Shows
Colombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia380: Protests in Colombia: Graffiti and Urban Artwork in the context of the Paro NacionalIn the context of the on-going #paronacional protests in Colombia, it's time for the Colombia Calling podcast to take a look at another angle of what is going on in the streets, on the walls and all over the underpasses in the country. This is our chance to chat to Jahir (Jay) Dimate of the Bogotá Graffiti Tour (http://bogotagraffiti.com) to discuss what is going on with reference to this genre of art, and enjoy a conversation that this national strike is far from a: "left versus right debate."2021-06-1556 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia379: Protests in Colombia: The Issue of Human Rights Violations during the Paro NacionalWith the #ParoNacional still on-going in Colombia, we take on the subject of human rights and human rights law in the context of the situation here.2021-06-081h 23Colombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia378: The Role of the Press in Covering the Paro Nacional protests in ColombiaOn this week's Colombia Calling podcast, we continue on our series relating to the on-going unrest surrounding the #ParoNacional protests in Colombia. With more than a month of daily nationwide demonstrations, Adriaan Alsema of Colombia Reports follows Elizabeth Dickinson (Crisis Group), Andres Bermudez (JusticeInfo.net) and Sergio Guzman (Colombia Risk Analysis) in discussing an important angle to explain what is going on.2021-06-0152 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia377: Protests in Colombia: The Public's Exasperation with the Colombian Political ClassIt's an absolute pleasure to welcome Elizabeth Dickinson, Snr Analyst for Colombia at Crisis Group, back on the Colombia Calling podcast to explore more profoundly the unrest and the #paronacional in Colombia. We discuss the violence in Cali, how the strike extends beyond the urban and into the rural, what to expect from the negotiations with the government of President Duque and where Colombia goes from here.2021-05-2556 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia376: FARC Admit Kidnapping Policy in ColombiaThis week, on Episode 376 we speak to journalist and investigator Andres Bermudez (www.justiceinfo.net) about the recent admission by the FARC guerrillas that kidnapping was an official policy and not an "economic retention," as they previously had claimed.2021-05-1854 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia375: Protests in Colombia: Hear the FactsThese are troubling times in Colombia. This episode was recorded on Sunday 9 May during the 12th day of nationwide protests in Colombia. Sergio Guzman, Director of Colombia Risk Analysis joins us to provide a total overview of what has been going on here.2021-05-1157 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia374: The "Emerging Jews" of ColombiaJoining us from Cali, Colombia is Heidi Paster Harf to explain to us a little about the phenomenon of "emerrging jews" in Colombia. To explain this, first let's put this into perspective: One of the most striking contemporary religious phenomena is the world-wide fascination with Judaism.2021-05-0448 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia373: Angela Sierra is Unbound in PereiraAngela Sierra is a self-described bookish foodie chocoholic coffee lover, writing stories from and about Colombia and this where we begin on Episode 373 of the Colombia Calling podcast this week. What are the relationships between Culture, Identity and Society? And where do these fit into a country as complex as Colombia? By addressing these issues and more, we enjoy an open and flowing dialogue about cultural clashes, appropriation and how to live in this land.2021-04-2749 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia372: Beyond and above Medellin's Comuna 13On this week's Colombia Calling podcast, we have the pleasure of speaking to Damon O'Neill a Londoner based in Medellin and volunteering at the Ecoparque above Comuna 13 in the city. A former trialist for West Ham and Tottenham football clubs, O'Neill brings his football talent to the city of Medellin and trains up children from Comuna 13 in his spare time.2021-04-2055 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia371: The "On the Edge with Andrew Gold" podcast on Colombia CallingYou may or may not have heard of journalist and documentary maker Andrew Gold, such is life, but I highly recommend his podcast: "On the Edge with Andrew Gold." What is little known perhaps is that Andrew Gold lived in Medellin for a while and has a "Colombia story" to share with us alongside with other anecdotes from his varied and always interesting career path.2021-04-1356 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in ColombiaSaving Colombia's Birds of PreyIt's not every day you hear of someone on a sports scholarship to a US university and then returning to Colombia to follow her passion of rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing birds of prey back into the wild. Well, that's Ana María Morales' story!2021-04-0648 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia369: Conflict Photography Laid Bare by Malcolm LintonRenouned conflict photgrapher with experience in civil wars in El Salvador, Nicaragua, the genocide in Rwanda and so much more, Malcolm Linton, joins us once again on the Colombia Calling podcast to share some more of his stories from the field. His experiences in some of the most brutal conflict arenas, his desire to cover humanitarian causes and the first time he was shot....this and more on Episode 369.2021-03-3055 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia368: Post Pandemic Travel and Tourism in ColombiaThis week we talk to Bruce McLean, a New Zealander now resident in Viterbo in Colombia's coffee region to talk about his travel agency - www.bnbcolombia.com - and how he has been preparing for post pandemic tourism in Colombia and how he sees the evolution of the industry here and as a whole2021-03-2348 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia367: Pychosocial Help for Humanitarian and Aid WorkersSabrina Prioli first joined us on the Colombia Calling podcast in 2013 on Episode 23, now on Episode 367 and eight years later, we catch up with her in Zambia and chart her life and work from Colombia to Peru, South Sudan and then to her present location. For more than ten years Prioli has worked in humanitarian projects in montoring and evaluation and is keen to share with us that there is very little if any psychosocial help for aid workers spending extended periods of time in conflict zones.2021-03-1651 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia366: Protecting Colombia's ChildrenChildren Change Colombia is the largest UK charity working exclusively in Colombia and we are honoured to have Executive Director Angela Maria Carreño on the show this week to explain their work on this the 30th anniversary of their founding. CCC has been working with children and their families to challenge poverty, inequality, discrimination and violence in Colombia.2021-03-0945 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia365: Youth Activism for the Environment in ColombiaThis week we speak to Juan Jose Guzman, co director of the foundation Pacto X El Clima (www.pactoxelclima.org), an entity set up to give a voice to Latin America's youth. It's inspiring to hear of the organization and how activism in Latin America differs from that in Europe or the US. Of course, we have to also take into account the danger associated with activism of this type in the region2021-03-0253 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia364: SOS Buenaventura, Colombia's Pacific port in the NewsFollowing on from her first appearance on the Colombia Calling podcast on Ep334 (The Problem with the Coastal Cities of Colombia's Pacific). US academic Shauna Gillooly graciously agreed to return to provide us with a background as to what is going on in Buenaventura.2021-02-2347 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia363: Drawing Colombia with artist Eddie White jrEddie White Jr has courted some controversy here in Colombia, not least with his casual observation and caricatures of "the girls of Medellin." We sit down for a conversation about his art, the long term goal of producing a book and indeed, to hear his side of the story surrounding "that" Medellin image2021-02-1645 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia362: Socio Environmental Effects of Mining in South AmericaIt will come as no surprise to many that mining is one of the most polluting and destructive industries in the world and in South America this extractive industry has been a root cause for so many different but cross-cutting problems. It’s vital we support frontline communities to defend their land, water and culture; biodiversity, and the global climate and so on this episode of the Colombia Calling podcast, we discuss these issues in relation to Colombia with Tom Gatehouse2021-02-0947 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia361: Sudaca Craft Beer in Bogotá, ColombiaThe Sudaca craft beer company is a business idea born out of an experience in the city of Leeds in Britain when one of the team worked and learned the brewing trade there before returning home to Bogotá. Now, this team has introduced a selection of quality craft beers to the Colombian capital2021-02-0240 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia360: How Does She Put Up With Me?You asked for it folks and we have delivered, here is the long awaited episode in which Alba Torres, to whom I have the immense honour of being married, gives you the lowdown of the cultural differences, the difficulties in working together and how we ended up opening not one (www.lacasaamarillamompos.com) but two (www.sanrafaelmompox.com) hotels in Mompós, Colombia.2021-01-2649 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia359: A former Minister of the Economy and a CEO talk business on the Colombia Calling podcastIt's a great pleasure to welcome back Alvaro Torres, the CEO and director of Khiron Life Sciences (Ep344) on the podcast and accompanying him this time is a new member of the board of the company, Juan Carlos Echeverry, former Minister of the Economy in Colombia during the presidency of President Juan Manuel Santos2021-01-1944 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia358: Abortion Laws in ColombiaYears of campaigning for women’s rights and against domestic violence have paid off and other countries in the region could now follow suit, we discuss the ruling on abortion in Argentina and how this may cause a ripple effect as far as Colombia. This week's guest is British freelancer journalist Amy Booth who has been covering events in Argentina closely. Check out Booth's website: https://amyboothwrites.com2021-01-1248 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia357: Colombia's Ancient Trails Mapped! DestinoChicamocha.com is bornPicking up where he left off exactly a year ago in Ep306, mountain trekking guide Gabriel Torres reports back in to the Colombia Calling podcast to inform us that his project to map many of the ancient trails in Santander has moved forward significantly. With the support of the French NGO Tetraktys a new project entitled www.destinochicamocha.com is coming into fruition.2021-01-0549 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia356: A look back at the Colombia Calling podcast in 20202020 has been a challenging year by all accounts but it has been a breakthrough year for the Colombia Calling podcast. Now completing our seventh year on the airwaves, the Colombia Calling podcast truly came into its own and matured in 2020. I don't know to what we can attribute this, but the interviews were of a different level, the interviewees more involved and I think my style and form improved too. What do you think?2020-12-221h 09Colombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia355: Magical Disinformation from ColombiaImagine a work of fiction set in Colombia where the line between real and unreal, fact and fiction no longer exists...this is what you get when you read author Lachlan Page's debut novel, Magical Disinformation. Think Waugh, think Greene and then a smattering of de Bernieres and you know what you're in for, a romp of a read which brings a smile to your lips as you enjoy this fast moving tragicomedy2020-12-1540 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia354: The Implementation of the Colombia Peace Accords 4 Years OnIt's a great pleasure to invite anthropologist and expert in gender studies, Nicol Lesmes on Ep354 of the Colombia Calling this week to discuss the state of play regarding the implementation of the peace accords in Colombia.2020-12-0849 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia353: Reporting from the frontlines in Colombia and EcuadorIf you want to know the real stories about what is happening on the frontlines of demonstrations in Colombia and Ecuador and on the border with Venezuela, you have to seek out the reporters on the ground, the freelancers that beg, borrow and cajole their way into certain danger to get the story. This is what US journalist Joshua Collins does. Why are the people protesting, why is there almost unversal unrest? Ask Collins.2020-12-0154 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia352: The Moveable Piano in ColombiaIn this heartwarming episode, we hear from Colombian musician in Paris, Diego Franco about the foundation he created with others called Piano Movil (Pianomovil.com). PianoMóvil is intrepid and each tour of the country starts by loading a grand piano into a truck and heading out to lesser known parts of Colombia to bring musical activities to people ordinarily ignored by social and cultural events2020-11-2441 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia351: Era Gol de Yepes...Yepes Scored!With historian Miguel Cuadros, we reflect on this momentous occasion in Colombia's footballing history, an event which brought - despite the undesirable loss - the joy back into the beautiful game for Colombia. The murder of Andres Escobar was pushed back as a distant memory and James Rodriguez and Radamel Falcao showed what the cafeteros were capable of2020-11-1759 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia350: Scopalamine or Burundanga in ColombiaIn a startlingly frank and open discussion Cali-resident for 11 years, Kevin McCaffrey joins us to share his experiences of being drugged with scopolamine in Cartagena, Colombia2020-11-1051 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia349: An Artists' Retreat in the Colombian countrysideIn this week's fascinating conversation, we discuss how Dragon came to relocate to San Bernardo, what he hopes to achieve with ArteSumapaz and the trauma in Colombia2020-11-0345 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia348: Rebuilding and Re-imagining Colombia's tourism industryHaving designed and created the immensely successful La Leyenda multi-stage mountain bike race - a first of its kind in Colombia - Cali-resident Brian Murphy knows a thing or two about what it takes to entice travellers to Colombia. Murphy is also the co-founder of the Colombian Project, a tour operator offering bespoke and organized trips to Colombia2020-10-2745 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia347: Dopeworld: Adventures in the Global Drug TradeNiko Vorobyov was jailed for dealing drugs in the UK, now he's out and tracing the history and data surrounding illicit drugs around the world. He talks to the Colombia Calling about his book Dopeworld, and gives an insight to his conversationally written compendium on the drugs trade which he witnesses firsthand2020-10-2049 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia346: Magdalena: River of Dreams, A Story of ColombiaMagdalena: River of Dreams, A Story of Colombia is a captivating new book from Wade Davis--renowned, award-winning, bestselling author and photographer, and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence for more than a decade-- that brings vividly to life the story of the great Río Magdalena, illuminating Colombia's complex past, present, and future in the process2020-10-1357 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia345: A Gin Maker in ColombiaHailing originally from Brighton in the UK, Vincent Pollard's journey has brought him to Colombia. After more than a decade as a mixologist in Toronto in some of the city's most exclusive haunts, Pollard finds himself now in Bogotá, but moving on to Cartagena, we catch up with him on Ep345 of the Colombia Calling podcast to hear a little more about his life here2020-10-0641 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia344: Pioneers in Medical Cannabis in Colombia - Khiron Life SciencesOn this week's Colombia Calling podcast we have the opportunity to converse with Alvaro Torres, CEO and co founder of Khiron Life Sciences, one of the pioneers in the medical marijuana market from Colombia. Torres tells us about his background, how he got into this business and what the business is all about.2020-09-2940 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia343: Changing the narrative on drugs in ColombiaCatalina Gil Pinzón is an international consultant in peacebuilding and drug policy with over 10 years of experience managing projects and advising programs related to the reintegration of ex-combatants, youth violence, historical memory, peaceful resolution of conflicts, and drug policy2020-09-2240 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia342: The repression of civil liberties in ColombiaAdriaan Alsema, Director of Colombia Reports is back with another viper tongued diatribe at the government of President Ivan Duque. Times are complex and complicated in Colombia with the spontaneous protests in Bogotá after the killing of Javier Ordonez by the police. But this case of police brutality is not a lone event, the outrage comes from a situation of months of accumulated resentment at a government which is unwilling or unaware of the need to make changes2020-09-1553 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia341: iFinca, Revolutionizing the Coffee MarketIt's a great pleasure to welcome CEO and Founder of iFinca, Alexander Barrett on the Colombia Calling podcast this week to talk about his venture that is going to revolutionize the coffee market. iFinca has been designed to place an emphasis on better pay for farmers.2020-09-0840 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia340: Explaining Colombia's ongoing MassacresAt least 39 people have been killed in the recent spate of unrest in Colombia and the country has seen 46 massacres so far this year. So, this week we speak to Colombia analyst Kyle Johnson to help us understand a little about why these are occurring now, who are the perpetrators and why?2020-09-0152 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia339: Isolation and Life in colonial Mompós, ColombiaOne of the most popular guests on the Colombia Calling podcast, Emma Louise Jay, returns to the airwaves from rural Antioquia to interview me in rural Bolívar. Think of this episode as a conversation of catharsis for us both as we weigh up living under the world's longest Covid-19 quarantine in the world in Colombia2020-08-2556 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia338: Mapping UrabaBased at the Instituto de Biología, University of Antioquia. Blanco Libreros studies mangroves and coasts from landscape ecology and ecosystem ecology perspectives and it is an honour to have him on the podcast to speak about one of the lesser known regions of Colombia, Uraba2020-08-1847 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia337: Two years left of President Duque in ColombiaAugust 7, 2020 marked the second anniversary of the inauguration of Iván Duque as President of Colombia and the midpoint of his administration so on this Episode 337 of the Colombia Calling, we welcome back the director of Colombia Risk Analysis, Sergio Guzman and Cameron Wilson, author of the new report: Defining his Legacy, Challenges and Opportunities for Duque in his Final Two Years2020-08-1152 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia336: Socially aware cooking classes in Medellin, ColombiaBorn in Toronto, Canada, Brian Johnston decided to retire from corporate work at the age of 25 and to dedicate his life to the exploration of his passion...and this, over the course of many years on the road working for NGOs and volunteering, has brought him to Medellin, Colombia2020-08-0446 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia335: Latin Jazz from Bogotá to New York and beyond with the Gregorio Uribe Big BandAn established singer, songwriter, accordionist and big band leader, Gregorio Uribe was born in Bogotá, Colombia and is currently based in New York City. Uribe has made a name for himself in the Latin music scene of both New York City and Boston. Well known for leading the Gregorio Uribe Big Band, a 16-piece orchestra that blends cumbia and other Colombian rhythms with powerful big band arranging2020-07-2841 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia334: The Problem with the coastal cities of Colombia's PacificEvery now and again, it's important to revisit some of the pressing issues in Colombia and on Ep334 of the Colombia Calling podcast, US academic, Shaun Gillooly gives us a blow by blow account of the tragedies taking place on Colombia's pacific coast, most importantly, in the cities of Buenaventura and Tumaco2020-07-2157 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia333: Life in the barrio San Francisco, CartagenaOn Episode 333 it's a great pleasure to have Alex Rocha of the barrio San Francisco in Cartagena with us to talk about the challenges faced by the youth of his neighbourhood and what he has been doing via the Alex Rocha Youth Center2020-07-1438 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia332: Darien: A Journey in Search of EmpireYou don't have to be Scottish or be a history enthusiast to love the tales of adventure and bravery behind the ill-fated attempt by the Scots to colonize the Darien region of Panama. And so it's a great pleasure to welcome John McKendrick QC on the Colombia Calling podcast to speak on this subject and his book about the episode: Darien: A Journey in Search of Empire2020-07-0746 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia331: A news update from ColombiaIt has been a while since we took a step back and looked at the news in Colombia and so, journalist Manuel Rueda joins us this week to provide a timely overview of what is going on and what may have been missed by the international press.2020-06-3041 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia330: A dementia-causing genetic mutation in a Colombia is discoveredJennie Erin Smith is a freelance science writer from upstate New York based in Medellín, Colombia, where she is working on a book about families with Alzheimer’s disease. She is the author of “Stolen World” (2011) and we are very lucky to have her on this episode of the Colombia Calling podcast to share with us a little about her investigations and the book she is currently writing2020-06-2349 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia329: Reading about Medellin and Colombia through, "the Anthill."It's a great pleasure to have Julianne Pachico back on the Colombia Calling podcast and discussing her latests novel, the Anthill. She last graced the show way back in August 2017 on Ep199 and was speaking about her first book, the Lucky Ones. The Anthill is a fresh and fascinating insight into the Medellin of today and how it contrasts with the city in which the protagonist Carolina grew up in2020-06-1645 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia328: Isolation in Antioquia, ColombiaThe pandemic struck and some people panic shopped for toilet paper, our guest on the @ColombiaCalling podcast, Emma Louise Jay of www.conqueredbycolombia.com bucked this trend and went and bought dozens of blood sausages. Tune in to hear her anecdotes and reflections on 80 days of almost total isolation during this extended quarantine in the countryside with precious few neighbours2020-06-0950 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia327: Can Colombia improve its tourism industry?We’re trapped. We have been confined along with our dreams, goals and illusions. With the global emergency caused by COVID-19, we have hit rock bottom and the travel and tourism industry is never going to be the same. This is why we are talking to Rainbow Nelson of "This is Cartagena," (www.ticartagena.com) for his insights on the situation as seen from Colombia's capital of tourism2020-06-0242 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia326: Crossing the Darien Gap (Part 3)In our final episode of this three-part series with journalist Nadja Drost on crossing the Darien Gap, we bring the conversation back to the article Drost wrote for California Sunday magazine in April 2020. We discuss her experiences on the trail, the physical toll the journey took on her and delve into the extreme nature of thrill seekers in search of their next off-limits adventures such as in the Darien2020-05-2628 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia325: Crossing the Darien Gap (Part 2)Picking up where we left off in Part 1, Canadian journalist Nadja Drost continues her tale of travel alongside desperate migrants from all over the world in their hopeful quest of reaching the United States. At times, this does not make for easy listening2020-05-1936 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia324: Crossing the Darien Gap (Part 1)In what is a three-part series on the Colombia Calling podcast, we'll be exploring the realities - warts and all - of crossing the Darien Gap from Colombia to Panama. Canadian journalist Nadja Drost made the crossing in 2019 and her excellent piece came out in the California Sunday Magazine in April 2020. It makes for a terrifying and harrowing read, but is arguably one of the best articles I have read so far this year2020-05-1246 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia323: How the life of a family judge and barrister in the UK was defined by ColombiaBoth a successful Judge and a Barrister in the UK, Sarah Lucy Cooper's life could have taken an extremely different course were foreigners permitted to practice law in Colombia. However, as we learn in Episode 323 of the Colombia Calling podcast, her 1990 introduction to Colombia defined the course she took in her life back home2020-05-0544 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia322: Managing a small business during the Covid-19 pandemicWe are all suffering due to the Corona virus pandemic which has swept the world and some more than others, and here at the Colombia Calling podcast, we have the opportunity to talk to a small business owner in San Gil, Santander to see how he is faring. Shaun Clohesy is a long-time australian transplant to Colombia and is responsible for opening up one of the original hostels in this country, the Macondo in San Gil2020-04-2841 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia321: The American Influencer and Youtuber in ColombiaWith upwards of 900,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel, "Un Colombiano Mas," and with entries routinely drawing more than a million views, Zach Morris is undisputedly a one man positive public relations campaign for all things to do with Colombia!2020-04-2147 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia320: A deep dive into the reality of Colombia's cocaine tradeIn fifteen years covering Colombia, this is the best book I’ve ever read about the cocaine trade. If you want to understand why the drugs are produced here, then how they get to the U.S., there’s no better guide." (Matthew Bristow, former Colombia bureau chief, Bloomberg News)2020-04-1453 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia319: The Quarantine Chronicles in Bogotá, ColombiaHow is your relationship faring under the Covid19/ Corona Virus lockdown, how are you keeping sane, have you stuck to a routine, are you all alone and now talking to your pet(s)? It's a time of tragedy for sure, but in order to share a different perspective of life in a quarantine in Bogotá, Peter Dale, a founding member of the Bogotá Writers, shares with us some extracts from his "Covidiary," now entitled: "The Quarantine Chroncles."2020-04-0748 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia318: Women for Conservation in ColombiaWomen for Conservation, founded in 2004 by Sara Ines Lara, is an NGO directly benefitting and empowering over 1,000 women by providing conservation education, environmentally sustainable economic opportunities, and access to health clinics and family planning2020-03-3140 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia317: Scandals, corruption and the corona virus in ColombiaBefore the Corona virus reached Colombia, President Duque and his political patron, former president Alvaro Uribe, were in danger of drowning in the scandal engulfing them. To keep it brief, and Adriaan Alsema of Colombia Reports will explain this further in the podcast, there is the very real possibility that Duque won the presidential contest in 2018 with a campaign of vote-buying in various parts of the Colombia2020-03-2454 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia316: The Problem with Cauca, ColombiaElizabeth Dickinson has been Crisis Group’s senior analyst for Colombia since 2019. Her work centers around armed conflict dynamics in the country and the implementation of the 2016 peace accord between the Colombian government and FARC guerrillas. Previously a journalist, Elizabeth first reported from Colombia in 2011, covering topics including criminal and armed group violence, illegal mining, migration, and national politics2020-03-1741 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia315: The significance of Colombia's current golden generation of cyclists"You write the books that you want to read," Matt Rendell tells me in our conversation on Episode 315 of the Colombia Calling podcast. Well, I wish I could have written his latest book entitled: "Colombia es Pasión! The Generation of Racing cyclists who Changed their Nation and the Tour de France," out in all good bookstores in the UK in March...as I most certainly want to read it2020-03-1053 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia314: Medicinal Cannabis from ColombiaColombia finds herself at a crossroads at the moment as to where directives in the country should focus their efforts in order to best evolve industries here and become a main player on the world stage. The production of medicinal cannabis could well represent a major boom for growers in Colombia and the people at the company BreedCo (www.breedco.com.co) have positioned themselves to become leaders in the market2020-03-0354 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia313: The Colombian Wedding EpisodeIn this week's show, we welcome back Eric Tabone who first joined us back in the early days of the Colombia Calling podcast speaking about his business: Beyond Business English (www.bbelanguages.com)2020-02-2538 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia312: Some advice for travel in ColombiaIn Ep312 of the Colombia Calling podcast, location independent professional Jeff Brown revisits us to reflect on his extended travel in the country. In an open discussion, we hear about some advice on where to go, where to avoid and personal insights about poorly managed and favourably managed tourist destination2020-02-1842 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia311: Mikolombia joins Colombia CallingIn our first political episode for 2020, Colombia Calling is joined by the unnamed creator of www.mikolombia.com a website designed to highlight the stories left uncovered in the mainstream international press. Neither leftwing nor rightwing, Mikolombia is nothing if not controversial, but the idea is, at the very least, to open a debate2020-02-1145 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia310: Travel for Women Birders in ColombiaFresh from their December trip to Colombia's Caribbean coast and the Sierra Nevada mountains, women birders, Eliana Ardila (Colombia) and Bryony Angell (USA) join the Colombia Calling podcast to share some of their experiences and feedback and anecdotes about this country's embarrassment of riches when it comes to birdwatching2020-02-0442 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia309: Reflecting on previous episodes of the Colombia Calling podcast with Joseph CzikkEpisode 309 is an entertaining look at the Colombia Calling podcast as Richard McColl moves from being the host to the interviewee and Joseph Czikk takes over. Long-time listener of the Colombia Calling podcast and self-declared "Colombia Evangelist,"Joseph Czikk made a suggestion over email to me that he be permitted to record a podcast episode with him as the host talking to me and having me reflect on some of the more memorable shows over the years dating back to 2016.2020-01-2847 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia308: James "el peligroso" of the Cali Curry HouseJim Davies may have the midas touch for storytelling, that or he has an innate ability to find himself in the most peculiar of situations. Revisiting the Colombia Calling podcast - the first time being Ep79 in 204 when he spoke of his friendship with Danya (of secret service fame) and the legendary footballer Tino Asprilla - this time he manages to fit some of the most amusing anecdates, all true, about his life in Cali2020-01-2151 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia307: Discussing "Precarious Peace," in ColombiaOur guest on Ep307 of the Colombia Calling podcast is Dr Julia Zulver (PhD Oxford), who is a political sociologist whose work focuses on women’s mobilisation in high risk contexts, mainly in Latin America, and of course, including Colombia. We'll be discussing the "precarious peace" in Colombia which the country is now experiencing and indeed some of the different gender-based issues which she has had the opportunity to study whilst here.2020-01-1440 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia306: Colombia's ancient trailsOn the first episode of 2020, the Colombia Calling podcast speaks to hiker and guide Gabriel Torres who is based in the breathtaking colonial setting of Barichar, Santander. The reason for having Gabriel on the show is not only to promote Colombia's oft-voted most beautiful colonial town, but also to hear about his project to map large parts of the country's Camino Reales2020-01-0737 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia305: Talking Environmental Issues in ColombiaIn the final episode of the Colombia Calling podcast for 2019, we welcome Bogotana Juliana Cuccaro on the show to speak to us about some of the environmental challenges facing Colombia. Juliana Cuccaro is fresh from completing her MA in Science Communication at the University of the West of England in Bristol - no she hasn't developed a west-country accent - and she is keen to start working on reporting on environmental and science issues affecting Colombia.2019-12-2442 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia304: How can Colombia overcome the narco-legacy hangover?Michael Sichenzia is looking out for the underdog and as an investor in a small furniture business in Yumbo, southwest Colombia, close to the city of Cali, he has a vested interest in the stability and economy of the country. We get him on the line from Florida and speak to him about various topics, most importantly and timely are of course the way in which the current protests in Colombia could affect business and foreign direct investment2019-12-1740 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia303: The Darien Gap adventure is a Go!You'll all remember Daniel Eggington from Ep277 where, from his home in Birmingham, England, he told us of his plans to cross the Darien Gap between Colombia and Panama in December 2019. Well, Eggington is back and in Medellin and speaks to us on the line to keep us updated about his plans2019-12-1038 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia302: War Correspondent Toby Muse talks about his new book, "Kilo."It is a great pleasure to welcome seasoned conflict correspondent Toby Muse on to the Colombia Calling podcast this week to talk about his new book, "Kilo: Inside the Deadliest Cocaine Cartels―from the Jungles to the Streets."2019-12-0352 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia301: Protests in ColombiaWith Adriaan Alsema, the director of Colombia Reports, we discuss some of the reasons behind the protests and some of the events and scandals which have taken place and why.Tune in to this episode to understand the current unrest in Colombia.2019-11-2651 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia300: Trojana: exploring Colombia's pornographic webcam industryIn a critique of the pornographic webcam industry, Maud Madlyn and Andres Montes Zuluaga go where many have never even considered going, they sign up to become webcam models in order to better understand the dynamics behind this business to open a debate around sexual violence and gender violence in Colombia. Tune in to hear about the darker side of the webcam world in Colombia, from a man and a woman, who decided to explore it for themselves, as the observed.2019-11-1947 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia299: Charles Massey channels Kishore Kumar for us on the Colombia Calling podcastCharles Massey from Ottawa joins us once again (hear his Bollywood in Barranquilla Ep215) to entertain the colombia calling podcast listeners with a Kishore Kumar bollywood song, sung live for us here in Bogota. But, while we discuss Massey's life since he moved back to Canada after his time as a teacher in Barranquilla, we get to know our interviewee a little more and are even privy to an exclusive reading of one of his poems.2019-11-1234 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia298: Freelance foreign correspondent Dylan Baddour talks to Colombia CallingHailing from Texas, Dulan Baddour cut his teeth in journalism before heading down south to Colombia. Here, he reports on issues talking place in Colombia and the fall out from the humanitarian tragedy currently on-going in Venezuela. Perhaps my favourite piece written by Baddour is about former FARC guerrillas, who are trying to make a life of it beyond the reintegration camps run by the government.2019-11-0543 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia297: Adam Isacson of WOLA speaks to Colombia CallingAdam Isacson of WOLA (The Washington Office on Latin America) needs no introduction to the latin americanists amongst us, but, suffice it to say that it was an honour to invite him on the Colombia Calling podcast and hear his thoughts about recent events here in Colombia2019-10-2942 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia296: The life of a freelance foreign correspondent in ColombiaWe are incredibly fortunate to welcome freelance foreign correspondent Steven Grattan on the Colombia Calling podcast this week as we managed to snare him before he was off into the wilds reporting on the latest story from ColombiaGrattan has been based in Bogotá since 2013 and he's been incredibly busy2019-10-2245 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia295: International understanding and travel for ColombiansErvin Liz has appeared on the Colombia Calling podcast on two previous occiasions, firstly discussing the Colombian Coffee Connection (Ep201) and then the protests in southwestern Colombia in April (Ep267) and now he's back, as the President of the Colombian National Committee for the United World College (UWC), and sharing with us a little about how his experience of international travel and education broadened his mind and made him the person he is today2019-10-1541 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia294: Cali's Music sceneThe last time Irish singer songwriter Kevin McCaffrey joined us on the Colombia Calling podcast, it was September 2016, the peace accords in Colombia hadn't been signed and we were discussing parallels between these and the accords in Ireland. Fast forward from Ep157 to Ep294 and McCaffrey has now lived in Cali for 10 years, performed before an immense crowd at a huge music festival and will be releasing his new EP "Confressions" on November 202019-10-0841 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia293: Working with and learning from Colombia's rural midwivesAfter a chance meeting in a restaurant in Cusco, Peru, Susana Bueno Lindo and Tony Aiello married a few years later and life has brought this native of Colorado to live in his wife's home city of Bogotá, Colombia. But, this serendipitous tale does not end here, now, the husband and wife team are working hard to ensure that they can learn from and also teach new practices to rural midwives in some of the most impoverished, conflict affected and isolated regions of Colombia2019-10-0144 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia292: What to Expect from Colombia's local and regional electionsin OctoberOctober is almost upon us and with it comes Colombia's local and regional elections which should be a litmus test for President Ivan Duque's popularity and mandate. So, we at Colombia Calling reached out to Sergio Guzman of Colombia Risk Analysis (www.colombiariskanalysis.com) to provide us with a breakdown of what to expect and what machinations are in the works2019-09-2447 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia291: Traditional Medicines from the Putumayo, Colombia's Amazon regionWhen we think of traditional medicines from the Amazon, our thoughts immeditately turn to vines of Yage or Ayahuasca, and so, while we do discuss this vine with Colombian Anthropologist Hernando Echeverri, we also explore more of the varities which grow in the region of the Putumayo. Speaking with the authority of Michael Taussig, Echeverri shares with us experiences about his period of investigating and studying traditional medicines, and learning from shamans in the region2019-09-1745 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia290: Best Practice Extractive Industries in ColombiaOn Ep290 of the Colombia Calling podcast it's a great honour to welcome Calgarian, Kaleigh Kuchinski on to the show to talk about her work with Agriteam Canada Consulting, an agency which enables communities in zones designated for extractive industries to reach a greater transparency and best practices2019-09-1043 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia289: Bogotá Politics Needs more Nerds!For those of you familiar with my work, you will know that I am fascinated by local elections here and the machinations taking place in the barrios, not just in Bogotá but all over the country. This week on the Colombia Calling podcast we have a great opportunity to hear all about local elections with a hopeful candidate running for the Alianza Verde party, Diego Laserna, giving us the inside track2019-09-0348 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia288: Bogotá Gourmet Burger BarMany of us have dreamt of making the move overseas and opening a small business, there are those of us who have done and those amongst who sit idly by, but Australian expat in Bogota, Darren Crockett is far from the latter2019-08-2745 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia287: Out in Colombia, LGBT travel to ColombiaThis week on the Colombia Calling podcast, we talk to Sam Castañeda Holdren, a transplant from the US to Medellin where he has launched the successful, "Out in Colombia," travel agency. Out in Colombia (www.outincolombia.com) is a socially responsible LGBT travel and tourism agency specializing in tailor made and concierge-style travel to Colombia. We discuss how people have responded to a LGBT travel agency in this part of the world and some of the challenges faced.2019-08-2043 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia286: Science Journalism will take Medellin by storm in 2021On the Colombia Calling episode this week we get to speak to Colombian science journalist Tania Valbuena in Bogotá. After spending time in the Colombian military, she moved into public health policy and epidemiology before decided that journalism was her true passion. Now, she works in ensuring that the projects and discoveries made by scientists in the global south can be shared and communicated to the people2019-08-1342 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia285: Brewing craft beer with former FARC guerrillas in ColombiaOn Ep285 we welcome back Wally Broderick (Ep135 Prisons in Colombia) who is now involved in a fascinating project of brewing craft beers with ex FARC guerrillas now reincorporated into Colombian society2019-08-0642 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia284: Colombia Calling all TravellersIt is a great pleasure on this Ep284 of the Colombia Calling podcast to take a step back and remind ourselves why we come to Colombia. To this end, we speak to an avid listener of the podcast in Idaho, Jeff Brown, who will be coming to the country for the first time later in 20192019-07-3050 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia283: Mapping Zika and Dengue in Colombia's city of CaliOn Ep238 we have a great opportunity to learn about how silicon valley is collecting data in the city of Cali and employing it to help map out breeding grounds for mosquitos carrying the Zika or Dengue virus. Premise (www.premise.com) is the company in question and Daniela Rubio, the Program Manager joins us on the line from Mexico City.2019-07-2345 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia282: The fourth edition of La Leyenda mountain bike race in ColombiaI love this yearly episode where we get to kick back and chat to Brian Murphy and Dave Proctor about La Leyenda mountain bike race in Colombia. For those who have not heard any of our previous interviews with the race founder Murphy and the Comms director Proctor, La Leyenda del Dorado is a UCI accredited event and is Colombia's most prestigious multi-stage mountain bike race, where adventurous professional and amateur cyclists from around the world race side by side2019-07-1644 minColombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia281: Is this the dawn of a 21st Century Revolution?Enfant terrible, journalist and director of the most read news website in English about Colombia, Colombia Reports, Adriaan Alsema can be an interesting character to track down and engage in conversation.2019-07-0948 min