Richard McColl

Displaced Embera community occupies Bogotá’s Parque Nacional

Posted on October 24, 2021 by Richard

Mothers and children make up the majority of the Embera community here, originally displaced from Colombia’s Choco department.

An Embera boy watches from behind a tree as the chicken smokes over a rustic fire

Posted in Journalism | Tagged bogota, embera, parque nacional | Leave a comment

Required Reading for Colombia: a totally subjective and incomplete list

Posted on August 13, 2020 by Richard

There is an embarrassment of riches on offer to those seeking out Colombian literature in its original Spanish, versions in English or just books on Colombia written in English. This curated list is by no means complete, blending history, politics, early 20^th century love stories, journalism, contemporary horrors and magic realism amongst other genres. But, hopefully it provides a starting point for a love-affair with or a deeper understanding of Colombia.

Obviously, no collection of books on

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Posted in Journalism | Tagged books in english on colombia, colombia books, colombia literature, colombian authors, list of books colombia, required reading for colombia, subjective list of books on colombia | Leave a comment

Colombia and Ecuador are small pieces in this game of Chess

Posted on October 21, 2021 by Richard

Colombia and Ecuador, currently being visited this week by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, are seen as chess pieces in a “new cold war,” being waged by President Biden seeking to abate the influence of China and Russia in the region.

Fair enough, can one conclude?

No.

Should this be the case and given the lack of importance that has been afforded South America by previous US governments, then we have a problem. Re-entering this game is not an easy prospect for President Biden. With all sorts of domestic issues to deal with, Covid-19, the migrant crisis at the

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Posted in Colombia Calling, Journalism | Tagged blinken south america, china vs usa, colombia, colombia callig podcast, ecuador, human rights colombia, indepaz, massacres colombia, new cold war, paro nacional, peace in colombia, security forces colombia | Leave a comment

Mompós Photography Workshop with Malcolm Linton

Posted on June 9, 2021 by Richard

International conflict photojournalist Malcolm Linton will be staging two further photography workshops in the Colombian colonial town of Mompox in collaboration with the Hotel San Rafael and La Casa Amarilla. Since the first workshop, held in May 2021 was very successful, there are now dates available in July and August.

The workshop is for photographers — from amateurs to professionals — who want to express themselves more fully in their images. It will run for three full days, usually from Friday to Sunday, with a welcome dinner the night before it begins.

Read a couple of testimonials from the inaugural May event.

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