Colombia is selling itself out.
By Pedro Pizano
Jul, 15, 2009
Colombia has been nation-branded, following the latest fads in advertising, as “Colombia is Passion.” The ulterior motives for such a campaign are unclear but it is obvious that the intent is to change the world’s perception of its war ridden hostage situation.
The flagship of this campaign is a video, in English, blatantly advertising all the wonders of Colombia. It is complemented with “Colombia is Passion” merchandise and a countrywide campaign to change Colombians’ perception of themselves. This campaign has achieved spectacular results. In just two years tourism increased by 65%, and not only that, it has created what can only be called a brainwashing of its citizens. Colombians now believe they live in one of the happiest countries in the world, as related by two studies on world happiness done in 2003 by the University of Erasmus at Rotterdam, and in 2005 by the New Economic Foundation in London.
Brainwashing may be strong term but it can be argued that the campaign of Colombia is Passion is partly responsible for Colombian’s thinking so highly of themselves. In a nation-wide summon for letters, The Luis Angel Arango Public Library (the most visited public library in the world per day), received around 7,000 letters that related personal stories of dealing with violence. The subsequent exhibition was called “Letters of Persistence.” According to the curator, Maria Ospina, a Harvard PhD in comparative literature, about 500 of them (10%) echoed the words of the “Colombia is Passion” advertising.
“People were asked to write about how they had overcome and persisted violence through their personal life stories,” Ospina said in an email, “About 500 of those letters responded with: “Colombia is beautiful, it has two oceans, many natural resources, frogs, etc. That is, they couldn’t talk about their personal life but rather fell back into what the propaganda [Colombia es Pasión] was saying.”
If Colombians have a passion for something it’s a passion for killing their brothers. A passion that has spanned a couple of centuries and has left the county ravaged by “underground” civil wars after civil wars. Yet, the country still manages to proclaim itself as the longest standing democracy in South America. It seems then, that this whole self- deception has become a habit in Colombia. Colombians can’t handle the truth, so they prefer to hide it. Even Gabriel Garcia Marquez disguises it in his style of writing, which has been tied up in the most simplistic of terms as “magical realism”: “Magical realism is perfectly suited to a country like Colombia, where the truth is often so terrible and unspeakable that it needs to be told as if it were a fantasy,” according to New York Times contributor Silvana Paternostro.
Here’s a bit of that truth. In the 1990’s the eruption of cocaine consumption and the subsequent rise of Drug Barons such as Pablo Escobar made Colombia one of the most dangerous countries in the world. At some point it had the highest murder and kidnapping rate in the world. Put on the black list with countries such as North Korea and Cuba, tourism was at an all time low in the 1996. In 2002, Alvaro Uribe’s new government created and paid for an advertising campaign to brand Colombia as a country of passionate, good people.
There’s nothing wrong with advertising a country’s positive points but the historical situation in which this advertisement was created and the denial of where the money comes from to pay for this advertisement (The government paid for 65% of the costs) seems to tell another story. (Read a brief history of the Colombia is Passion Campaign)
How does the video make us forget all of this underlying violence?
With mesmerizing cinematography of the countries astounding biodiversity and a little girl speaking in English with a Colombian accent, the video tells the world how Colombia is composed of “ many, many, many good people… we Colombians, are ordinary people…people with problems but who are nonetheless considered among the happiest under the sun.”
Sometimes the video comes through as a catch-22: trying to hide the holocaust behind the images using all the tricks of the trade. Again, much in the same way Philip Morris was able to market filtered cigarettes as being healthy in 1932. Where does advertising stop and deceiving begin?
As Simon Jenkins says in the Guardian on Feb 8, 2007, “Passion alone won’t rescue Colombia from its narco-economy stigma.” Colombia still produces 80% of the cocaine that is consumed in the U.S. and 50% of its heroin (even after 6 billion dollars of U.S. aid to fight the drug war). Whichever way you turn the pancake, it is a country laden with Drug Money.
If you want to delve further into it, it has one of the biggest populations of displaced people in the world, second only to Sudan and there are still 700 people, or more, held hostage in the jungle by left wing narco-terrorist group the FARC.
St. Tertius, on a comment left on the guardian article mentioned above, equates the video “Colombia is Passion” to what the Catholic Church has been doing for years on end, i.e. concealing and distorting the truth. He says on Feb 9, 2007, “I hate the “Colombia es pasión” advertisement. Its not-so-subtle religious undertones reminds many of us of the times when referring to Colombia as “el País del Sagrado Corazón” [Land of the Sacred Heart] wasn’t intended as a complement, but as an indictment for the most backward aspects of its culture.”
Nonetheless, the video is very well made, so much that Colombians themselves have begun to believe that Colombia is a perfect, happy place and that it can live up to the Lonely Planet accolade as the 9th best tourist attraction in 2006. Aren’t there some really obvious problems that have to be dealt with, though?
Where is the fine line between fantasy and reality? It lies in the crack between the message announced by the Colombia is Passion video and the Confession of one of the para-military leaders, (private armies who vow to kill every last FARC rebel) who avowed before an U.S. court to at least 300 murders (the Colombian police holds him responsible for the deaths of more than 7,000 Colombians).
Where is the truth? It’s certainly not in this Public Service Announcement.
Photo by Zuan.
BU student majoring in Music (non-performance) and double minoring in french and journalism 
User
“Colombia is Passion” is the way people should start thinking. Only through possitive thinking can humanity be able to succeed and move on to better things. Although it is certainly not possible to deny the negative aspects of a particular situation, event or country, as in this case, what it shouldn´t be done is to advertise and spread these negative aspects. WHAT YOU DONT KNOW, DONT HURT YOU. Or is it OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND!? Either way, the idea is to focus only on the brighter side of life.
I don’t get this article. It sounds as if you are saying that because Colombia has been struggling with violence, then in doesn’t deserve anything better. You are reading too much and too wrong into that campaign. Of course its sponsored by the government… who else? that is far from a secret. Why do you insist that the history of the Country negates the truth behind the video? yes, Colombia has had its fair share of violence. If that does not move you to stand your position against that violence that you are dooming yourself to live in the past. Are the messages within the video false just because Pablo Escobar sough a reign of terror fifteen years ago? is Colombia less beautiful of its people less friendly because drug money has penetrated everywhere? What are you saying, that if we don’t focus on the bad then its not entirely true?You say that half of almost 7,000 victims of terror are inspired by this video… and this is a bad thing? what would you rather have them write about? weep, complain and focus on the negative, like you, or inspire and be inspired, share hope and nurture an idea that even though there has been much violence, it has been by a few, not by by the Colombian people in general. As a Colombian and victim of violence, I am offended by you. Not by your unfounded words, which you are certainly entitled to from cozy, far away Boston, but by your idea that a message like Colombia is Passion is crap, and that our violent past and present forbids us with wanting a better future, and working hard for it, and we only put out videos with more real messages like ‘Colombia is Violent.’ Please.
While I agree with what you are suggesting, that Colombias do deserve a new beginning looking at the brighter side of things, I also agree with Pedro (or at least with what I thought he tried to convey). The ad is magnificent, definitely will hit one of its targets which is boosting tourism. That is okay for the public from other countries. Now, let us ask the question how a Colombian should take this ad. Do you really need an ad telling you how great you are to actually realize that? What changed from “before the ad” and “after the ad” is just a matter of perception of the people about themselves, and this opens up another question: Is the Colombian people so gullible to believe whatever you throw at their TVs? So if tomorrow another ad comes out telling you that Colombia is the worst country in the world, would you buy that?
I think that is the problem Pedro is tackling. People should have their own criteria and not let themselves believe whatever comes in through their ears.
Do you really need someone telling you things to actually become aware of them? Was not the Colombian People passionate even before this ad?
How harsh are your words! Harsh, yet not untrue. At least not completely. Nonetheless, while I agree that a campaign should not blind us and make us forget the thirst for justice and the cruelty that takes place every single day in our country, I am a witness of how Colombia is home to millions of happy and passionate people, and every time I come and visit I can breathe the hope and strength of its inhabitants. “Where does advertising stop and deceiving begin?” I don’t know, but in the case of Colombia I believe that, paradoxically, misery and happiness simply coexist in their fullest.
If you had a chance to move back in time and decide whether or not this campaign should exist, what would you do Pedro? Do you really think Colombia lacks passion? Are you suggesting tourists should refrain from visiting?
Thank you all for your comments.
I apologize because I had mistakenly said that 50% percent of the letters received by the “Luis Angel Arango” echoed the words of the Colombia is Passion advertising. The actual figure is 10%. The article has been corrected.
Here is the link to the webpage in Spanish of “Letters of Persistence” from the public library Luis Ángel Arango.
Pedro, interesting reflection. Another dark side related to the Colombia is Passion campaign is related to sexual tourism and child exploitation in Colombia. Passion, especially in Spain and in other European countries, is linked to sexual pleasure. In that sense, the campaign does little to dissociate Colombia’s booming sexual tourism in places like Cartagena with the official promotion message of the government. This is also in view of the government’s recent decision not to allow the distribution of pamphlets alerting tourists about the crime of sexual exploitation.