Colombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia

In this episode of the Colombia Calling Podcast, Richard McColl speaks with Kristian Erskog, a Colombian adoptee raised in Sweden. Kristian shares the emotional journey of discovering his roots, reuniting with his birth family, and navigating the complexities of identity and belonging. The conversation delves into the impact of adoption on family dynamics, the trauma associated with it, and the healing that comes from reconnecting with one's origins. Kristian's story is a testament to the resilience of family bonds and the importance of sharing these narratives. In this conversation, Kristian Erskog shares his profound journey of self-discovery as an adoptee from Colombia, exploring the complexities of family dynamics, cultural identity, and the emotional connections that shape his life. He reflects on his experiences in Colombia, the relationships he has built with his biological family, and the contrasting approaches to adoption and identity among fellow adoptees. The discussion highlights the importance of understanding one's roots and the personal growth that comes from embracing one's heritage.

La Escombrera, a vast rubble pile overlooking Medellín, is considered to be Colombia's largest urban mass grave. Its excavation this year has unearthed the remains of people whose families have been searching for them for decades. 
Earlier this month, it was announced that the excavation there is being expanded. Some hope that what is found in that rubble will answer deeper questions - about how the conflict unfolded here in the city, and how the state was complicit in murders and human rights violations committed by paramilitary groups.
This week, Emily Hart, journalist and Colombia Calling host, takes us through an article she wrote on her Substack about La Escombrera, the dynamics and history of Colombia's civil conflict, and about how this war - largely characterised by rural conflict and guerrilla tactics - ended up radically changing the face of Colombia's cities.
Sign up and subscribe to Emily's Substack: https://harte.substack.com
And don't miss the Colombia Briefing reported by Emily as well.

When British foreign correspondent Richard McColl purchased, on a whim, a ruined colonial building in the rural Colombian town of Mompós, he imagined a lifestyle of relaxation, with idle afternoons reading the works of Gabriel García Márquez, writing glib observations and enjoying the hypnotic momentum of a Caribbean tropical narrative, swaying in a hammock and the promise of an ice cold beer never far away. He was mistaken. His first restoration yields a hostel, which later becomes a hotel and then spirals into further projects including the restoration of three more colonial houses, experiencing challenges that make him reconsider his upbringing, education and outlook on how he fits into his adopted homeland. With two hotels in Mompós, he experiences the joy of new friendships and a despair over the predictability of guests. With a journalist's eye for a story, McColl navigates the history of Mompós and how its society is a microcosm of today's Colombia, with its feudal system still very much in place, inherent prejudices, stigma surrounding the politics, the people and the past, all coming to the fore.
 
Buy the book on Amazon: https://a.co/d/ezGbsP3

Or in selected bookshops in Bogota, Cartagena, Santa Marta, at Waterstones and Daunts in the UK.

In this episode of the Colombia Calling podcast, Richard McColl speaks with Emily Hart about her extensive reporting - for a piece in Delayed Gratification magazine -  on the phenomenon of Colombian soldiers fighting in Ukraine. 
 
They discuss the complexities of recruitment, the motivations behind these young men joining foreign conflicts, and the harsh realities they face on the battlefield. 
 
The conversation also touches on the economic factors driving these decisions, the impact on families left behind, and the ethical implications of such recruitment practices. 
 
Emily shares poignant stories from her interviews, highlighting the human cost of war and the psychological toll it takes on soldiers. 
 
The episode concludes with reflections on the broader implications of these conflicts and the importance of human stories in journalism.
 
Tune in for this and the Colombia Briefing.