If you search "La Popa Cartagena" on Google Images right now, you will see very positive results. The "Cerro de la Popa" is the only mountain Cartagena, Colombia has. On the highest point of the mountain there is a Catholic church built by the Spaniards during the sixteenth century. However, if you pay close attention to the images, you will notice something very interesting: there are no pictures that show the whole mountain. You usually only see a half of the mountain, or something covers the bottom part of the mountain. Why? Because of this:
Unfortunately, many photographers feel they cannot show the true face of La Popa. The poverty rate is so high in this area of Cartagena that photographers cannot take a complete picture of this tourist spot because it would simply ruin the picture. But instead of hiding what is occuring in Cartagena, why doesn't anybody try to fix it? Cartagena has five star hotels, great beaches, places with a lot of money, etc. Why is it that in the Walled City and in Boca Grande, two of the most important places in Cartagena for tourists, all the streets are organized and if anything happens to them the problem gets fixed in a heart beat? Why does the local government invest so much in the tourist spots but not in the actual city? TransCaribe, a mass transportation project, has been under construction for years but of course, the first phase that was completed was in the Walled City. Why is it that TransCaribe is still under construction by the Bomba de Amparo and the Bazurto Market (not even 15% of it is complete)? Is it because it is a sector of the city where no tourist goes to? Why is it that in La Popa, everything is dirty, the streets are not even paved, and no politician enters unless they have to in order to get to the church on top of the mountain? The government of Cartagena says that as tourists, we should not go to these places, or beyond the walled city, due to security concerns (the people living there can rob, kill, etc.). But that would not occur if the government actually helped them. I am going to be completely honest and realistic: if I have a child or family that is going through hunger and I don't have any money, I would do anything in order to get my child some food. I compare the government to our parents: if our parents don't take care of us, we're going to misbehave. Whose fault is it if we misbehave? Our parents. That is occuring in Cartagena. If the local government does not take care of its people, they are going to misbehave and it is the government's fault. I have never judged those who rob in Cartagena because I know they do it because they need to, not because they want to.
I think that the local government has some nerve to treat its people the way they do. The people beyond the wall of Cartagena are forgotten and we need to do something about it! Like I have previously mentioned, approximately 80% of the people of Cartagena live under poverty and 20% live stable or simply rich. People are what make a city beautiful and thanks to the great people of Cartagena, at least 80% of this city is beautiful to me, even though the government only thinks that 20% is. I think that if the adults and politicians are not going to help its people, then we, the youth, have to. They are forgetting that what determines a city's future is the youth of today! We have the power to make a difference!
I am working to educate my companions here in the United States what is occuring in Colombia. Together, we are going to bring a positive change to that beautiful country. I love Colombia and I am not going to tolerate to see some corrupt leaders ignore those who need our help in that country. Even though I am only seventeen years old, I promise that I will work for the people of Cartagena, Turbaco, and Colombia, MY PEOPLE, until the day I die.
-Hugo Fernando Nuñez Esquiaqui
Pictures from google.com
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