Colombia (Lonely Planet, 5th Edition) - Jens Porup [20]
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Kings of the Mountains: How Colombia’s Cycling Heroes Changed Their Nation’s History (2003) by Matt Rendell is a great introduction to cycling culture in Colombia.
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Cycling
Another popular pastime is cycling. On Sunday, large sections of Bogotá are closed to traffic so the locals can take their exercise (Click here). Ciclovia, as this Sunday tradition is called, is also catching on in other Colombian cities, including Cali and Medellín. It should come as no surprise that such a mountainous country has produced many world-class cyclists, and Colombians regularly take part in the Tour de France.
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TEJO
This uniquely Colombian game originates from Boyacá, north of Bogotá. It consists of throwing a heavy metal disc at a clay board studded with a circle of tiny paper pouches of gunpowder. You score points for landing the disc inside the circle and for hitting one of the pouches of gunpowder, which lets off a satisfying bang. The game is generally accompanied by large quantities of beer, and is great fun.
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Baseball
After soccer, baseball is the second-most popular team sport in Colombia. It is especially popular on the Caribbean coast. Major League Baseball player Edgar Rentería of Barranquilla had the winning hit in the seventh game of the 1997 World Series for the Florida Marlins.
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Car Racing
While car racing is not especially popular in this country, Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya won numerous races as a Formula One driver, and now competes on the US Nascar circuit.
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Bullfighting
Colombia ranks third worldwide, after Spain and Mexico, in the popularity of bullfighting. The season peaks during the holiday period between mid-December and mid-January, and attracts some of the world’s best matadors. The January Feria de Manizales is of great appeal to aficionados.
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MULTICULTURALISM
Because of the many decades of violence in Colombia, the last 60 years or so has seen little in the way of immigration, meaning the country is more or less monocultural.
Visitors may notice how little racism exists in Colombia. Slavery was abolished in 1821, and the country has the largest black population in South America after Brazil. The last four centuries have seen plenty of interbreeding meaning most Colombians are mixed race.
What little discrimination that exists in Colombia is based more on a divide between modern and indigenous ways of life. Small pockets of indigenous people continue to live their traditional lifestyles, especially the indigenous population in the southern mountains near Ecuador, the Kogi in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and the indigenous people of the Amazon region. These people are perceived by some as out of touch and backward given their cultural difference, and sometimes suffer discrimination as a result.
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MEDIA
There is very little censorship in Colombia, and the media says what it likes without government interference. While the major media networks (RCN, Caracol etc) generally endorse government and big business, independent television station Canal Uno constantly questions the actions of the government, and has won many awards for its investigative reporting.
Notably absent in Colombia are attack ads and smear campaigns. Advertisements, both television and print, may not name a competing product or opposition candidate. Advertising may only be used to promote your own product or candidacy, not to tear down a competitor. The motive behind this is to prevent slander and libel. Those accustomed to political mud slinging may find the idea rather