From Toronto to Bogotá to Medellín and Back

by Andres Orbegozo

I remember sitting in my college classroom wondering what was to be of my future. It was in that moment that I received an e-mail from Joanna Duarte Laudon that left me with my eyes wide open. I was presented with an opportunity of a lifetime. Che Kothari, the Executive Director of Manifesto, had invited me to join Manifesto as a videographer and assisting translator on a cultural learning exchange to Bogotá, and Medellín, Colombia supported by Toronto Community Foundation, Schools Without Borders, and Aeroplan. I jumped at my keyboard to reply to his invitation and agree to join. I left my cell phone number in my reply and waited to be accepted. All I could think about was if this opportunity would be mine. After spending the afternoon preparing myself in case it was, I received a call from Che. I was ecstatic, I didn’t know what to expect. He then introduced himself, the objectives of the trip, and told me the tickets had been booked with one of them belonging to me. We would be going down to Colombia to meet with and learn from community and youth organizers. I was overwhelmed with joy and surprise. After many years of absence I was returning to my home country to work in my passions of music and media. Che told me that we had a long future together ahead of us….and to give thanks.

The day of our departure, I met Che for the first official time. I had met Che informally the first time at the 2011 Stylus Spinfest Conference when I signed up for a 5 minute mentor session with him. We talked about the future of the culture industry in Toronto and about Hip Hop in Colombia. Little did I know this would be a prelude to our adventure. We rushed around the city getting last minute additions of extra equipment; lights, flashes, and lenses. We worried that we wouldn’t make it on time to our flight. In our rush to our flight’s gate we had already had started connecting with Colombia. We met with two Colombian-Canadians, one on his way to Colombia for the same festival we would attend in Bogotá, and another who owns a recording studio in Toronto. Luckily, we made it just in time for last minute boarding. What a relief. We had six hours until we arrived in Bogotá from Toronto.

Our journey had already begun.

We arrived in Bogotá in the evening. I was already getting inspired just from the conversations on the plane with Che. At the El Dorado airport we were welcomed by Don Popo, a founder of Fundacion Familia Ayara (Ayara Family Foundation), an award winning Non Governmental Organization that creates social change through Hip-Hop. Don Popo and Che had been reunited. They had first met in Toronto at the Ignite the Americas Youth Forum in 2008 which Che was Executive Director of and Don Popo was invited to as an industry expert. It was then that they began a friendship and partnership with goals to connect their movements. We were now in Bogotá to follow through with those plans. We traveled to his home that evening and connected with him through discussion of the trip’s objectives and sharing of personal stories. I then realized who were staying with, one of the originators of Hip Hop in Colombia. Don Popo was a part of Gotas De Rap, the first group to publish a Hip Hop tape on a major label in Colombia. I couldn’t believe it. I was amongst hip hop history.  We settled in, and prepared for our full schedule week in Bogotá.

The following day we received a personal tour of the offices and cultural centre of Fundacion Ayara with an explanation of their values, mission statement, and methodology. We interviewed many of their staff and artists to learn how this organization instigates culture and community development. I learned that the Latin Grammy Award winning Hip Hop group, ChocQuibTown, began their career through this organization. I felt so embraced by what we were learning because my first ever published interview was with this group.

We then set off to our next stop. We visited a youth prison where Ayara runs one of their social programs. I got the chills when we arrived. I had never been in a prison before. I was asked to not film throughout our time in the facility. I got emotionally touched when I saw the pain and struggle in the hearts of the youth here. We joined in on workshops with the youth by doing break-dancing, freestyle rapping, and art sharing. In our freestyle circle, Che dropped his first ever freestyle! We also had the chance to say some words in front of the groups and it felt amazing to be able to make a difference. I had a long discussion with one the kids there and was deeply touched by his story. He told me he really liked my dreadlocks and wanted to get them done too but that he wasn’t able to do it because his hair would fall off from the stress he was under. We talked about the importance of strong values, discipline, friendship, and the difficulties of abuse, violence, and negative experiences. Although we came from different walks of life, we related through our pain from past struggles.

We then drove up to the hills to one of the highest points of Bogotá, where we would attend the first concert in the series of events of the Festival Hip Hop Al Parque 2011 (Hip Hop In the Park Festival 2011). We were warmly greeted by the organizers and welcomed backstage. As I was filming I noticed that in the years I had been away from Colombia the Hip Hop scene had grown immensely. It differed from the scene in Canada. In Colombia, the music and the lifestyle resembled what Hip Hop was like in the 80’s and 90’s in NYC. The crowd filled the stands and the energy was strong. The youth showed their presence in high numbers for their voice to be heard. The organizers invited the mayor of the city to conduct a speech and sign a contract agreeing to work with the hip hop community. The youth wanted a solution to the issue of not being treated with respect by citizens and police officers and not having enough access to social programs. I was taken back for a second when this happened. The youth were using Hip Hop as a medium of resistance and civic action. This type of youth movement is something I wish I would see happen more in Toronto and learned that Manifesto was working hard to make that reality possible.

The festival went on for two days more after this concert. We attended each of the two days – Manifesto Team in full effect. Che wore the Zulu Nation medallion Afrika Bambaataa gave to him and was approached by many artists and fans asking for explanations of what the Zulu Nation stood for. We explained to the people that it was an international Hip Hop awareness movement spreading things like knowledge, wisdom, peace, unity, justice, truth, love, respect and safely having fun. We spent our days connecting with the press, watching local and national performers during the day, and international headlining performers at night. On the night of the main event we saw 80,000 fans in attendance go wild and pump their fists to performances by Lords of The Underground, Dilated Peoples, and Vico C (considered one of the godfathers of Latino hip-hop). This concert was the highest attended Hip Hop festival we had ever been to.

"It's [Colombian Hip-Hop] one of the biggest scenes in the world, and it should be respected for that"
- Dilated Peoples

In our three remaining days in Bogotá we had the opportunity to be given a tour of the neighbourhood where hip hop started in Bogotá, in it's most dangerous neighbourhood, Las Cruzes. We were told that in this neighbourhood you were either a rapper or you were a dealer. Hip Hop was an escape here. We were guided by a respected individual in the neighbourhood. If we had not been with him, we would not have been welcome. When we pulled out our equipment to do a photo shoot with Don Popo, people in the streets yelled at us to put it away because of the danger. While I was filming behind the scenes of the shoot, I was approached by police officers on a motorcycle who urged us to leave the area. They insisted that we move because the word that we were there would get around quick now that we had been spotted. They wanted to escort us but we refused. I started to get worried because I knew we had more dangerous locations as destinations in the future on our schedule. In the back of my mind I silenced my worries by telling myself I was experiencing something so valuable that it was worth the risk.

We took advantage of the time we had left in Bogotá by meeting and interviewing local artists who had received international exposure, such as Rocca from Tres Coronas, and the group Voodoo Souljahs who had performed at Manifesto Festival in Toronto three times before. We met Voodo Souljahs at their home and shared a wonderful dinner together. For me it was a heart touching experience. I spoke with their singer Lia Samantha about the issue of racism in Colombia and how we could overcome it through music. We met Rocca at the Plaza Bolivar, which is the central square of the city, where the President can be found. Rocca spoke to us about his strong feelings against the state of Hip Hop in Colombia, and about how he wanted to see hip hop move forward in the direction of cultural appropriation consisting of Colombian musical roots. I was so fortunate to be able to meet and get the opinions of one my favourite artists of all time. All of these meetings and interviews helped us to deepen our understanding of the hip hop community and it's context in Colombia.

Our last day in Bogotá was used to start building the foundation for an interchange of festivals between Canada and Colombia. We invited artists, publicists, producers, dancers, and designers to a presentation held at Fundacion Ayara. Che spoke to the crowd about the structure and methodology of Manifesto and what was successful about the model and shared its growth and evolution in Jamaica & Barbados. He expressed to the people in attendance that he encouraged the community in Bogotá to strengthen its ties within itself and build a festival by the people without Manifesto intervening. It would simply provide models of structure, assistance, and support where requested or necessary. We connected with those in attendance and continued to build our network. Our objectives in Bogotá were complete. We were now ready for Medellín.

I didn’t know what to expect from our visit in Medellín. At first I wasn’t comfortable with going to the Comuna 13 marginalized neighbourhood in this city because of the countless stories I had heard from family and from the news of the turbulence of violence that occurs in this community. Che assured me that everything would be fine because at all times we would be with organizers who were respected for their positive work in the community. I trusted him and came along on the trip. I would soon come to realize that our trip to Medellín would be a personally transformative experience.

Our first objective was to meet with Jehhico, the head organizer of the Festival Revolucion Sin Muertos 7 (Revolution Without Death Festival #7), at a YMCA in the communas of Medellín. We received a really warm welcome. Everyone was really friendly with us. I felt like the negative stories I had heard of this community were not matching with my immediate perception and experience there. We were able to see firsthand how the festival was structured, the process of receiving sponsorship and government funding, and learned the purpose of the festivals existence from the festival's political coordinator. We continued to interview Jehhico's logistics team, YMCA staff, artists and citizens of the area to once again get a deeper understanding of where we were, and were told the following. Comuna 13, San Javier, Medellín had been marked by its takeover by armed groups who controlled the narcotrafficing in Colombia. They strategically chose this location of Medellín to have access to the ocean via Panama for importing and exporting. In an attempt to take back Comuna 13 the Colombian government and military executed Operation Orion & Mariscal in 2002. The police and military entered the community with violent force using helicopters, tanks, and armed soldiers in effort to demobilize these urban militias. Many innocent people were killed in this operation. As a response of resistance from the community, Festival Revolucion Sin Muertos was born in the Comuna 13. Che and I felt that this festival was definitive of how a movement against injustice and of positivity should be carried out. This was a political protest music festival made by the people for the people, without the glitz and glamour.

The next two days we attended the festival and shot more interviews, footage and experienced how the festival worked operationally. It was amazing to see young artists from across Colombia come together with one unified message of peace, using the arts as a tool to share stories, reenact horrific things that happened to their people through artistic expressions and share truth. This festival is one that we knew we would never forget.

A gift made with love was presented to us by our friend, graffiti artist @Perograff. He had created a Manifesto mural in Medellín as a show of gratitude for us coming to see them.

This was only the beginning. The transformation was about to begin.

We were brought up to one of the highest points of the Comuna 13 to the home of Son Bata. Son Bata is a collective run by community organizers. These community organizers are also a Petronio Alvarez Festival and Premio Shock (Shock Awards) winning Hip Hop group. In their music they blend AfroColombian music Chirimia with Hip Hop. In their community they hold workshops and events with the Afro-Colombian community to preserve their identity and culture. We visited their offices and cultural centre and connected. As the sun went down my worries started to increase. My worries urged me to leave to “safety”, but something inside of me told me to stay. I decided to experience something I didn’t understand at the expense of my comfort. This would result in an experience of a lifetime.

We attended one of Son Bata’s workshops in a room with a large group of young Afro-Colombians. We ate their traditional cuisine with the lights off while watching a projector presentation on the wall with images of Son Bata’s success including their opening performance for Red Hot Chilli Peppers. These images meant more than just the individual success for Son Bata. Their success was a collective achievement in their community because of the inspiration it would instill in the youth. In my past interview with ChocQuibTown, I had this process explained to me. I was experiencing it first hand and it meant a lot to me to be live in the moment of influence. We proceeded to hear two teens talk in front of the group about their roots and about afro-diaspora in the world. They talked about Hip Hop, Krump Dancing, and Baile Funk from Brazil, with a slide show presentation and all. Next thing I knew we were all invited to the rooftop of the centre for a dance presentation. We sat in a large group and watched about ten of the kids put on a highly impressive and energetic performance in all the afro-diasporic music styles they mentioned in the presentation before. While I was filming and watching the presentation, I started to reminisce on the strong sense of community I deeply missed from Colombia that was present here that I couldn’t find in Canada after migrating. In the midst of my thoughts the leader of the dancers then announced they would switch things up a bit. He announced that I would be a part of their presentation. We were now having a dance battle. I jumped in the circle we gathered in and gave it my all. I felt the most alive I had felt in a long time. I was connecting and enjoying myself with complete strangers and it felt amazing.

Without warning, everyone packed up and went back downstairs. I went into the room where I found myself facing AfroColombian drums. I had never seen any in my life, only through pictures on the Internet. I didn’t just see drums. I saw tradition, history, struggle, and identity of my people. I had the feeling of desire come through me to play the drums to my heart’s content.

I began playing a subtle hip hop rhythm and caught the attention of the people in the room. Heads starting bopping and a vibe was starting to form. Once again many of us gathered in a circle but this time a freestyle rap cypher had begun. The energy was building as more people joined the circle. Another person joined in on the beat with other drums, then another, and then another. The emcees, including Don Popo, would involve the crowd that emerged by getting them to repeat chants back to them. The energy was getting higher and was reaching a rhythmic climax. We picked the drums up off the ground and started dancing with the crowd. We would all run the left of the room and yell a chant, then run to the right side of the room and yell another. People in the area who weren't part of the workshop started joining us while others watched from the windows. We jammed for hours like this. I never in my life thought I would find myself doing something like this.

It was a fulfilling experience knowing I was a part of this cultural and community development session on that night. I was impacted and influenced directly from this experience. I shared my feeling of fulfillment with Che and he told me that this personal transformation of myself was part of his objectives on the trip.
We had completed our objectives of building and learning with community organizers in Colombia and were ready to bring back the knowledge to Toronto to connect with Latino Communities and build along the same visions we saw in Bogota and Medellin.

Transformation Complete.
——————————————————————————————————
The next steps for this initiative include hosting a gathering/reasoning in Toronto in the next few weeks to share all of our experiences and networks (plus all of the visual art and music we received). Our aim is to build a bridge between Colombia and Canada to establish an exchange program in 2012 and to connect more with the Latino hip hop community in Toronto. Also be on the lookout for a mini documentary summary of this adventure that will be produced from the 400 Gigabytes of video that was recorded. Che Kothari and Andres Orbegozo will be live on Dos Mundos Radio CIUT 89.5 FM on Wednesday, November 9th, 2011 discussing Manifesto in Colombia.

Traducción en español estará disponible pronto
Photography and Video Still by Che Kothari, Andres Orbegozo & courtesy of organizers.
———————————————-
**Please note that the opinions of Operation Orion & Mariscal are of the interviewees,
and do not reflect that of the interviewers or TheManifesto.ca

Disclaimer: PorColombia is not responsible for the opinions expressed in this article.

The airwaves are filled these days with pundits, experts, politicians and everybody in between offering words of wisdom on how to get America’s lost luster back on. Budgets can be trimmed, a fair and balanced taxation code may be enacted (don’t hold your breath on this one) but nothing will contribute more to the future of this nation, or any other country, than educating their workforce for the future.

In the United States, Latinos are at the forefront of the demographic growth and play a decisive role in how our land will look like in the next decades.  According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Latinos will account for 45 percent of the total population growth between 2010 and 2030 and 60 percent between 2030 and 2050. This means that today’s youth will play a pivoting role in the economy by creating businesses, buying houses, paying their Social Security dues and so on. As leaders, we have a responsibility to fulfill with our youth and equip them for success.

However, the disparity in the amount of Latinos graduating from college compared with other ethnicities is abysmal. “As of 2009, 29.9 percent of young Americans aged 25 to 29 had obtained at least a bachelor’s degree, and an additional 7.9 percent had earned an associate degree… These average rates conceal large disparities among subgroups. Asian Americans aged 25 to 29 are at the top, with 58 percent holding a bachelor’s degree, followed by whites (36 percent), African Americans (18 percent), Hispanics (12 percent), and finally, American Indians (10 percent),” reports the American Council of Education in their recent “Minorities in Higher Education” study.

Yes, it is time to sound the alarms and take immediate action. The good thing is that Latinos are waking up and taking this crisis into their own hands and not waiting for solutions being spoon fed to them. For example, Univision just announced a new scholarship fund called “Becas Univision” for promising Latino students that will be managed by the Hispanic Scholarship Fund as well as their "Es el Momento" initiative in tandem with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation among others. Also, Latinos in Social Media, (a nonprofit group), has trumpeted the education cause in the past two years using their clout in the cyberspace; there are now regular participants in the White House’s agenda to improve education in the Latino community. But these Goliaths are not promoting change alone.

There’s a new crop of grassroots organizations that volunteer precious time and resources to nurture leaders and create opportunities in their communities. In PorColombia, we provide a solid structure that improves the college experience for many Latinos by creating networking channels and infusing in their careers a sense of social responsibility and community work. We are building leaders that will steer our society in the right direction.

Are we seeing the results? It is too early to tell but promising signs are emerging. The Pew Hispanic Center says that between 2009 and 2010, college enrollment for Latinos registered a 24 percent growth. This means that by October 2010, around 12.2 million Latinos were attending college. Encouraging, but there’s more work to be done. Young Latinos need more help with understanding better how to pay for college, more funding options for young entrepreneurs and the reassurance that they can get as high as their dreams and hard work take them.

Check the following resources:

Latinos in College website

Consumer Reports en español new college guide: "Encuentra la mejor universidad para tí"

Hispanic Scholarship Fund

The White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics

Visit PorColombia National Facebook page and become a fan, also follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Flickr.

You cannot miss our signature 2011 PorColombia Red Carpet Halloween Latin Party!

This year, we are hosting the event at the exclusive 300 New York at Chelsea Piers in New York City!

• We invite you to party with style without breaking your wallet on Saturday, October 29th. Party starts at 10pm but we want to kick off the party with some bowling! From 9pm to 10pm you are welcome to play with us at NO EXTRA COST in our reserved bowling lines.
• Want more? Be one of the first 50 people to buy your ticket online and receive your second drink FREE! (Domestic draft beer/well liquor) Tickets are only $15 cash at the door.
  
• Live Latin DJ spinning all the music you love to party, great atmosphere, amazing drinks, awesome company and more. This Red Carpet Halloween Latin party is one you do not want to miss!

~~~Did we mention 300 is a waterfront club at the heart of Chelsea Piers?~~~~

*21 and older*

Online ticket sales are closed. Tickets are only $15.00 cash at the door.

All proceeds from this event will go to the PorColombia Fund.

Visit PorColombia's Facebook page and become a fan, also follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Flickr.

October 13, 2011

New York, NY

We are proud to announce that our chapter at Cornell University has won the bid to host our signature annual conference on April 6 to 8, 2012. The VI Colombian Students & Professionals Conference will bring both our student and professional chapter together for the first time. PorColombia keeps growing as the premier professional organization for dedicated Colombians and other Latinos living in North America.

The conference will have an innovative format focused on smaller sessions, power networking and member integration.

Cornell University was founded in 1865. Today's Cornell reflects this heritage of egalitarian excellence. It is home to the nation's first colleges devoted to hotel administration, industrial and labor relations, and veterinary medicine. Both a private university and the land-grant institution of New York State, Cornell University is the most educationally diverse member of the Ivy League.

On the Ithaca campus alone nearly 20,000 students representing every state and 120 countries choose from among 4,000 courses in 11 undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools. Many undergraduates participate in a wide range of interdisciplinary programs, play meaningful roles in original research, and study in Cornell programs in Washington, New York City, and the world over.

Stay tuned for more details about sponsorship opportunities, tentative agenda and all travel and lodging options.

For any inquiries, please contact Daniel Aguel or Santiago Salazar at cornell@porcolombia.net or send a note to info@porcolombia.net.

Check the event page on Facebook by clicking here. On Twitter, follow the hashtag #VICSPC and our handle @PorColombia.

Visit PorColombia National Facebook page and become a fan, also follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Flickr.

Information about Cornell University was taken from its website.

Somos millones los colombianos que vivimos en el exterior y tenemos un representante ante la Cámara de Representantes de Colombia. El Dr. Jaime Buenahora lleva un año en su cargo y es importante que todos nos informemos de su gestión y podamos aprender que mecanismos hay para poder participar en el proceso político y legislativo en los temas que nos atañan a todos. Invitamos a toda la diáspora colombiana que vive en en el área metropolitana de New York, a que asista a esta conferencia en Queens dictada por el Dr. Buenahora.

Si usted no vive cerca pero quiere ver la conferencia en línea, esta va a ser transmitida por Internet para todo el mundo. A continuación compartimos el texto del comunicado de prensa de la oficina del representante y los links para que usted pueda ver este evento informativo sin importar en que país se encuentre:

Nueva York, Septiembre 28 del 2011.

Las organizaciones Cámara de Comercio Colombiana del Estado de Nueva York, Cámara de Comercio Hispana de Queens – HCCQ, Centro Cultural Colombiano Internacional – CCCI, Club Colombia de Dover – NJ – USA, Club Colombia USA Inc., Club de Leones de East Elmhurst (NY), Club Rotario de Jackson Heights, Corazón a Corazón NY – Fundación Infantil, Desfile Colombiano de NY, Long Island for Colombia y PorColombia invitan a la conferencia Colombianos en el Exterior: "Ley Retorno, Representación Parlamentaria de los Colombianos Residentes en el Exterior y otros Temas," la cual será dictada por el Sr. Representante a la Cámara – Circunscripción Internacional, Dr. Jaime Buenahora este viernes, 30 de septiembre a las 6:30 p.m. en las instalaciones del Centro Cultural Colombiano de Queens Internacional, ubicado en la 97-16 Northern Boulevard, Queens (NY).

De igual forma, los asistentes podrán conocer la gestión desarrollada por el Sr. Congresista durante su primer año de labor ante el Parlamento Colombiano en representación de los colombianos en el exterior. En ese mimo escenario, se realizará una ronda de preguntas tanto a nivel del público como los periodistas asistentes. Para los que no puedan asistir o estén en otras partes del mundo, la conferencia será transmitida por Justin.TV bajo el link www.justin.tv/jaimebuenahora a partir de las 6:30 p.m. hora del este de los Estados Unidos y podrán participar en el chat del mismo canal (parte izquierda). Finalizada esta, la conferencia se transmitirá en diferido durante el fin de semana.

Oficina de Prensa

Representante Jaime Buenahora

Ciscunscripción Internacional – Colombia

www.jaimebuenahora.com

Visit PorColombia National Facebook page and become a fan, also follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Flickr.

"Colombia es el país que más exporta jugadores a la MLS. La mala situación del fútbol colombiano ha dado pie para que la MLS aproveche y traiga a Estados Unidos todo ese talento que se está generando en el país, y existen muchos ejemplos."

By Edgar Acero

El fracaso de unos es el éxito de otros. Tal es como está ocurriendo con la relación del fútbol colombiano y el estadounidense. Mientras que en Colombia se habla de demoras en el pago de salarios a los jugadores y de un bajón impresionante de nivel, en Estados Unidos se elogia a la MLS, una liga que sigue creciendo con jugadores estrellas, academias juveniles y nuevos estadios. A pesar de las distancias, existe una relación muy profunda entre logros de la Major League Soccer en Norteamérica y los problemas que vive la Liga Postobón en Colombia. Déjenme me explico.

Al final de los años 80 y al inicio de los 90, Colombia gozaba de una cantera de jugadores increíbles, los cuales le dieron al país muchas alegrías internacionales como el triunfo en la prestigiosa Copa Libertadores de América por parte del Atlético Nacional en 1989 y la clasificación a tres Mundiales seguidos en 1990, 1994 y 1998. El poder de los clubes colombianos era de notarse y los jugadores de clase estaban repartidos en todos los clubes del país. Mientras que Carlos ‘El Pibe’ Valderrama estaba en el Junior de Barranquilla, Rene Higuita estaba en el Nacional y Freddy Rincón en el América de Cali.. La Copa Mustang (hoy en día, Liga Postobón) era brillante.

Sin embargo, tras la caída de las corporaciones y llamémoslos “negociantes” que financiaban a los equipos más fuertes de Colombia, los clubes perdieron su habilidad de observar talento, de fomentarlo, de hacerlo florecer en su liga y de retenerlo. Hoy en día, los problemas económicos de algunos equipos son alarmantes. Igual, el talento del jugador colombiano sigue ahí, pero no progresa y ese talento ya ha empezado a partir a otras partes. Ahí es donde viene el rol de la Major League Soccer (MLS), la liga de los Estados Unidos y Canadá que ha venido creciendo a pasos agigantados en los últimos años.

Creada en 1996, la MLS inauguró su primera temporada buscando generar interés por el deporte en Estados Unidos tras el exitoso Mundial de 1994 en este país. La liga contaba con tan solo 10 equipos y estuvo a punto de fracasar a principios de este milenio debido a la falta de asistencia a sus estadios y la falta de interés. No obstante, y lentamente, la MLS ha logrado ganarse un puesto en el mundo deportivo de Estados Unidos, teniendo ya 18 equipos. Esos logros han sido alcanzados de la mano del talento colombiano.

En sus comienzos, la MLS atrajo a algunos de los jugadores más legendarios del fútbol internacional, incluyendo a los colombianos Valderrama, Leonel Álvarez, y Adolfo ‘el Tren’ Valencia, entre otros. Claramente, estos jugadores ya habían pasado por el punto más alto de sus carreras y venían a la MLS a jugar sus últimos años, por lo que la liga de dio a conocer internacionalmente como una “liga para retirados”. Sin embargo, hoy en día la realidad es otra. Aunque aún siguen llegando algunos jugadores al final de sus carreras, el talento que proviene de Colombia es cada vez más joven y de más cantidad.

Colombia es el país que más exporta jugadores a la MLS. La mala situación del fútbol colombiano ha dado pie para que la MLS aproveche y traiga a Estados Unidos todo ese talento que se está generando en el país, y existen muchos ejemplos. La llegada del delantero Fredy Montero, goleador en Colombia con el Deportivo Cali y ahora estrella de los Seattle Sounders FC de la MLS, fue uno de esos fichajes que dejó a los aficionados en Colombia rascándose sus cabezas. Montero es un jugador que hubiera podido irse para Europa, pero decidió ir a Estados Unidos porque ahora esa liga le ofrece la oportunidad de jugar un fútbol altamente competitivo y de recibir un buen pago.

Estrellas del fútbol internacional como David Beckham, Landon Donovan y Thierry Henry deslumbran las canchas estadounidenses y los jugadores colombianos quieren la oportunidad de probarse ante ellos, algo que hoy en día no pasaría en Colombia. Además, Montero también tuvo la oportunidad de jugar ante los campeones de Inglaterra, Manchester United, en el mes de julio. ¿Cuándo hubiera tenido esa oportunidad de hacer eso jugando en Cali?

Al igual que Montero, quien hasta ahora cumplió los 24 años, muchos otros jugadores jóvenes han tomado la decisión de irse a la MLS y dejar el fútbol colombiano. El atacante Fabián Castillo, quien actualmente se encuentra en la escuadra de la selección Colombia sub-20 en el Mundial de esa categoría, es jugador del FC Dallas, junto a otros tres colombianos: David Ferreira, Jair Benítez y el recién fichado Daniel Cruz. Otro jovencito, proveniente del América de Cali, es Roger Torres, quien ha empezado a brillar con el Philadelphia Union, donde también juegan sus experimentados compatriotas Faryd Mondragón y Carlos Valdés. Y así, la MLS ya tiene más de 20 colombianos en su liga, incluyendo a los internacionales Juan Pablo Ángel y Diego Chará, entre otros. La pregunta queda: ¿Es esa relación entre ambas ligas algo bueno o algo malo para el fútbol colombiano?

Sabemos que la relación es buena para la MLS, que está aprovechando el talento que Colombia tiene para ofrecer, pero en el caso del fútbol colombiano no es muy claro. Se podría decir que es una mala relación porque la afición en Colombia deja de ver a algunos de sus mejores prospectos crecer con sus equipos, pero al mismo tiempo se podría argumentar que es una buena relación por el hecho de que estos jóvenes están aprendiendo al lado de algunas de las estrellas más grandes del fútbol internacional y, en algún momento, eso se tiene que ver reflejado en la selección nacional.

Lo que si tenemos que hacer como colombianos es quitarnos esa visión ridícula que tenemos de la MLS: que es una liga mala de ‘gringos troncos’. Mientras que no es la mejor liga del mundo, es una que tiene mucho para ofrecer y si como aficionados de fútbol empezamos a ver el valor que tienen nuestros jugadores que militan en la MLS, los directivos y entrenadores van a empezar a verlos también, y de ahí en adelante podremos traer ese talento a probarse a la selección nacional y darle alegrías al pueblo colombiano. ¿Estoy diciendo que Montero es mejor de Radamel Falcao García del Porto de Portugal? No, para nada. Pero no tiene nada de malo ver que tiene para ofrecerle de diferente a una selección que terminó fracasando en la Copa América.

Los invito a que vean un partido de la MLS que tenga jugadores colombianos (casi todos los equipos tienen al menos a uno) y juzguen por ustedes mismos si puede ser beneficioso que los nuestros estén formando su fútbol en un ámbito tan diverso y multicultural.

Edgar Acero es un editor asociado del portal FutbolMLS.com. Se pueden comunicar con Edgar escribiendole a edgar.acero@mlssoccer.com.

Photo: Courtesy of Edgar Acero.

Visit PorColombia National Facebook page and become a fan, also follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Flickr.

Join PorColombia @ UF on their first meeting of the Fall 2011! It's going to be super fun! There will be food, drinks, and music! They will be hosting parties, sporting events and tailgating events throughout the year. Come to the meeting to hear more. Bring anyone you'd like! We're embracing diversity and unifying Colombian culture! Go Gators!

In addittion, they will also be raffling tickets to Bonka, selling tickets at SPECIAL PRICES to those who do not win and selling PorColombia-Colsa Gator pride t-shirts and other Colombian goodies. Information on internships will as well be offered.

When: Monday, August 29th from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Where: Computer Science Building CSE A121 (Beneath Marston Library)

Visit PorColombia National Facebook page and become a fan, also follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Flickr.

Updated August 29, 2011

After watching the trailer of this movie and doing some basic research on the Internet, we decide that we could not give "Colombiana" a free pass. We are disappointed and disgusted that Sony Pictures chose a common stereotype as the title of their movie. The movie was not even filmed in Colombia and seems that it is only a geographical reference in the first minutes of the movie. That's all Colombia has to do in the film.

These references are completely inconsequential but they still decided that "Colombiana" would be the best selling line. Well, we don't accept that Hollywood uses our already tarnished reputation for their gain without including any context in the story or providing a balanced approach to the subject.

These are the reasons why we started a campaign on Facebook and Twitter called "Colombia is beautiful". We will not let this one go without having a serious conversation about it on social media and the press.

This is our official response to the offensive words we received from Ms. Saldaña when interviewed by Alexandra Cheney from The Wall Street Journal on August 23rd:

WSJ: The nonprofit group PorColombia has launched a campaign against "Colombiana," saying it portrays Latinos in a negative light. How do you respond?

ZS: Shame on them? I don't know, I wish I knew how to address stupid unintelligent comments but I don't, I'm not a stupid person. I'm sorry, I never like to get political but it's just a shame that there are so many people out there that think so ignorantly. She could have been from Puerto Rico, she could have been from Goa, she could have been from China. But Luc Besson just wanted her to be from Colombia. Once you watch the movie, it has nothing to do with drugs, it has to do with violence. But violence lives in every city in every corner in every part of the world. So that said, PorColombia, are you kidding me? I've been trying to be diplomatic about it because I don't want to be bitter. Why would you think that this was made in such a simple fashion?

PorColombia regrets Ms. Saldaña's offensive words against PorColombia and our anti-defamation campaign. It is evident she has not taken the time to read and understand the purpose of our protest. Let's be clear, we reject the title of the movie because it hurts Colombia's already tarnished image and misrepresents the real spirit of the movie. In Ms. Saldaña's words, the movie "has nothing to do with drugs, it has to do with violence"; so why call it "Colombiana"? Furthermore, why is Sony Pictures not taking responsibility on this? The real culprit here is the studio and not Ms. Saldaña. We respect her work, achievements and professionalism as a Latina actress.

Sony Pictures remains silent despite facing a public relations fiasco with the Colombian community living in North America. They are responsible for the title of the movie and we're still waiting for a public apology. This movie is being marketed in Colombia with the title Dulce Venganza, which means "Sweet Revenge;" in Asia, movie fans will watch "Black Beauty Evil." Therefore, it is impossible to believe that the movie title chosen for North America was an integral part of the screenplay. They are under the spotlight for not realizing that Colombians in the U.S. alone are more than 900,000 honest, educated and proud members of multicultural America.

We applaud other anti-defamation campaigns like "Colombia: The other side of the coin," which will distribute 10,000 flyers with positive information about our homeland outside movie theaters showing the film on opening night. We will move forward with our all-day online rally #Colombiaisbeautiful on August 26, as noted bellow:

PorColombia announces its online rally #Colombiaisbeautiful on August 26, 2011. This virtual event aims to share articles, videos, music, photos and every piece of information we can get our hands on, to highlight Colombia's real identity and dispel myths and stereotypes.

This is the second phase of our anti-defamation campaign against the title of the upcoming Sony Pictures' movie "Colombiana." The rally will take place the same day the move opens in North American theaters. We demand an apology from Sony Pictures to the Colombian community living in North America. We also encourage Sony Pictures to pick a nonprofit organization that works helping young Colombians stay away from violence and contribute to their cause. It is only fair when they are using the name of Colombia and the stereotypes we endure thanks to decades of an internal war fueled by drugs for their profit and propaganda.

Read the full press release here (English & Spanish)

Below you will find links of all the interviews, news articles and blog posts featuring our campaign. We will update this post with new links as they become available. Feel free to engage us using any of our social media channels or write your comments below, we want to know what you think:

The Huffington Post: Hollywood: Stop Stereotyping Colombians and Latinos (Op-ed)

Fox News Latino: Cinema Smackdown: "Colombiana," Starring Zoe Saldaña, Outrages Colombians

Univision News Tumblr: 'Colombiana' draws ire among Colombian Americans

The Wall Street Journal: Vengeance Served Bold (To read full article you must be a WSJ subscriber, sorry!)

News Taco: Controversy surrounds 'Colombiana' film for stereotyping

Una Colombiana en California blog: De "Colombiana" solo tiene el título

La W Radio: Listen to the interview here

Latinos Rebels: La actriz Zoe Saldaña de COLOMBIANA dice que #Colombiaisbeautiful es "estúpido"

Colombia Reports: Zoe Saldaña calls "Colombiana" campaign "stupid"

Caracol Radio: Rechazan "Colombiana," violenta película estadounidense

Americas Quarterly Blog: I'm Colombiana. The movie is not

Latintrends.com: Many Colombians upset at Zoe Saldaña's New Movie Colombiana

La Bloga: Colombiana? Not!

BBC Mundo: Una 'Colombiana' que causa polémica entre los latinos de EE.UU

El Diario: Zoe defiende a "Colombiana"

La Opinión: Protestan contra película "Colombiana"

El Planeta (From Boston): Hollywood: Basta de estereotipar a colombianos y latinos

LouisPagan.com: Campaign against "Colombiana"

Ezra E. Fitz Blog: Vengeance is not beautiful. Colombia is

De Avanzada Blog: "Colombiana" y los demás colombianos

Colombian House Representative Dr. Jaime Buenahora's letter to the Colombian President and Foreign Minister protesting about the movie.

In addition, we would like to share an e-mail we received in response to our social media campaign. It is from an American who worked in Colombia as a news anchor for a couple years and now feels Colombia as his own: