Andrew Wright is one of the long-term transplants from the UK to Colombia. Brought here originally by the banking world and after time spent there, he know oversees - in addition to his day job - the Fundación Buen Punto. The Fundación Buen Punto was born in 2014 with the objective of incentivizing sports (initially surf), reaching children and ...…

The potential for cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin in Latin America is huge according to Ep259's guest, Matt Aaron. I for one am a complete newbie to this new form of finance and so, we go through the basics with Aaron and talk about the challenges facing Bitcoin and other coins in South America, but also their very real benefits. Additional to th ...…

We'll all readily remember the images of Bogotá and Medellin being brought to a standstill by student protests in late 2018, marches had been planned for 2019, but after the tragic and nefarious events of Thursday January 17, when 21 people were killed in a bomb attack, all protests were suspended. So, in Episode 258 of the Colombia Calling pod ...…

On Ep257 we have the opportunity to talk with Adriaan Alsema the director of Colombia Reports (www.colombiareports.com) the largest English news website in Colombia and discuss the reality of the political landscape here for 2019. Unfortunately, the realistic interpretation of events so far in Colombia in 2019, doesn't make for upbeat listening ...…

Colombia's Truth Commission was formerly inaugurated in 2018 and has a great deal of issues to deal with, the remit includes most of the following topics: To shed light on the conflict and offer a wide-ranging explanation of its complexity. To promote and contribute to recognition of victims of conflict; voluntary recognition of individual and ...…

In his book, Makers of Democracy A. Ricardo López-Pedreros traces the ways in which a thriving middle class was understood to be a foundational marker of democracy in Colombia during the second half of the twentieth century. Drawing on a wide array of sources ranging from training manuals and oral histories to school and business archives, Lópe ...…

As a student of ethnonationalism and cultural identity originally from Arizona, Shenandoah Cornish has moved her life to Minca in Colombia's Sierra Nevada and is working to create a Centro de Memoria de la Sierra so that people from Minca can recognize and value their past. Offering guided tours of a museum she has set up with her boyfriend in ...…

As everyone is doing it, and so have we, and here on Episode 253 of the Colombia Calling podcast we sit down in Bogotá with Sergio Guzman, Director of the political risk consultancy, Colombia Risk Analysis (https://www.colombiariskanalysis.com/home-eng) to talk about President Ivan Duque's first 100 days in power. Colombia Risk Analysis is a po ...…

For Episode 252 of the Colombia Calling podcast we were honoured to be invited to the offices of the editorial Semana in Bogotá to talk to Paola Forero, the Director of Operations for the publication "Semana Rural." We discussed the challenges facing various regions of Colombia in terms of tourism and infrastructure and how Semana is teaming up ...…

On Episode 251 of the Colombia Calling podcast we are able to chat to an academic from North America who has been exploring the dimensions of "demobilization" of guerrilla outfits such as the FARC and ELN in Colombia. On the condition of anonymity, we discuss some fascinating issues which are taking place in the reincorporation process of the F ...…

This week on our landmark Ep250 of the Colombia Calling podcast, we are on the line to Medellin with Australian journalist Andrew Wight. Specialising in Science-focused stories, Andrew tells us about some of the most interesting things taking place in the field in Colombia right now, regarding coffee protection, the health consequences of Venez ...…

It's time to talking birding and birdwatching in Colombia and the opportunities open to enthusiasts as told by expert Chris Bell. It's a real pleasure to have Chris back on the show and talking with such knowledge about Colombia (the only gringo here I know to have visited all of Colombia's departments) and the species of birds found here. Chri ...…

The murders of his family in rural Colombia could have inspired a young Jesus Abad Colorado to pick up a gun; instead, he bought a camera and over the years became a highly acclaimed photographer, dedicating the next 25 years of his life to documenting the conflict in his native Colombia. A year after Colombia's then President, Juan Manuel Sant ...…

Back on Ep131 we were privileged to have actor and script writer of the movie Andrew Perez on the line from Los Angeles discussing his latest film, Bastards and Diablos...this time, on Ep247 of the Colombia Calling podcast, we have the honour of speaking to the other lead actor and producer of the movie, Dillon Porter. And he's here in Bogotá w ...…

How much do you know about the plantations and the medical cannabis industry in Colombia? If you're like me, very little at all, so it is with great pleasure that on Ep246 of the Colombia Calling podcast, we sit down with British journalist Mat Youkee, the brains behind the "Colombia Cannabis Investor,"(http://www.colcannin.com) and learn more ...…

It is a great honour to have to the Assistant Professor from the Department of Political Science at the University of Amsterdam, Abbey Steele on this week's episode 245 of Colombia Calling. Not only do we discuss some of the poignant issues raised and debated in her book: "Democracy and Displacement in Colombia's Civil War," but we also digress ...…

I came across this curious page called www.fairtradecoke.org on twitter recently and decided to follow it up and talk to the author for Ep244 of the Colombia Calling podcast. It was a great pleasure to talk to Dutch Anthropologist Janneke Nijmeijer in Amsterdam about her project and foundation. For those unaware, Coca grows at an altitude betwe ...…

This we sit back down with Chris Morfas (you'll remember him from Ep225, President Trump in Colombia) and speak with him about his expertise in alternative travel, sustainability and cycling and take all of this into account with his experience from Sacramento, California. Chris has been both volunteer and consultant to Colombia's leading NGO w ...…

After a brief holiday period away, I am happy to announce that the Colombia Calling podcast is refreshed and back on the airwaves and thrilled to have special guest Emma Louise Jay on the line from Las Palmas, Antioquia, talking about her unique Colombia experience. Imagine being bought a flight to a strange and far-off land by a stranger - no ...…

Following on in the footsteps of Episode 221 where I regaled you all with the first chapter of my novel: "The Mompós Project," I have decided to share with you a further adapted extract from the book. This is entitled, "Sonia and the Gringo," and is the tale of a friendship in Mompós. This extract was also published in the New Orleans literary ...…

Canadian expat Delaney Turner sat down over several cupos of coffee with Colombia Calling and discussed his love of Bogotá and the whole Colombia experience. In what is, quite a profound and verging on the philosophical coversation, Delaney and I delve into the issues of identity, belonging and Bogotá. We talk about his projects here in Bogotá, ...…

Colombian photographer Gabriel Eisenband performed a great public service when he decided to abandon his career in marketing to pursue his passion and dream of a life behind the lens. Now, Eisenband is a journeyman around his beloved Colombia and is the principal photographer for the new Colombia National Parks coffee table book available from ...…

On Ep238 of the Colombia Calling podcast, we catch up with Jennie Levitt and get to see her new publication, "The Paris Picnic Club," a delightfully constructed cookbook put together with her business partner Shaheen Peerbhai, and illustrated with paintings by Levitt herself. The result is a collection of 100 mouthwatering and exciting recipes ...…

It's always a real pleasure to have the brains behind the Leyenda del Dorado (la-leyenda.com) mountain bike race on the show bringing with them an infectious enthusiasm for Colombia and what they are doing. So, on Ep237 of the Colombia Calling podcast we chat with race creator Brian Murphy and his sidekick Dave Procter based in the city of Cali ...…

It's a pleasure to have Adriaan Alsema of Colombia Reports (www.colombiareports.com) back on the show, this time, on Ep236 of Colombia Calling he discusses with us his newfound cult status - he is currently being shadowed by a photographer from the Dutch edition of Esquire Magazine who is doing a feature on him. So, for once the guy who writes ...…

There's an announcement to be made on Colombia Calling, no the "English Voice in Colombia," is not going away, but, we'll be branching out and there's a Spanish language podcast in the making (yes, I will stumble through in Spanish). There will be more about this in the podcast, so you have to tune in, but, just rest assured Jose Miguel Jaramil ...…

It's taken me 11 years to get to the Colombian department of Casanare and it shouldn't have taken this long. But, under the careful guidance of husband and wife team of Julia Buschmann and Andres Gonzalez Perez (www.aventurecotours.com), I took my wife and three year old son out for a "Colombian Safari" in the plains, savannahs and wetlands of ...…

Ivan Duque is the new president of Colombia and will run the country from 2018-2022, what does this mean for the peace agreement with the FARC, of which he has been openly critical and opposed to? Instead of striking dramatic blows against the accord, it’s more likely that Duque and his coalition will kill it through neglect. Casting the accord ...…

It's that time again! The football world cup is upon us and it's in Russia and Colombia take a strong team to face the likes of Poland, Senegal and Japan in Group H. So, it's a great pleasure to have South American football expert and journalist Simon Edwards on the line to Colombia Calling from Medellin talking about what to expect from the Co ...…

So, Colombia just had the first round of their presidential elections on May 27 and the right-wing Ivan Duque won by a significant margin but not by enough to take him straight to the presidency. In second place was the former M19 guerrilla and Mayor of Bogotá, Gustavo Petro who will now face Duque on June 17 in the second round. On this Episod ...…

Colombia's Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range rises more than 18,000 feet from the Caribbean Sea — a height that makes them the tallest coastal mountains in the world. The national park that houses them is also the world's most irreplaceable protected area for the conservation of threatened species and is home to ancient communities an ...…

In the light of recent events such as FARC politician Ivan Marquez returning to his jungle hideout in Caqueta and Jesus Santrich under arrest for allegedly cocaine trafficking to the US, I discuss the topics in the news about Colombia this week and it doesn't make for comfortable reading. This is an episode put together to bring my internationa ...…

Long-time listener Adam Navarro-Lowery contacted Colombia Calling some weeks ago, full of enthusiasm for his upcoming first visit to Colombia...and yet, Adam is half Colombian and with extensive family links to Tolima and Santander. We sit down to discuss his family tree, look over sepia photographs from a yesteryear Colombia and trace his root ...…

Everyone has an opinion on the war on drugs, and here in Colombia, many are far better placed to make educated decisions about its worth and reach. One of these such people is Carlos Villalon who has been photographing the Colombian conflict, its actors and the drugs trade since 2002. Having embedded himself with guerrillas, paramilitaries and ...…

This week we have an incredibly interesting conversation with Colombian academic Diana Maria Valencia about the upcoming presidential elections here. On the line with us from my alma mater, the University of Exeter (Devon, UK) where she is studying for a Mphil/PhD in History about food insecurity and agrarian counter reforms in Colombia, she gi ...…

Sitting in the incredible and trendy downtown bar Revellion (Calle 16 #4-23) Colombia Calling sits down with two US expats in Bogota, Victoria Mulgannon and Chris Morfas, to talk about their thoughts on President Donald Trump's impending visit this April to Colombia after the Summit of the Americas in Lima, Peru. Bringing with them a wealth of ...…

It's a great pleasure to have Juan Fernando Hincapie, one of Colombia's bright new things on the literary circuit. Already known for the books "Gringadas" and "Gramática pura" he has now published a new novela in English entitled "Mother Tongue." Having read the book and laughed out loud in parts, it was great fun to discuss this Colombian tale ...…

Danny Concha is a filmmaker and a storyteller and he's brought his unique brand of good news to Colombia, and we are the better for it as he has travelled this country far and wide to ensure that his stories go beyond the superficial and show us some of the real Colombia. In Episode 223 of Colombia Calling, we speak to Danny - on the line with ...…

Only the other day, i read a statistic that claimed that four out of every ten Venezuelans still remaining in that country are trying to scrape together another money to leave. Those of us here seeing more and more Venezuelans arriving to Colombia every day, whether they are staying here or moving on to places further adrift such as Ecuador, Pe ...…

Some of you will know that I have been penning a novel about my experiences in Mompós and throughout my "otherworldly experiences" whilst getting the Casa Amarilla (www.casaamarillamompos.com) hotel up and running, and as the search for an editor continues, I have decided to share chapter 1 of "The Mompós Project" out there with the world...hav ...…

Given that the past week was the huge tourism fair here in Bogotá, Colombia, it seems timely to invite Alex Egerton, author of the new Lonely Planet guidebook to Colombia out later in 2018, here to Colombia Calling to chat about travel in our adopted country, new travel fashion here and of course, off the beaten path travel. So, we start with a ...…

It's always important to me to feature local people whenever possible on Colombia Calling and indeed especially those who are giving back to Colombia, so I was particulary happy when I was put in contact with Jose Miguel Jaramillo. Jose is a Bogotano and the brains behind a small, socially aware company called Clark and Rose (www.clarkandrose.c ...…

This week we speak to Briton Jay Speller who moved to Minca, Colombia eight years ago and opened an eco hostel with a capacity of 10 guests. Today, in 2018, the Casa Loma (www.casalomaminca.com) can sleep up to 60 guests between private rooms, cabins, dorms and more and offers vegetarian meals, yoga courses, views to destroy your soul with thei ...…

It's a pleasure to have academic and University teacher Pete Watson back on the show (see Ep185 Football and Politics in Colombia) and talking about his findings from his time in Colombia in 2017. Pete discusses how football projects are building a sense of nationhood, society and identity in Colombia and how the yellow shirt of the Colombian n ...…

Sitting down and chatting with British journalist Matthew Charles is an education and an eye opening experience into the mind of a brave and selfless correspondent who will stop at nothing to get the story out there. Who better to speak to regarding Colombia's current state of malaise than Charles? Having recorded interviews with members of neo ...…

This week on Colombia Calling we throw you are curve ball and bring on Charles Massey of Ottawa to talk about his experiences in Barranquilla as a volunteer English teacher, but not only do we focus on La Arenosa, but we delve into the world of Bollywood a little too. In a fresh and fun episode we are able to broadcast for the first time on Col ...…

Here we are, on Colombia Calling, starting 2018 fresh in mind and ready to take on the world...or at least Colombia in this election year which may be a make or break moment on various fronts for the country. After such a long hiatus away from Colombia and back in the UK, I have returned - several kilos heavier - and with the desire to take on ...…

It's a real pleasure to have Briton Hannah Matthews on the show once again and see how far she's come in Colombia. It seems like only a few weeks ago that we had her on the show talking about what it was like to teach English as a foreigner in Colombia. Now, she's in the Peace Brigades International and has spent a great deal of time in some of ...…

It's a brave man who sets out his stall to bring high school trips to Colombia, but, British travel writer Simon Willis has done just this with his outfit, Kagumu Adventures (www.kagumuadventures.com). Fresh off the trail from leading a bunch of eager students from an international school in Chile, who he took out to rural Antioquia and in to t ...…

Sometimes it's hard to be an international transplant to a small community in Colombia, but briton Matty Sowinski Brown has successfully become an accepted resident in the charming town of Quimbaya in Colombia's coffee region. So, this week on Episode 211 of Colombia Calling we get on the line with Matty in Quimbaya (Quindio) to talk about his ...…