Spanish version: El Himno que integra a Medellín
“Societies are always in the process of societal transformation both
economic and social, and the nature of those transformations is not always
easy. Next why cities have to be viewed as living organisms constantly reinventing
themselves in response to the changes and the economy in our societies.
Medellín is an example per excellence of this kind of reinvention.”
Joseph Stiglitz, World Urban Forum Medellín 2014
(Urban
Solutions Platform, 2014)
At the time of the mid 80’s when I was a child,
we were living out of our town, Medellín, because of job-related issues of my
father, an honest hard worker likewise other antioqueños[1].
We eagerly expected coming back on vacations, so going back to the place we
born, to our lovely city which by this time were already facing up to a shady-misty
water flows propelled by obscure forces that were plunged it throughout a
dark-cold hole. Nonetheless, in spite of the concerns my parents could have
overwhelmed by such situation, we never gave up since loving Medellín were
bulkier than fear. We took the motorway upon a journey roughly 8 hours long. I
remember my brother was on the age where the common question “are we almost
done here?” popped up prior to the first hour of travel. Although we enjoyed the trip, expectation of reaching our town increased every minute. Thereby when we finally gaze upon the Valley of Aburrá[2]
surrounded by its splendid green mountains welcoming us, happiness and
something we have called “orgullo paisa”[3]
thrived big. At that very moment Mom and Dad knew they had to turn on the
anthem, not the institutional one but the emotional one which bound on these
hard days and still convening the Medellín’s collective spirit. It was a song this
city, social system or “living organism” named Medellín spread out onto the
consciousness of those who did not turn back notwithstanding difficulties and
whose audacity encouraged not only to sing it but also living it as a philosophy
denominated “I love Medellín”.
Since last year when Medellín got the prize as
the most innovative over the world, the communication of this philosophy took a
new breath. Now after the successful Seventh World Urban Forum (WUF7) of United
Nations (UN), one of the most meaningful events had fulfilled in Colombia and certainly
the most valuable for the City hitherto, loving
Medellín has largely consolidated because of the exemplar synergetic model
of work both the local government, its private corporations, and academy, set
up from those complicated moments, as well as the systematic approach from last
administrations, and as the anthem declares, because of the love of several Medellinenses[4]
have demonstrated by their land.
The idea of this song loomed large on mind of
Michel Arnau[5],
“A long-haired, irreverent, and for many people, an odd creative” (La W, 2013)[6]
who by this time had already posed the first branding boutique-agency of creative ideas in Medellín. Due his
eccentricities, charm, creative vision and passion, several well-know business
from Antioquia trusted in this “communication artist” that among his
performances produced the unforgettable anthem. Such attempt flowed when Michel
decided to gather some friends to think they had to do something for the city
they loved. It was at the context of
those creative conversations Michel was inspired. Musical notes occupied his
mind, so using pen and flipchart He began to yield the song (La W, 2013). By
the time the anthem was launched upon a civic campaign: “Loving Medellín”[7]
it had a decisive influence over folks. According to Michel (La W, 2013), it
had success because of “praised the proud citizens have by its region and
city”, moreover, the active participation they had on it. “It depends on your
attitude loving Medellín, doing your job, with your ideas overall.”
As Jorge Orlando Melo[8]
states (Semana, 2014), the industrial growth decentralization suffered by
Antioquia at the mid 50’s triggered a severe social crisis. Urban growth turned
out unstable due to the forced displacement over rural areas. Furthermore,
since agriculture was not providing the expected outcomes. The Church “which
had taken charge of the discipline and honesty of the citizens”, lost control.
Thus Medellín became in “the sin city” conveying prostitution, drug traffic and
homicide. By the last decade of 20th century Medellín underwent an unfortunate
reputation as the most violent all over the world (Semana, 2014). It was the
time of some people likewise creative and innovative yet for evilness. According
to some reflections from Juan Luis Mejía[9],
the topic “easy money” is not as accurate as “illicit money” to describe the
incomes thrived in our land for these days. Earning it was not easy at all yet
those “criminal masterminds” came up with ideas to get it. In consequence,
drug-trafficking biased the culture. As Jorge Orlando Melo emphasize, “Mothers
educated their sons based on the sermon of Horace, the roman poet: ‘Make money,
money by fair means if you can, if not, but any means money’.” (Semana, 2014:
17) Nonetheless, in spite of the undeniable performance of some corrupt cells
which allowed such infections up, the immune system withstood this social illness
because of those innovative good persons that imposed regulations over, and
propelled right public administration practices. Therefore, they avoided in
this manner prominent corporations from Antioquia
were contaminated (Semana, 2014). It was the seed began to flourishing as
the principal social spheres were encouraged together the renascence of
Medellín.
“In the hardest moments Medellín lived 25 years
ago what kept us right was the collective conversation” declared Claudia
Restrepo Montoya, the Education Deputy Mayor of the City, in one of the dialogs
from the 7th World Urban Forum (WUF7). “We did not give up… we stayed in
Medellín despite difficulties… instead we were willing to find the north of the
City, its vision.” Well-know Antioquia’s business
leaders expressed this way supported by the local government in one of the
fruitful Forum’s talks[10].
Moreover they underlined both Proantioquia[11]
and “Medellín, what’s going on?”[12]
as main keys for assembling systematic work among the governmental, private,
and educational areas upon a common aim: Welfare State. Accordingly, one of the
lots of voices came from the universal consciousness visited Medellín these
days said: “What we did was make sure to hear the City awareness; we knew the
way of thinking on it.” Thereby Medellín could achieve the accolade as the most
innovative all over the world, chiefly because of the meaningful creativeness
which allowed the recovering of this resilient city.
To explaining the turn of 180° Medellín had
early at the present century, it is due to highlight the attempts of other passionate
innovator, a mathematician who not
only with pencil and paper began to resolve City problems but putting into
practice formulas that bring it
forward on the way to social innovation. First analysis Professor Sergio
Fajardo did, resided in the necessity of getting involved in government affairs
to face up to politicking. Consequently, he and a cabinet made up by other 50
enthusiastic less-known personalities on the politic field yet bulk recognition
over corporative, academic and social realms, were committed to arranging an
independent civic gather for taking Medellín on their hands. According to
Fajardo, upon politics are taken the most important decisions of a society (Bedoya,
2013 – Fajardo, 2008). “All of us reached a conclusion: consistently we have
been talking about what is due as another people are taking decisions for us” (Bedoya,
2013). Thus, by the time of 2003’s elections -led by the mathematician- they
finally shifted such paradigm for the wellness of the City. Thereafter the new
government wave began boosting the formula for diminishing the 2 most
overwhelming issues Medellín had underwent until that moment: violence and
social inequity. To reducing violence the Mayor applied a basic equation he
called “take off and on”: take off brutality and take on opportunities, that
is, gradually close the doors to the violence to opening spaces for social
development based on equity, where education was the principal input. This
thought was translated into the essential promise of Fajardo’s administration:
“Medellín, from fear to hope” (Fajardo, 2008), where fear = mayhem, and hope =
chances of social fairness. Eventually, emerged the valuable catalyst of it:
“Medellín, the most educated” which pointed out the reinforcement of public
education, the generation of places for knowledge, the construction of integral
urban projects, and the drive of an entrepreneurial culture. These strategic
pillars mostly supported the poorest urban areas and their people. Alike a kid
when is explaining his new doll to other boys, professor Fajardo expose to an amazed
audience the design of one of the park libraries named “España” (Spain) which was built on the most unprivileged and
violent slum of the City. Subsequently, this structure won the price as the
most prominent architectonic award from Iberoamérica
among 2004 and 2006 (Bedoya, 2013). It is just an example (among many
additional ones) from the common
denominator whereby Medellín was recognized as the most innovative all over
the world, mainly because of its lateral thinking for recovering marginal areas.
The factor is: Honest people working hard
to avoiding corruption.
Paisas[13] conventionally said: “We need to go
out from these mountains to undergoing the world”. However, since we were
designated as the host city for developing the 7th World Urban Forum (WUF7),
what we did was bringing the world to us. By this time Medellín was the capital of the world. “We felt very proud of being
paisas during a week.” Said Joan
Clos, the executive director of UN-Habitat, who additionally pointed out this
assemble as the best of all performed hitherto (WUF7, 2014). Throughout the
Forum further than 20.000 people of whom 8.000 were foreign (semana.com, 2014),
convened in Medellín to conversing and sharing acquaintances with urban,
social, political, and economical issues thus encouraging future changes mainly
related to social justice over cities around the world (the big common global
issue). Cities for life was the call
to action of this remarkable event Medellín could achieve because of the eager
attitude of the local government supported by the National Ministry of Housing,
in charge of the Mayor Aníbal Gaviria and the Minister Luis Felipe Henao
consecutively (both paisas). The balance sheet of this event exceed
further than positively what the City expected. “A considerable number of
people I have met tell what they have seen and experienced of Medellín, is better
than they had read about” expressed Gaviria without ignoring the inequity
problems the government still deals with (eltiempo.com, 2014). The Medellín’s letter or the agreement
the WUF established for the City, not only underlines the best practices last administrations have picked up these years, as well as it becomes in a new
seed which should flourish on equity and progress
for all.
Finally, I would like to invoke ideas from
several romantic, creative and innovative people in diverse realms, so by working
together realize “a new song” yet not for Medellín but for our Country, which long
time ago have borne social diseases mostly because of the traditional politicking
bias and its selfish behavior. Despite it has not interfered economic growth over
last years, as a matter of fact it has eroded a sustainable hence healthy
development of our nation. The formula for boosting such issues has been
demonstrated upon Medellín and it is not incompatible to other regions. Let’s
go then to compose the anthem that bind to Colombia.
*The song
First
version (1980)
New version
(2008)
Interactions:
Bedoya, J. “Sergio Fajardo / Medellín, from fear to hope (Conference at TEC of Monterrey,
Mexico)”. 08 Jul. 2013. Web. 14 May. 2014 <http://youtu.be/mlKz1GSsXpQ>.
Foundation Loving Medellín and
Antioquia. LOVING MEDELLIN. 03 Ap. 2008.
Web. 27 Ap. 2014 <http://youtu.be/i47FgnG9Ye8>.
Foundation Loving Medellín and
Antioquia. Loving Medellín New Generation. 06 Nov. 2008. Web. 27 Ap.
2014 <http://youtu.be/vHjODATMxjY>.
Fajardo, S. “Del miedo a la esperanza, Alcaldía de
Medellín 2004/2007”. 2008.
Web. 14 May. 2014. <http://www.reddebibliotecas.org.co/Libro%20Recomendado/Descarga%20de%20libros/Del%20miedo%20a%20la%20esperanza%20Capitulo%201.pdf>.
La W Radio. Entrevistas W:
Michel Arnau autor de la canción "Quiero a Medellín". 01 Mar. 2013. Web. 27 Ap. 2014 <http://www.wradio.com.co/escucha/archivo_de_audio/michel-arnau-autor-de-la-cancion-quiero-a-medellin/20130301/oir/1851369.aspx>.
Medellincomovamos.org. “Quienes somos”. 2014. Web. 25 May. 2014. <http://www.medellincomovamos.org/quienes-somos>.
Montoya Acevedo, M. El Mundo.com. “Un canto a Medellín y Antioquia”. 19 Jun. 2009. Web. 27 Ap. 2014 <http://www.elmundo.com/portal/pagina.general.impresion.php?idx=119600>.
Proantioquia.org.co.
“About Proantioquia”. 2014. Web. 17 May. 2014 <http://proantioquia.org.co/web/index.php/about-proantioquia>.
El Tiempo.com.
“El anfitrión y su balance final del Foro
Urbano”. 10 ap. 2014. Web.
17 May. 2014. <http://www.eltiempo.com/Multimedia/infografia/forourbanomundial/ARTICULO-WEB-NOTA_INTERIOR_MULTIMEDIA-13816666.html>.
Semana Magazine.
Ap. 2014. Special edition: ANTIOQUIA,
GENTE 1A. Publicaciones Semana S.A.
Urban Solutions Platform (2014, 11
de abril). “Joseph Stiglitz Conference (WUF7)”.
11 ap. 2014. Web. 20 ap. 2014. <http://youtu.be/BAodXvlGo9Y>.
World Urban Forum - WUF7. Seventh session of the World
Urban Forum Closing Ceremony. 2014. Web. 11 May.
2014. <http://wuf7.unhabitat.org/wuftv>.
[1] People from the
region of Antioquia in Colombia.
[2] Sub-region
from southerly latitude of Antioquia shaped by 10 municipalities where Medellín
is located.
[3] Proud to be from
Medellín.
[5] Michel Arnau, is a
well-known publicist and impeller of the advertising wave from 70’s Colombian
advertising. Subsequently he was the Chairman of DDB Colombia, the Multinational
Advertising Agency.
[6] Introduced so by a
Journalist in an interview the day Medellín won the award as the most
innovative all over the world.
[7] Non-profit
foundation that foster citizenship, ethics and democracy.
[8] Historian and
Dean of Social Sciences at the University Jorge
Tadeo Lozano (Bogotá, Colombia).
[9] Ex-minister
of Culture, current rector at EAFIT University (Medellín), erudite of
Antioquia’s History.
[10] Talk: The Role of Private Sector as Agent of
Change.
[11]“Proantioquia is a
non-profit, privately operated foundation, established in 1975 by a group of
prominent entrepreneurs from Antioquia. Its goal is to contribute in the
building of an increasingly competitive and equitable region, and an integrated
and peaceful society, with opportunities for all the citizens.” (Proantioquia.org.co, 2014)
