Notes from Colombia—Part I

-
By David Harvey
President and CEO of ProLiteracy

Greetings from Colombia, a country that in important ways has transformed itself from a politically violent era dominated by guerilla warfare, assassinations, and drug cartel violence. I’ve traveled through what Colombians describe as the "jewel" and "heart" of Colombia—Cartegena—to the old coastal city of Santa Marta, and on to the sophisticated, modern city in a huge valley, Medellin. I am awed by the openness, overwhelming hospitality, passion, history, and love of country that is represented by Colombians everywhere.

No where have I seen such fierce pride in their city as the Colombians I got to know in Medellin. Perhaps this is because of how the city roared back after an era of terrible violence orchestrated by the infamous drug cartel baron, Pablo Escobar, killed in 1993 in an infamous raid in the Los Olivos section of Medellin. Or, more likely, it’s the unique history of the people from Medellin who pride themselves on innovation, passion for art (this is the home of Botero, after all!), architecture, food and love of family. Paisa, the nickname of people from Medellin, are fiercely proud of the fact that they talk louder than anyone else from Colombia and have the country's first and only metro system. Medellin has an annual Christmas light display that is bigger and grander than anything I have ever seen anywhere in the world—it’s a true art form! And the lights are usually bigger and better than the year before, since a year-round staff of designers and technicians specialize in designing a changing display every year, paid for by a tax on every family household in Medellin!tant ways has transformed itself from a politically violent era dominated by guerilla warfare, assassinations, and drug cartel violence. I’ve traveled through what Colombians describe as the "jewel" and "heart" of Colombia—Cartegena—to the old coastal city of Santa Marta, and on to the sophisticated, modern city in a huge valley, Medellin. I am awed by the openness, overwhelming hospitality, passion, history, and love of country that is represented by Colombians everywhere.

A Library in Colombia

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

CONFINTEA VI - Blogging from Belem, Brazil

-
Image
David Harvey, ProLiteracy President & CEO - From the International Civil Society Forum (ICSF) - Belem, Brazil - 11/28/09 Lynn Curtis, head of ProLiteracy´s international programs, and I, David Harvey, arrived this past Saturday after a 10 hour flight to Belem, Brazil, to participate in ICSF. Over 1000 NGOs from all over the world are participating in the Forum, ahead of UNESCO´s CONFINTEA conference. CONFINTEA only happens every 12 or 13 years, so this is a rare meeting indeed! The Forum is preparing NGOs to participate in CONFINTEA, and will prepare an action agenda to try and influence the outcome of CONFINTEA. David Harvey, From ICSF Belem, Brazil - 11/29/09 One of the opening speakers of ICSF, Jose Roberto Guerara, from the Asia/Pacific Association for Basic Education, asked people to stand up if they had participated in past CONFINTEA conferences, with the first happening in the late 40s. A few people stood up. Mr. Guerara then asked, ¨"what has changed since t...
Read more

Increased Attention to Adult Literacy : U.S. Government and UN Join Forces

-
ProLiteracy’s 80 years of global experience have caused us to recognize the tragic reality that adult literacy, a crucial element of the development and poverty reduction process, is often missing from key international policy discussions. In the past few weeks, the adult literacy topic has been highlighted among top government and international organizations in three critical areas. Educating Girls Today, 796 million adults worldwide lack basic literacy skills; two-thirds of that population are women. UNESCO recently announced a joint project with the United States Department of State, targeting education rates among women. The program , “Better Lives, Better Future” will help stem dropout rates of adolescent girls as they transition from primary to secondary education. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton hopes that this new focus will help policy makers effectively target education investments. “When we educate a young girl, we are shaping our world for a better tomorrow...
Read more

The World Welcomes South Sudan

-
Image
Women celebrating from Sudanese NGO, My Sister's Keeper In July 2011, South Sudan will become an independent nation, Africa’s 55th country, and the world’s youngest state. After two decades of civil war and high poverty levels, the new country will face many challenges. Literacy and education will play a vital role in charting a new course for South Sudan. A recent policy paper published by UNESCO discusses how education will be a first step toward the construction of peace and a better future for the people of South Sudan.The policy paper reveals that women face some of the most imminent challenges in terms of access to education. Today, only around 8 percent of women in South Sudan are literate, possibly the lowest female literacy rate in the world. Young girls in South Sudan face extreme disadvantages in education. Girls are less likely to enter school and more likely to drop out early. Today, a young girl in South Sudan is three times more likely to die in pregnancy or ch...
Read more