COLOMBIA
Travelling through South America during 2013 and 2014 I was itching to step off the weathered backpacker trail. ‘Getting off the beaten path’ is a cliche we hear often and I was fully conscious of this as I tried to remain present while I joined other groups of backpackers ticking off locations in a Lonely Planet guide and filling our bellies with beer.
After having my camera and backups stolen in Ecuador I was determined to plant myself in a country to speak and stay with locals and uncover some of the country’s histories for myself to give me a deeper understanding of my environment. I spent time in all of the major cities in Colombia as well as travelling to some remote locations on the western Pacific coast. This placed the specific backpacker culture I’d grown a little uneasy with into the background and brought me into contact with beautiful, enthusiastic and curious Colombians.
After years of high activity between drug cartels, violence and social conflict, Colombia has now become much safer than it was previously. The number of tourists visiting has risen and the cities have seen significant investment to create jobs, lower crime and improve access to basic services. Some of this comes at a cost however as many rural communities are displaced to make way for mining, cattle rearing or plantations. The living wage of these communities does rise along with improved access to healthcare and education. However, the costs of living in the city are invariably higher and so on balance many families find themselves worse off with little political voice to change this. On paper the rise in wages looks good but in reality the situation is much more complex.
With these images my aim was to create a portrait of the changing cultures of the country as its three-hundred percent increase in visitors since 2002 continues to rapidly transform the country. Some of these influences are positive (development of living conditions and rise in wages) and some bring some of the ills of developed Western countries (such as fast-food in non-biodegradeable packaging).