I will attempt the almost impossible: to use the word “peace” sparingly in this editorial.
For the last eight months – and counting – there have been few nouns that have put verbal austerity to the test and I am not going to delve any longer in the gambit for Colombia’s pax eterna. Just let me know when the deal is done.
And I am not being – to borrow a popular phrase – an “agua fiestas,” party spoiler, as we have much on our agenda before reaching the imminent end of a year that promises to be a “wash out.”
I begin with the weather and the torrential arrival of the “rainy season” bearing down on the capital with hail and lightning bolts right out of Greek mythology. This inclement weather causes the usual city-wide chaos from traffic lights going dark, the Gordian gridlock on every major street, and overcrowding on already overcrowded buses. After busy months in which Bogotá welcomed world mayors, rotated visiting dignitaries, and hosted a plethora of highbrow cultural events, the capital has also seen its share of marches in support of the final accord with FARC. Our emblematic Plaza de Bolívar has been lit up by candlelight, draped in white with a poignant installation by artist Doris Salcedo to honor the victims of the half-century-long conflict. During mid-summer, thousands of Bogotanos exposed themselves to the master of the mass disrobe, photographer Spencer Tunick.
The Colombian capital may not have all the tourist attractions of other world cities, but it does know how to put on a good show. And brace yourself, as by the time you read these words sin la paz, La Navidad will be upon us with the traditional Christmas jingles wafting down supermarket aisles. Where once you found marmalade, shelves will be stocked high with starchy maizena. And as is now tradition, the city will be powered by millions of LEDs, our parks the electric equivalent of strolling among Tokyo’s cherry blossoms. Then the Plaza de Bolívar will usher in the New Year and a concert to celebrate the word I dare not mention.
For journalists who have been reporting on the negotiations between the government and FARC in order to reach some version of the Final Accord, these next two months will be critical. The government also wants to begin conversations in Quito with the country’s smaller guerrilla group, the National Liberation Army (ELN), but it isn’t an attention grabber, and seems almost doomed from the start. One thing these seemingly endless talks have revealed is that the mood of the nation remains skittish. Even though we could blame it on the Chinese Zodiac, for this being the Year of the Mon- key (and leap year at worst) is that we haven’t lived through the last of the high-strung emotions surrounding the fallout of the October plebiscite.
Bogotanos tend to ventilate their peevish frustrations at the city, from mobility mayhem to justified concerns over insecurity. But the news feed from Havana has turned the once casual dinner talk of whether bullfighting should be banned in the Plaza de Santa Mari?a into riotous affairs between those with the “No” and “Yes.” In two decades of living in Colombia, I have never lived through such polarization, not even when embattled former mayor of Bogotá Gustavo Petro reviled from the balcony of the Palacio Liévano, night after night, to cement support for his political survival.
While many Colombians are plain bored with the antics of opposing extremes and a political debate that no longer seems a campfire singalong, the Bogotá Chamber of Commerce released last month a much-anticipated study on the perception of security in Bogota?. Finally some good news. Of 7,200 polled, the perception that the capital is insecure dropped from 55% in 2015 to 41% during the first semester of this year. In other words, there has been a 14% change in the perception that living in this city is safer than during previous years, and a marked improvement from the Petro years.
Pen?alosa’s tearing down of “Bronx” drug den was a good move and more enforcement is still needed to combat micro drug traffickers and thieves on our streets. The report details where in this city residents feel safer and where there are still risks, but the ever-important realities of living in this capital seem to fall on deaf ears and gets hardly more than a paragraph’s mention in the mainstream media – as so much attention is focused on Cuba.
The peace deal with FARC should be modified before the end of this year and somehow put again to the Colombians.
This has been nothing short of a momentuous year for the nation, and hopefully when I no longer need to mention the dreaded “p” word in an editorial, we can focus once again on our capital – and that always keeps us on our toes, but not always dressed.
And now, bring on November rain.
