“Buildings inside the hills in Columbia”, is what internationally acclaimed rapper Kanye West tweeted when visiting Colombia, the country that served as inspiration for his Grammy-nominated album, The Life of Pablo. A tribute to the drug lord and narcoterrorist Pablo Escobar, the album hit more than three billion streams worldwide in its first year. Yet, West was unable to correctly name the country whose history he was profiting off. Like many around the world, his knowledge of Colombia was limited to a glorified version of kingpins and drug trafficking, void of research and fact-checking.
In the late 20th century, Colombia was a dangerous place. Illicit cocaine plantations and a booming international drug market gave rise to terrorist cartels in the country’s major cities, the largest one of which was ruled by Pablo Escobar. Amassing a net worth of over $25 billion, he soon gained international fame as a formidable, almost mystical, figure. However, clashing with this heroic portrayal was his role in the inner turmoil of an entire country and the murder of thousands. So why is he still wrongfully revered by some?
This phenomenon isn’t difficult to explain. Realizing this was a profitable storyline, the media and entertainment industry latched onto this image of Colombia and ran with it, inaccurately depicting the multi-layered nation as one large drug hub. Well-known films such as “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” and “Sicario” all centered their plot on Colombia’s drug trade, yet made no effort to correctly represent it, making mistakes such as showing Bogota, the capital city, as a jungle.
Although the country quickly progressed and overcame its dark past, Hollywood refused to let go. Netflix’s show Narcos, for instance, which tells stories of Colombia’s biggest drug lords, aired in 2015; although commercially successful and critically acclaimed, it further cemented that image of Colombia in foreigners’ eyes long after the country had surpassed it.
It’s not surprising, then, that to many, the only words associated with Colombia are cocaine, Pablo Escobar, and cartels. Having constantly seen these people and scenes depicted on their TVs, they’re excited to visit the places where they really happened and engage in what is locally known as narco tourism.
Medellin, Pablo Escobar’s hometown, is the main destination for those seeking to learn about Colombia’s past. There, tourists have dozens of options to choose from when deciding on a tour; however, none of them are government-led initiatives. Popular stops within these tours include Escobar’s hacienda, jail, and tomb.
Nonetheless, these tours have become incredibly problematic. By being centered on the drug lords, their houses, and their wealth, these tours overlook the grim history they’re supposed to showcase, and instead mask it with images, stories and facts visitors will find interesting. Therefore, despite being responsible for the deaths of over 4,000 people, Pablo Escobar and his life are romanticized and trivialized to match shows like “Narcos” and draw the biggest reactions from the crowd.
Although some tourists might be commended for wanting to learn about Colombia and the country’s history, that type of conscious tourism is not yet available as in other places. Germany and the United States, for instance, have invested in commemorating and reminiscing on their country’s past; the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin, and Ground Zero in New York City, are government-run spaces meant for reflection and the honoring of victims. Lacking such spaces, the appropriate ambiance to discuss these traumatic events is rarely created, and what should be a day of consideration and thought, is instead marked by the crowd’s indelicate “oohs” and “ahhs” as they’re shown the remains of the plane Escobar bombed down.
Simultaneously, many tourists simply aren’t interested in learning about the history, and just want to visit and see the most impressive places that will corroborate what they’ve seen on TV. Unbothered to learn about the actual history, they travel to Colombia and insensitively tour a violent past, concerned only with the aspects they find appealing. Then, like Kanye West, they leave having learned virtually nothing.
On the other hand, tour guides and locals who take part in narco tourism also need to reevaluate and readjust their role. Content to profit off trauma, they show and tell only what will bring them the biggest tip, and in this way, fuel an industry that steamrolls over the truth and pain to cater to foreigners’ misplaced wishes. By being the tourists’ main informant, guides carry tremendous responsibility and should use it to properly inform tourists and slowly transform the country’s international notoriety.
Dishearteningly, many don’t, and even after visiting, tourists leave with a strengthened notion of Colombia being the bloody, drug-laden country they’d always imagined. What is a perfect opportunity to showcase the nation’s growth and progress, is often wasted, doing more harm than good by reinforcing a fifty-year-old stereotype?
Like so, Colombia’s devastating history is constantly exploited by tourists and locals alike through an irreverent approach to a traumatic past and a blatant disregard for the country’s suffering. Seeing as Colombia has so much to offer, unconscionable narco tourism has no place whatsoever in a visitor’s agenda.
Instead, there are a myriad of options for tourists to explore and unsubscribe from this problematic industry. For instance, the Museo Casa de la Memoria, which translates to the House of Memory Museum, centers itself on showcasing Colombia’s armed conflicts and opening a space for reflection and dialogue in order to transform the city. Steeped with solemnity and respect, the museum should be a priority for tourists, yet seldom is because it lacks the garishness many crave.
More popular is the Comuna 13 Graffiti Tour, which shows how Medellin’s most dangerous neighborhood transformed itself through art and is now a vibrant hub for hip hop and graffiti. Being an exhibition of growth and reconstruction, it mirrors and represents the country’s progress within the last decade. The tour looks to the future and is tinged with hope, instead of reopening the wound that is the stagnant past.
However, initiatives like these are still few and far between, and it’s the government’s responsibility to offer a way to ethically learn about Colombia’s history. Tourists will continue to flock in, and without the proper resources, embark on these controversial excursions. Therefore, investing in ways to honor the war’s victims, and properly display and teach the nation’s past is imperative and urgent. Not only would this slowly shift the existing international reputation, but bring thousands more, further boosting the economy.
If not, a country with so much to offer – so much food, culture, biodiversity, and kindness – will forever be associated with violence and drugs. Victims will remain forgotten, while wrongdoers are remembered in awe and praise, and a country’s valiant effort to progress and move on will stay shrouded in a past it can’t seem to shake off.
Image Credit: Panorámica de Sabaneta by Wikimedia Commons is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
