Metropolitan environments: Crossroads

Located atop the three mountain ranges of the Andes, the cities of Bogotá, Medellín, and Cali sit at the crossroads between diverse regions and ecosystems, where the rural and urban, the national and international converge. Beginning in the twentieth century the social, economic, and cultural vibrancy of these cities has attracted a steady stream of migrants from the rural areas seeking lifestyle and employment options not available in their farming communities. They have swelled the population to 12 million. The growing interdependence between tradition and modernity evident in Colombia’s cities has set in motion changes in the customs, habits, and occupations associated with daily life, giving rise to new cultural patterns. These cities have become cosmopolitan centers where one can observe the intersection of cultural, religious, and artistic trends from around the world.

PARTICIPANTS

Medillín

Alexander de Jesús Nieto Marín, cultivator, florist, silletero, Santa Helena
Alexander Nieto is a silletero and flower cultivator from Santa Helena, an area famous for its tradition of flower growers. He has a vast knowledge of the use of flowers in traditional healing and medicine. And his silleta, or flower carrier shaped like a chair, carries over fifty different flower varieties.

Tango de Medellín, tango dance

• Johanna Palacios Ruiz
• Edinson Dario Vanegas Amaya

Johanna Palacios and Edinson Vanegas grew up in the tango-dancing environment of the Manrique neighborhood in Medellín. They teach tango to people of all ages for entertainment and as an alternative activity to counteract the violence in the city. 

Cali

• Celmira Otero Llanos, cook
• Jaime Otero Llanos, cook

Celmira and her brother, Jaime Otero, are well known in Cali for their macetas de alfeñique, hand-made candy ornaments, traditional to Cali, arranged in the form of a bush and made for the día de los ahijados (Day of the Godchildren). The family has passed down their recipe through the generations. Jaime is also known for preparing regional fried specialties, such as aborrajados, marranitas, and empanadas.

Salsa de Cali, salsa dance

• Luz Aydé Moncayo Giraldo
• Deivy Johan Zúñiga Jiménez

Luz Aydé y Deivy Zúñiga are professional salsa dancers and teachers who have won international contests. The showy fast-stepping salsa that they dance is distinctive to Cali. 

Bogotá

Circo Ciudad, circus performance group

• María Alejandra Guarín Gutiérrez
• Wilmar Guzmán Beltran
• Luis Eduardo Guzmán Cardozo
• Carlos Andrés Niño
• Rafael Sebastian Peralta Vasco

Circo Ciudad is formed by a group of young artists who use comedy to interpret urban life. Through their performances, they involve their audiences in examining current issues. 

Reciclarte, recycling artists cooperative

• Hernando José Ruíz Daza, director

Hernando Ruíz specializes in creating new arts forms from recycled materials. His art is concerned with how society can reuse and transform trash. He is also the leader of Reciclarte Colombia, an organization that encourages urban, disadvantaged youth to create art from the things that people discard.