How is it possible then, that Medellín could be entitled as a “model of development” under these facts? How can we say that Colombia is doing better and getting rid off of its fame of paria country when it happens against the optimistic point of views of tourist agencies, local government and foreign investors?

Then, we have to see the meaning of the statement under a more realistic vision. Neither optimistic persons nor those who see everything as chaos, are completely wrong or completely wright. Let us take a more central point of view.

When we want to live in a movie

Recently I read a post of a participant in the summit of the Inter-American Development Bank in its 50th Anniversary that was hold in Medellín last March. For her, the security measures were out of common:

“(…) It was late and the airport was filled with escorts who shepherded the suit-and-tied official delegates to waiting cabs. The usual response at these meetings when you say you’re with the alternative civil society groups is a shrug that means “you’re on your own,” so I was surprised when the IDB guys insisted I go in one of their free cabs.”

Well, I had been my own in international meetings in countries like Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam and Italy, and I found secutiry measures exaggerated. The situation became even more common after the 11th Sept attack. Would it be different in New York or Mexico City?

The author insisted also in the “other Medellín” (Medallo would say Fernando Vallejo) and she denounces an intention “to hide” the crude reality of the poor in the city.

What development

Continuing with our author – and I am sorry to use her example, though there are many; I do not find logic to arrange a summit of the IDB in a city to show is gloomy part. Of course, the idea of organizing a summit in developing is to show results and Medellín is full of results.

Then, Medellín remains a model of development, even knowing that conflicts and poverty still around in the city, particularly in the northern districts.

I do not believe the IDB produces an “official version of Medellín”. It would be very unwise, knowing that the “hide part” of Medellín is actually not hidden or under covert, as the author suggests, but it is fully open in the media and easier to proof.

Then, the “Model of Medellín” is not that Medellín is a current paradise of a First World city, with peace, employment and equal opportunity for everybody, but just that in such reality of poverty and social troubles, Medellín has shown results so real and demonstrable as the gloomy problems it has.

Are we going to hide, then, the evidences of development to feed again the image of “most violent city of the world”? Are we going to produce our own “official version” based in the lord of terrors, the enemies of our development? Are we going to marginalize again Medellín, as it was marginalized in the 1990s under Pablo Escobar’s reign, letting its population under the reign of terror and pointing out Medellín as a center of global criminality?

Medellín, Model of Development

Yes, Medellín is a model of development. And it is one of the most important model of developments of the planet for many reasons. Because it is a society that is fighting to overcome its troubles of criminality, poverty and inequality with courage, intelligence and commitment, against any prediction.

It is a model because it is the town of a Pedro Justo Berrío, the political leader at the end of the 19th century that opened the industrial revolution of the Paisa Region and made it one of the most progressive places of Colombia during the 20th century.

Medellín did not pass from being a small and meaningless town to the headquarters of Pablo Escobar and his cronies. Of course, Escobar is not the father of Medellín and the Paisas. He is an error in our evolution, as there is mistakes in the gens transition.

Our parents were others and Medellín was one of the most important centers of development before mafias came to our soil. Then, development is our vocation and that is the hope of Medellín. It is on this ground that our courage is set.

The celebration of the IDB summit in Medellín was completely okay because it shows that in that gloomy history of the recent decades in Medellín and Colombia, there are plenty of lights.

The IDB had not to create settings, performances, shows and scenarios to invent false realities. What it showed to the international community was completely real, as real is the problem of guns in poor quarters of Medellín. It showed libraries in marginalized barrios that are real, that changed the faces of their communities, that have generated peace and development, education and employment. It showed transport systems that have the virtue of inclusion of everybody in the huge city.

But it showed especially the people of Medellín: those who are not criminals or paramilitary, guerrillas or any other guy with a gun. Those people of Medellín that work hard to make Medellín a peaceful and developed city.

Development, peace and justice is a process. It does not come from good intentions and nice advertisments. It comes from the commitment of an entire society and a political project. It takes time and even generations. But our people, the Paisas, have been living in the most mountanous region of South America for five hundred years. They dominated huge mountains. They will dominate violence and poverty. That, for me, was the message we gave to the world during the 50th anniversary of the IDB.

Fragment of the work "Horizontes" of Francisco A. Cano, a homage to the Antioquian colonization of the west of Colombia.

Medellín is ready for great challenges again, this time different to those of violence that made its name internationally infamous. The city of Juanes, Fernando Botero and Camilo Villegas is showing its face as a model of development. At least it is recognized by the Inter American Development Bank that decided to have Medellín as its headquarters in the 50th Anniversary of that organization.

It is not just promoting the city as a safe and touristic area, although its problems of violence are not fully solved, but more than that is showing Medellín as a model in achieving social and economic conditions for its people. Luis Alberto Moreno, president of IDB says in the introduction to the exposition “Medellín, Art and Development” (14th Feb – 24th April):

Few cities in the Americas have made more progress in overcoming the obstacles
of poverty, violence and inequality than Medellín. Over the past half century this city has
transformed itself, often with financial and technical support from the IDB. Today Medellín
is a model of creative urban renewal and high-quality services for all income levels.

In studying Medellín as a model of development for a region like Latin America and even for countries of the so called Third World, it is necessary to put the city in a historical context and trying to understand the identity of its people. It is not just seeing that the city could overcome the tragic events of the drug trafficking war of the 1990s, but more than that the city came from a quick development progress that started at the middle of the 19th century with the “Antioquian colonization.” The crisis of the 1990s meant actually the suspension of a project of development and the recovery of the city must be understood under the continuity of such project.

There are several evidences that show the long way of progress of what is known in Colombia as the “Paisa Culture”, actually a Colombian sub-culture that settle the states of Antioquia, Risaralda, Quindío, Caldas and some areas of Valle del Cauca and Tolima. A region where coffee, mines and cattle are their first elements of production like tradition, but the region that experimented the first Colombian industrial revolution at the end of the 19th century.

Between 1960 and 1972 the American economical scholar Charles H. Savages did a research on the ways of production in the region in what he called the “Culture of Work.” It was the time when Colombia was still not contaminated by the growing of drug mafias. The native industries were opening the way to a serious development and Medellín was one of the first leaders of its nation. The conclusions of Savage were published by his college George F. Lombardi as “Sons of the Machines.” How this development was interrupted by mafias and how mafias got strong in the center of development is actually a matter of study and its dedication means answers for the future planning of development in Latin America.

But more than works from scholars like Savage, Medellín kept a careful record of its development process since the 19th century. In this case, it is possible to say that is one of the South American cities with more photographic material and other artistic productions. It is the reason why the IDB organized the exhibition with the most prominent artists of its history.

Medellín has been always a commercial plaza with a rude culture for work. It is possible to see in the active movement of the young metropolis with its well settle industrialization and technology. Foreign visitors would find difficult to match the stunning modern city that was literally bomb by the mean mafias of Pablo Escobar with the pleasant view of urban and green mountainous shapes. But it would be more interesting to see that before the mafia crisis, Medellín was already a model of progress and it can be seen through the eyes of artists.

The city is also the place of the Inter American Forum for the Small and Middle Enterprise with the presence of scholars in the area like Juan Enrique Cabot, director of the project “Science of the Life” of the School of Business, University of Harvard; Gabriel Silva, general manager of the Colombian Federation of Coffee Growers and Michael Chu, administrative director of the Fund of Risk, Ignia.

In a time of economical crisis and the risk for the rise of unemployment, especially in countries of the Third World, small and middle enterprises must be protected and promoted, but also form in a conscience of competitive development.

Reference

• Charles H. Savage presented the conclusion of his investigation in his thesis “Factory in the Andes: Social Organization in a Developing Economy” to gain the Doctorate in Business Administration in the University of Harvard in 1962.

Mateo Restrepo, manager of the Assembly: "The world will witness the transformation of Colombia through Medellín"

Medellín is getting ready for the Assembly of Governors of the Development Inter-American Bank, DIB, between 27 and 31rst of March. It is expected the assistance of about 4 thousand international experts to the second largest economical city of Colombia in Plaza Mayor, its center for congresses and seminars. Mateo Restrepo is the manager in the organization of the Assembly and he speaks about the importance of the event.

Give us a good reason to visit Medellín during the Assembly of Governors of DIB?

Mateo Restrepo (MR): Colombia is at the center of the hemisphere. It is the central spot between North and South America. It is also known as the Door of South America.

The country has shown in recent years a sustainable development in its economical growing at the point that it is seem nowadays is one of the most interesting economical destinies of the world.

The city is seem as an example of social investment with surprising results. It is at the top of urban transformation in the last years. This is the reason to chose Medellín as the host city, for its top social and urban transformations in the last years.

Even if it is well known that security has improved in Medellín and Colombia, many persons, especially from abroad, continue to associate the city with violence. How are you going to guarantee security? Is ready the city to receive four thousand national and international visitors?

MR: The Plaza Mayor architectural complex will be the central place of the Assembly of DIB Medellín 2009. It has more than 300 thousand meters squares. Inside such area there are also other places like the Palace of Expositions, the Center of Congresses and the Metropolitan Theater. Those places are symbols of the city and they have about one thousand persons working as human resource to support, organize and welcome more than 4 thousand national and international guests that will join the Assembly. Further than this, in coordination with the Forces of Security of the State, there will be more than 2 thousand men to guarantee tranquility to the participants.

Besides the Assembly and its academic activities, does Medellín have other offers for tourism?

MR: Medellín has a good tourist infrastructure. It has hotels of 3, 4 and 5 stars, 35 commercial centers, 130 restaurants that have been classified as excellent spots of service and quality, 55 movie houses, 30 stages of theater 25 museums, 2 airports and an efficient system of public transportation that is unique in the country.

Any thing to say to those who prepare themselves to visit Medellín during the 2009 Assembly of the DIB?

MR: Colombia has assumed the compromise in the preparation of this Assembly that is also the 50th Anniversary of the DIB. We want that this will be a historical event not only for Colombia, but also to the international community. The world will witness the transformation of Colombia through Medellín. I am sure that the guests will live an unforgettable experience.

Medellín | BID – ColPass. The governor of the State of Antioquia, Luis Alfredo Ramos, said that the progress of the region in economics and society, has been possible to the commitment of its people in sectors like textile industry, mine, coffee, flowers, bananas, energy and huge works of infrastructure like the urban train (Metro de Medellín.)

These and many others, were the main reasons to make Medellín the official headquarters of the 38th General Assembly of the Inter-American Development Bank for March 2009. That would be also the time of the 50th Anniversary of that organization that has been involved in projects of development in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The IDB (or BID in Spanish), was founded in 1959 to support programs of development in Latin America, especially in what concerns economy and social development. It has two kinds of country members: 26 borrowing countries and 21 non-borrowing countries. United States, for example, is the biggest non-borrowing partner with a share of 30 percent, while the 50% is hold by the borrowing countries of Latin America and Caribbean. The most recent non-borrowing country is China, which participation has been very well appreciated.

The current president of the IDB is a Colombian diplomat, Luis Alberto Moreno.

Last December, president Álvaro Uribe announced in the Pabellón Blanco de Plaza Mayor in Medellín, that the city was selected to be the place of the General Assembly of IDB. In the ceremony, that was hold on 16th of December, Luis Alberto Moreno said that the city was an example of development, renaissance and optimism. President Uribe underlined then, that Colombia became a solid destiny for investment due to its improvement in security and social cohesion.

The Colombian economy has been considered as one of the ten best prepared economies to face the global recession, said Uribe in December.

On 27th of March, the second largest urban center of Colombia will open the gates to the members of the General Assembly of Governors of the IDB. It will attract also foreign and national visitors that will have the opportunity to see the changes in Medellín.

The urban renovation and the social impact of new spaces, will be the main context of the international summit. Elements like the construction of new public spaces, parks, libraries and educational centers, will be shown with proud by the city. Spaces that became the opportunity for the local population to access knowledge, culture and recreation to benefit the investment in development for the region.

Parque Explora, for example, is a huge park of 25 thousand meters square dedicated to science and technology. It is located at the north of the city, near the complex of two important universities: University of Antioquia and National University of Colombia. Parque Explora is also at the front of the Botanical Garden. The thematic park became a center of gathering for students of any age and teachers, to see science and technology in a way of amusement.

Plaza Botero is a huge space in Medellín downtown that exhibits the works of sculptor Fernando Botero. It is a real museum in an open area. The huge sculptures of the famous Colombian artists, stand on the Carabobo boulevard and near the traditional Berrío Square. Botero, who was born in Medellín in 1932, donated the works to his city.

The Botanical Garden was awarded with the National Prize of Architecture for its originality and beauty. It has been praised by many foreign critics as a model for greenhouses. It is a green 14 hectares wood in the middle of the city with numberless species of palms, trees, orchids and other plants. The garden has not walls to separate it from the rest of the city and, at the same time, it has a good security that makes the place an ideal space of relax, reading, walking and admiring nature.

Plaza Mayor has become the name of the international congresses for Medellín. It will be the plaza of the Assembly of Governors of IDB 2009. Plaza Mayor belongs to the complex of the Center for Conventions and Expositions of Medellín and it is considered one of the most modern ones of South America. It is located no far of the government headquarters of the State of Antioquia, La Alpujarra.

Plaza Mayor and La Alpujarra, the international heart of the city, are at the center of the main Medellín avenues and transport nets like Metro de Medellín, near also to tourists spots and the most prestigious hotels.

But Medellín is not the only place to see. It is the main urban center of a vast region with several places to discover. The city is the center of the so called Medellín Metropolitan Area, a region inside the Aburrá Valley, made by ten municipalities, from traditional towns like Caldas or Sabaneta to more modern districts like Envigado or Bello.

In Medellín it is possible to discover the wonders of the Colombian Andes: to visit a warm town like Santa Fe de Antioquia at the side of the Cauca River, two hours by car to the west of the city or to visit the east with a higher altitude in Rionegro town.

Traditional Andean towns rich in ecology, where it is possible to discover the identity of the Paisa, the Colombian sub-culture of the coffee regions that live in the states of Antioquia, Caldas, Risaralda and Quindío, plus some towns of Valle del Cauca and Tolima. The Paisas have a well won fame of hard workers, committed and creative. They are very proud of their land and progress and they are famous also for their natural welcoming.

That will be the Medellín that prepares herself to receive this international event in its soils. We are going to follow it with attention.