Indelible Mark

            “Those who do not know their history are condemned to repeat it”. This is a quote from the Spanish philosopher George Santayana. However, I grew up hearing it because of the dark time in Colombia during the era of Pablo Escobar. Pablo Escobar was the most powerful drug trafficker in Colombia between the 1970s and 1990s. He led the Medellin Cartel, which sent tons of cocaine to the United States and made billions of dollars. He was seen as a hero by some people because he helped poor communities, but at the same time he brought extreme violence to Colombia. The Colombian government, with the help of the United States, tried to stop him for years. He escaped from prison many times, but finally in 1991, the police killed him in a police operation. The crimes of the Pablo Escobar left a mark on Colombia and on my family for generations that continues to this day.

            Many people were affected by the confrontations between the government and Pablo Escobar, and one of them was my grandfather. He lived on a farm in the mountains where he worked with coffee plantations. It was an attractive area for Escobar to hide because of the large mountains and the difficult roads to get there. The cars could not enter the area because there were no streets, so my grandfather had to walk forty-five minutes to get to the nearest street. This was not a problem for Escobar because when he wanted to hide from the Colombian military he arrived by helicopter. On the contrary, it was an advantage to make it more difficult to find him. The Colombian military arrived in the area to confront him with bombs. Because of that, my grandfather had to leave for fear of the bombs and the violence that was happening in his area. Six months later, my grandfather’s farm and coffee plantations were destroyed. All the years of effort, his work, home, and life had been lost. My grandfather asked the government for help. However, the government said that it was collateral damage and did not help him.

            In addition, my parents who lived in the capital, Bogota, had to live through the violence and fear of everyday life. Pablo Escobar was mostly against the government, so there were many attacks in the capital where the government was located. The kidnappings, assassinations, and bombings happened on the daily news in Colombia. Escobar made attacks in different areas of the city against innocent people to scare the government and stop them from confronting him. For this reason, my mother preferred to stay at home for fear that something would happen to her and my brother. On the other hand, my father had to go to work in the center of the city, where most of the attacks took place. In 1998, Escobar bombed a police building in Bogota, and my father was only a few blocks away when it happened.  Fortunately, my father had only minor injuries. My parents had to endure those situations for ten years.

            Even though I did not have to live through Pablo Escobar’s era, the mark he left on Colombia continues to have effects on my generation. Pablo Escobar’s Netflix show became very popular around the world causing many people from other countries to recognize Colombia only because of him. Many people began to relate Colombians to the bad actions of Pablo Escobar and acquired bad reputation. As a result, it became more difficult for Colombians to apply for visas, and there was more control and attention at the airports. The show is not completely real. It is also dramatized to get the public's attention. This caused people to be misinformed. Since I arrived in Chicago, I have received comments related with Pablo Escobar because of my nationality. When I say that I am from Colombia, some people immediately make comments like, Do you have cocaine? I love Pablo Escobar; Pablo Escobar is the best. It is difficult for me to hear these comments and even more difficult to know that many people admire Pablo Escobar without knowing all the pain he caused in the country.

            Colombia is an amazing country with a hard past that touched my grandfather and my parents. Unfortunately, due to the misinformation of some people, his legacy is still felt at the present. The era of Pablo Escobar caused many people to lose everything, like my grandfather. It made Colombians live in fear for a long time and brought a lot of violence to the country. Finally, it left an indelible mark on Colombia that no one knows if it may never fade. I hope that someday people will recognize Colombia for all the incredible things it has and not for a man who caused suffering and violence in the country.