“Kapax” is a name well known by Colombians. It is associated to the “Tarzan of the Amazon“, a man who in 1976 decided to swim the Magdalena River from its source at the south to Barranquilla on the Caribbean coast. The adventure meant a 1,700 kilometers (1 056.33103 miles) swim.
At the time, Colombian media followed this man of long hair and muscular body, who uses to pose with an anaconda around his neck and talks about environmental protection especially to children. He was also one of the first persons from the Amazon department to get full national attention in a region in the middle of the jungle, without road connections to Bogotá or other main urban centers.
This month (15 – 20 July), Leticia, the most southern Colombian city, will be the center of the Amazon Festival of Fellowship for the cooperation between the nations that share the biggest jungle of the world: Colombia, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela, Bolivia and Guyana. But especially, Colombia, Brazil and Peru join in Leticia, the international river port that shares its urban area among the tree South American nation.
The Festival arrives this year to its 12th edition and it will make a homage to Alberto Lesmes Rojas, the Colombian ‘Tarzan’. The event has already an international recognition and countries send their delegations to participate in the cultural program that is set in the main spaces of the city like the ‘José María Hernandez’ Stadium, the Municipal Coliseum, the ‘Francisco de Paula Santander’ Square and the streets among others. Expositions of art, traditions, customs, sport, food and, of course, a beauty contest in different areas of the city are part of the annual program.
Liliana Beatriz Rojas Fierro, a student of grade 11th at the Normal Nacional Integrada, is the Colombian representative for the Amazon Festival.
Kapax
Kapax with the beauties of the Fellowship Amazon Festival in Leticia.
Alberto Lesmes Rojas, known as ‘Kapax’ or the “Amazon Tarzan“, has been a celebrity in Colombia promoting the care for the national environment, not only in his original Amazonas department, but in all Colombia. He is also an icon of Leticia and uses to appear with an anaconda around his muscular body. In 1976, when he was 28, became famous for his rally through the Magdalena river: he swam 1,700 kilometers to call the attention of the media on our duty to protect the rivers from pollution. Nowadays Kapax works as an ecological tourist guide in Leticia and still youthful in his 60s, talking in schools to children about the protection of the environment.
The Magdalena ecological run spent a month and seven days crossing the Colombian Andean ranges from south to north. His purpose was to call the attention on the danger of pollution caused to the rivers and waters. Born in a village in the middle of the Putumayo jungles, Lesmes grew watching the movies of Tarzan, who became his hero and inspiration. Although he never went to school, he became an icon of ecology in Colombia and dedicates his time visiting schools and teaching to children why we have to care the waters, forests, jungles and animals. In 2000, the athletic man of 54, swam again, but this time the 80 kilometers of the Amazon river that separates Puerto Nariño from Leticia.
“Me siento muy seguro en la selva, atacar solo atacan los hombres, esos si que son peligrosos”
“I feel safe at the jungle. The only who attacks is the same man, they are really the dangerous“, said Kapax in an interview.
He uses to say to the children that “travel is living,” and, of course, the Amazon Colombian jungle is a special portion of country that is worty to be visited in order to know the fascinanting Amazon bassin and the place where three nations join in Leticia.