Medellin

We visited Medellin today, specifically Comuna 13, which is an area of Medellin where people live. There are small winding roads and there are lots of people. In the past, Medellin was one of the most dangerous cities in the world, with a man called Pablo Escobar who was a cocaine drug lord and monopolised the cocaine trade with America in the 80s and 90s. He was the wealthiest criminal in history—dying with a net worth of 30 Billion USD which is 59 Billion USD in today’s money. Back them, Pablo used to hire kids as young as 6 years old to work for him, most ended up dying. The average life expectancy was about 18 years old due to all the shootings between the gangs that lived in Comuna 13. Most people would have friends that they will never see again because they were shot or mysteriously “disappeared”.

We visited a museum which was about the crime of the city and Pablo Escobar. There was a room with lots if pictures of families together and then the pictures went black and white, and the person still in colour was victimised by gangs or Escobar. This made me realise that anyone can be affected , no matter how “normal” or “innocent” you may seem.

There is a small playground in Comuna 13 and whoever built it wanted people to not forget their inner child, because children’s fights last a very short time, and they wanted the fighting to stop between the gangs.

Over the years, this city of Medellin has had a huge transformation from the most violent city in the world to being a city of hiphop! The 4 stages of hiphop are : Music, Graffiti, Break Dancing and Rap!! Despite all terrible things this town has witnessed, they still manage to be happy and move on and not dwell in the past, no matter how hard that can be. Art and music have definitely hada big impact on how the city has transformed.
One of our guides was a hip-hop artist and we got the chance to watch a break dance by his group. We also got the chance to do graffiti!!Read more