Bogota and discuss the implications for security in Colombia should a peace agreement be reached with the FARC guerrillas. We explore the significance of the recent spate of bombs placed by the country's second guerrilla group, the ELN, in Bogota, the support networks that both guerrillas retain in urban areas, the possibility of a bilateral ceasefire now since the dialogues with the FARC have been on-going since November 2012.

Of course, no discussion of this nature would be complete without addressing the savage attack on a military outfit in the southwestern department of Cauca by the FARC two weeks ago that left 11 soldiers dead and placed the dialogues under severe strain and led to Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos to lift the suspension of aerial bombing on the FARC. Does the guerrilla group actually want peace?

And finally, if a peace agreement is reached, how is Colombia prepared for a post conflict period. We discuss what took place after Guatemala's peace accords and the fallout from these poorly executed negotiations.
47 min
April 28, 2015 095: The truth about being an Entrepreneur in Colombia with Alex Torrenegra of Bunny Inc
The other day I was able to interview a hot-shot Colombian start-up entrepreneur Alex Torrenegra over the phone to San Francisco. I had been alerted to Torrenegra’s existence through a Wall Street Journal piece and then a startlingly and refreshing article he has written on his website (Read: It’s Difficult to innovate in Colombia, Especially when the Government does more harm than Good.). At the end we discussed the fact that Colombia should be attempting and striving to create its own “Arepa Valley” and not mimic poorly the actual Silicon Valley.
And he’s right, but then Torrenegra is a shining example of a new and refreshingly altruistic generation of social entrepreneurs, just read the tagline on his website:Working on enabling humankind to reach its full Potential.
We also talk this week about the Bogota Book Fair and launching our book "Was Gabo an Irishman? Tales from Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Colombia" and how you can win a copy.
49 min

About Colombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia

From the publisher's feed

Colombia Calling is your first stop for everything you ever wanted to know about Colombia. Colombia Calling is hosted by Anglo Canadian transplant to Colombia, Richard McColl and the Colombia Briefing…