The BBC News reported today that Colombia has recalled its ambassador to Caracas, the capital of Venezuela. This comes as the latest development in the row between the two nations over accusations that Venezuela not only tolerates Colombian rebels including the FARC, (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia or The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) but provides a safe haven for them on its soil.
When I was in Colombia a few weeks ago, I talked with several locals about the problems in their country. Most of the locals that I talked with were very displeased with the way their country is represented to the rest of the world. Most people outside of Colombia consider the country to be a very dangerous place (and in fact, I had to pass a security clearance to travel there for work). When people think of Colombia, they think of drugs and violence, which of course are still problems, but they are not nearly as widespread today as people think they are.
Something that really interested me was an advertisement campaign for Colombian tourism that actually utilized this erroneous sentiment and made light of it. The ad read “Travelers to Colombia are at risk… of having fun!” Whether this ad campaign is really dispelling the fears that people have of traveling to Colombia or whether the campaign is poking fun of a serious issue– I don’t know. But I do want to go back to Colombia!
Judy Sellner 
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