Beyond the Wall

Cartagena de Indias is located in the Northern Carribean coast of Colombia. It was founded in 1533 by Pedro de Heredia and was an important center for Spanish settlement in South America. It was a commerce and transportation hub in the late viceroyalty era. It was also a slave port; only two cities were authorized to deal with Africans: Cartagena and Veracruz, Mexico. Today, Cartagena is Colombia's most important tourist destination. It has many beautiful beaches, hotels, cultural events, and has conserved the Colonial town, which is called the Walled City. Cartagena is a beautiful city definitely worth visiting.

Images of Cartagena


However, there is something very wrong with the city that needs to be addressed: poverty. Since Cartagena is a touristic city, the government for some reason feels it is more important to please the tourists and not the people of Cartagena. The government invests a lot of money to improve the city but usually only where the tourists go. My questions are: what about the people of Cartagena and its suburbs? Why is it that when you go beyond the walled city, it is poor? Cartagena has a poverty rate of around 80% and there are about 1,200,000 people. It is incredible that almost the whole population is under the poverty line.

Images of my trip to Colombia in December 2008


With my Mother and Father in the Orlando International Airport, before flying to Colombia



Images of my family, where I helped out, and the home I stayed in.

My mother is from Turbaco, Colombia. It is about thirty minutes away from Cartagena's Walled City and in 2004, I began travelling there every year. I always noticed this economic inequality but now I feel I must do something about it. In December 2008, I travelled to Cartagena and Turbaco to film the contrast between the rich and the poor. I filmed many beautiful places like the Walled City and Boca Grande. I also filmed El Talon, one of Turbaco's poorest part of town. I interviewed many people and I promised I would return in Summer 2009 with donations, mainly coming from my school, Timber Creek High in Orlando, FL. The Service Learning Academy, ran by Wendy Doromal, is sponsoring this campaign. If you would like to help, email me: beyondthewallcolombia@yahoo.com.