Medellín Rising

Here is a good news story to start the year. I visited Colombia for the first time over the Christmas break. Cartagena is magnificent… a stunning seaside resort with Spanish forts and heritage homes built in the Colonial period. But the big surprise was Medellín.

Edelman has been in Colombia for the past two years and among our key clients are Alimentos Polar, HP, GSK, Spotify, Netflix, The Nature Conservancy, Xbox and Terpel.

Formerly the home of the Colombian drug cartel this is now a bustling business center and second largest city in the country. It has a vibrant city center featuring 21 Botero sculptures and dozens of packed restaurants and bars.

I went to Comuna 13 home to 100,000 people along the slopes of one of the mountains surrounding the city. This had been the refuge of the drug gangs because it is closest to the Pacific Ocean port a few miles away. In 2002, the new President álvaro Uribe decided to root out the criminals with a massive military operation. There was considerable loss of life and destruction of property.

Today this neighborhood is safe and thriving. The houses have been rebuilt or replaced by some new state-owned projects. The work force can commute down the hill to good jobs in the city center courtesy of a tram, an escalator and a surface transit system. This is government at its best bringing safety through proper urban planning.

My favorite part of the tour was a stop at the top of the tram. Young boys were breakdancing. Women painters were running small retail outlets. The murals commemorating those lost in the raid were deeply compelling.

So go to Medellin in part to reward those residents who have chosen peace over violence.