Colombia is notorious for its days of Pablo Escobar drug and gang warfare, but over the past decade or two, it has been reclaiming its story with social impact and art projects like Medellín’s Cumuna 13 and Bogotá’s Breaking Borders.
Crossing over the highway from the pristine historic quarter of Bogotá, we joined @Impulse_Travel for a tour in one of the city’s most dangerous neighborhoods, led by three reformed gang members. Collaborating with Colombian and international artists, Barrio Egipto created 10 murals throughout the neighborhood to humanize the struggles of gang life. A whimsical scene of a boy with his arms extended like wings was an homage to this murdered gang-boss messenger. A mystical woman used a branch-like wand to control the chaos around her. Colorful imagery of Colombia’s lush rainforests was in contrast urban communities' lack of access to water. Dark themes were illuminated with buckets of color and streaks of optimism.
Hope began when the neighboring university, a frequent place of robberies and kidnappings by Barrio Egipto’s gangs, had a wild idea to break this pattern of violence by inviting them in for tourism courses. By 2016, Impluse Travel helped them put their skills into action, and @breaking_borders_tours was born.
Our barrio guide Pato told us that as a kid, he idolized gang members, with their power, money, and ladies on their arms. He followed in their footsteps as a carjacker, with 11 gunshot wounds to prove it. Now, standing before a mural of a phoenix rising from geometric ashes, he was proud to say this is no longer children’s aspiration in Barrio Egipto; it’s to be a guide in a neighborhood they are proud of.
On vacation, it’s so easy to stay in the comforts of the tourist zone and not look into the dark corners of a country. But with a community-led tour like Breaking Borders, there is no better way to build empathy and connection to a place.