Bogota Brilliance presents the most comprehensive website about beautiful Bogota, Colombia. This website has become the most important and first multilingual source of information about this extraordinary capital city.
Find information about Bogota culture, business, restaurants, travel, tourism, hotels, fashion, and much more.
For a listing of exciting events in Bogota, be sure to visit the Events tab and January Happenings
Global Minds invites you to learn how to effectively promote and market your products and services to the United States. Great opportunities are now available with the Free Trade Agreement between Colombia and the United States.
Lecture will be delivered in Spanish.
Colombia aims to become third largest economy in Latin America by 2015
Source: Merco Press
Colombia aims to be Latin America's third largest economy after Brazil and Mexico by 2015, said the country's trade minister this week during a business conference in Madrid.
''Today Colombia is the fourth largest economy in Latin America; it was the fifth four years ago. We are in the process of transforming the country so that we can say (...) we are the largest economy in Latin America after Brazil and Mexico'', said Trade, Industry and Tourism minister Sergio Diazgranados.
Currently Colombia is the fourth largest economy in Latin America after Brazil, Mexico and Argentina. However, “our goal is to become the third biggest Latin American economy and to join the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).''
In the meeting with journalists, Diazgranados mentioned that the Colombian economy grew 7.7% in the third quarter of 2011, plus having created 1.5 million formal jobs.
The Colombian government expects 2011 total growth to reach 5.5% and hopes the same can be achieved in 2012 with inflation below 3.5% and an estimated growth in foreign investment of 10%.
Diazgranados added that the target is to keep the economy expanding at a floor of 5% so that in twenty years Colombia will have a GDP and income level similar to that of Spain and “we will bring to the world an important reduction in poverty.”
The minister added that Colombia is interested in promoting the Pacific Basin Alliance, which is an agreement between Colombia, Mexico, Chile and Peru to strengthen their economies. Diazgranados said that the combined GDP of these four countries was larger than that of Brazil.
Regionally Colombia hopes to conclude a trade agreement with Venezuela by the end of January and launch negotiations for free trade agreements with Costa Rica and Dominican Republic later in the year.
Colombia remains a member of CAN (Community of Andean Nations) which saw trade soar 40% in 2011. Diazgranados said that the free trade agreement with the US should become effective in the third quarter of the year and negotiations with the European Union should conclude next September.
According to the latest available stats from the IMF and the World Bank, Brazil’s GDP is 2.1 trillion dollars; Mexico, 1.04 trillion; Argentina 370bn; Venezuela, 293bn; Colombia, 290bn and Chile, 203bn.
Foreign Direct Investment Surges in Colombia
Source: Bloomberg
Colombia's peso rose to an almost four-month high after foreign-direct investment in the South American country surged and global demand for higher-yielding assets rebounded.
The peso climbed 0.5 percent to 1,837.40 per U.S. dollar from 1,846 yesterday. It touched 1,832.31 on Jan. 13, its strongest intraday level since Sept. 19. The peso has jumped 5.5 percent so far this year, the best performance among world currencies tracked by Bloomberg.
Foreign-direct investment jumped 56 percent to $14.8 billion in 2011 from a year earlier, with 82 percent going into oil and mining, according to preliminary trade balance data from the central bank released on Jan. 13. Gains in global stocks also helped boost the peso, said Julian Marquez, an analyst at Interbolsa SA, Colombia’s biggest brokerage. U.S. and European stocks rose as slowing Chinese growth added to speculation that monetary policy at the world’s second-largest economy will ease.
“Investment flows continue to be strong,” said Julian Marquez, an analyst at Interbolsa SA, Colombia’s biggest brokerage. “The upside of the local economy is that it continues to expand while other countries in Latin America have a different story to tell.”
The economy expanded 7.7 percent in the third quarter from a year earlier, the fastest pace since the fourth quarter of 2006. It may grow as much as 6 percent in 2011, the fastest pace since 2007, according to the central bank. Brazil's economy, the biggest in Latin America, shrank in the third quarter for the first time in more than two years.
The yield on the nation’s 10 percent bonds due in July 2024 rose two basis points, or 0.02 percentage point, to 7.39 percent, according to the stock exchange. The bond’s price fell 0.195 centavo to 120.739 centavos per peso.
Loan Approved for Airport Expansion
January 11, 2012
A $50 Million loan was approved by the Andean Development Corporation for the modernization of Bogota’s international El Dorado Airport. Funds will be applied to the expansion, maintenance, administration and operation of the airport.
"We are very happy to be able to finance a priority project for Bogota and the country taking in to account the present airport in the capital has been in existence for over 50 years and in 2010 registered third highest number of passengers of Latin American airports," said Victor Traverso, CAF's director and representative in Colombia.
Forecasting a shortfall in El Dorado’s capacity of 1.6 million square feet when the renovation is completed in 2014, the city government is already considering the construction of a second airport.
Vice President Garzon Encourages Trade Ties with Turkey
Source: Today’s Zaman
January 11, 2012
Colombian Vice President Angelino Garzon delivered a sparkling verdict on Turkey's status as an international economic power in comments to the Zaman daily. Garzon included a visit to the headquarters of the Zaman Media Group and its sister agency, the Cihan news agency, as part of the itinerary of his first official trip to Turkey.
The visit of Garzon, who serves under President Juan Manuel Santos Calderon, marked an important step in the development of economic relations between the two countries.
Addressing representatives from Zaman and Cihan, Garzon, who attended a forum by the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON) last week, said he hoped 2012 would see the signing of a number of important agreements between the two countries, including the establishment of direct flights between the Colombian capital, Bogota, and İstanbul.
Bogota, the most populous city in Colombia and one of the largest in Latin America, is widely known as “the Athens of South America.” Garzon, who said direct flights between Bogota and İstanbul would mark an important step in the development of trade and friendship between the two countries, revealed that talks are already under way to establish the route.
Garzon also offered his opinion on Turkey's economic position in general, revealing that he considers Turkey's economic model to be one of the most impressive in the world. “With its international relations, development and economic growth, Turkey deserves to be in a better position than it is right now. Colombia is a country looking to develop and we can benefit from Turkey's experience and example in these areas. Turkey can provide an encouraging and helpful roadmap for us,” he said, adding that this is why he believes the importance of the relationship between the countries should not be underestimated.
Last year, the volume of trade between the two countries was $268 million. However, in the past eight months alone the figure has reached an impressive $439 million, indicating a bright future for economic relations between Colombia and Turkey.
Garzon rounded off his comments by saying that he thought Turkey's role during the revolutions that swept across many Arab countries this year was highly important. “These countries are in great need of a role model that they can look to as an example,” he said, adding that, as one of the non-permanent members of this term's UN Security Council, Colombia supported Turkey's political position.
Whilst touring the Cihan news agency offices, Garzon praised the work of the company, saying they have initiated excellent projects and put together an impressive team. Garzon, who is closely acquainted with Colombian goalkeepers Faryd Mondragon and Oscar Cordoba, both of whom who play for Turkish football clubs, also proposed that a friendly football match be organized between Turkey and Colombia.
Let There Be Lights !!!! An article about how Colombia Celebrates the Holidays
By Special Guest Contributor Christopher Burke
Already in October, the large department store Falabella has opened up its specialty area for the holidays - and the holidays here do not include Thanksgiving! Silver platters and green trees and gold tinsel are upon us. Across the city, large red or green tents are about to sprout on empty lots, and tables of Christmas ornaments are about to sprout throughout the tents. Fake Christmas trees abound, blue and red, and if necessary - green!, and shopping center plazas are ready to become home to artisan and craft vendors' festive offerings.
Read the rest of this festive article
Move over New York, Paris and London, Bogota has arrived and is now the World Culture Capital of the New Millennium!
Bogota – The Illuminating City Revealed
Over the centuries Bogota has been known by many names, commencing with Bacata, capital of the Muisca nation, where legends of gilded deities enticed foreigners to a faraway land they called El Dorado, an enchanted country of gold, destined to become the cornerstone and catalyst for the European Renaissance. The luster of Bacata, along with its highly advanced culture, metamorphosed into Bogota, a European-style city, which so zealously embraced the principles of the Enlightenment and Democracy that it soon became known as the Athens of the Americas.
Colombia has long been known as the Land of Poets, and Bogota – capital of a nation where prose, poetry and lyricism are part of the people’s genetic code – has inspired many of the world’s great literary voices.
Bogota’s astonishing cultural patrimony has been the powerful key to the transformation of this ancient city into a formidable vortex of culture. The cacophony of past, present and future styles of international and Colombian music, art, theatre, dance, literature, fashion, craft, gastronomy, science and technology have fused, giving rise to the World Culture Capital of the New Millennium –Bogota.
"Bogota is Poetry" - André Maurois
See Literature for more
BB Backstage
THEATRE REVIEW
December 2011
Desnudos: Bodies, Hearts and Souls Stripped Bare
December 16 and 17
A desperate housewife, her dejected husband, his brother home from war, their rabid priest and a deaf/mute maid collide to create an enthralling portrait of human emotion and dissolution. The skillful cast of five actors run the gamut of longing, desire, fantasy, illusion, lust, greed, remorse, guilt, loss, madness and at long last love. That’s not to say the journey isn’t full of humor, for there are quite a few funny moments that ricochet through the emotional void. Desnudos is a complex play, one that shouldn’t work so well, but it does so thanks in a large part to the skillful direction of Daniel Galeano. Click here for the complete review...
CURRENT FEATURE ARTICLE
Tiffany Kohl: A Desert Rose Blooms in Bogota
Tiffany Kohl with boyfriend Ivan Ocampo
Tiffany Kohl was always drawn to South America. While involved with the student exchange group IESEC in Arizona, Kohl attended a Youth Leadership Development seminar in Colombia. The ten days she spent in Bogota and Melgar would change her life. The effervescent Kohl fell in love with the people, energy, passion and spirit of this country; perhaps she recognized something of herself in them. Determined to return, she landed an internship managing the marketing department for a hotel chain. Although fulfilling, and the vehicle to get acclimated to Bogota, the hotel life was not exactly Kohl’s calling, and she opted not to renew her contract.
Home – Where the Soul Is
This decision led her away from Colombia and to Asia. Even though she had already lived in the US and Europe, Kohl knew that she had to find a way to stay in her beloved Colombia where, she “feels more at home than anywhere in the world.” After living six-months in Singapore, she returned. “I moved here because I fell in love with it. I decided I would work for myself, do something on my own, do something positive for Colombia.” Having done informal events planning for years, Kohl channeled her energies to create an events planning company in Bogota. “Sometimes I think I am crazy,” Kohl said when reflecting on her business, “There are always a million things. But I love the energy of events. Producing, organizing, creating a product that is an experience. Something that people live and feel and breathe. I enjoy networking, the connecting of souls, energy and people. It is one of the greatest things in life.” Occasionally Kohl will hold benefits and corporate events at one of the hottest clubs in Bogota, 6L6 in Parque 93, which is owned by her boyfriend Ivan Ocampo.
"In this business, you always have to jump in when and where needed, never be above anyone or any job.” Like the time Kohl moved heavy furniture in the rain while wearing stilettos and her signature smile.
Read More on Our Events Page
Double Take: Artists Nicholas Sperakis and Yolanda Mesa Make Their Mark
Surveying the work and life of the artistic couple Nicolas Sperakis and Yolanda Mesa is like taking a living tour of art history in the United States, Europe and South America. Sperakis came to be known as a master wood block printer in the 1960s, and Mesa has been making pop art tinged work since the early 1970s. Both have been completely immersed in, and embraced by, the international art world for decades.
Collected by museums, galleries, corporations and private collectors, Sperakis and Mesa make a formidable pair; not only of artistic prowess but also of intellect, which informs their work. The couple seems to have either crossed-paths or been intimate with the famous and infamous artistic personalities from the later half of the 20th century to present day.
Check back soon for the complete article on these fascinating creators.
In Colombia, one of the few countries on Earth considered by many to have the least prejudice-prone society, we are happy to report that on August 30, 2011, the Colombian congress passed a law which would punish anyone convicted of discriminatory acts of violence with jail terms from between one to two years of prison.
The Colombian constitution emancipated the slaves upon the founding of the republic in 1810, and Colombians have enjoyed the second oldest constitutional democracy in the world (after the USA). Colombia is a nation of great ethnic and racial diversity that includes a 10.5% afro-descent population, but it has long been known as a land where racial prejudice was never allowed to flourish.
In recent times, Colombian society has been unfortunately influenced by the prejudices from abroad, and the neo-Nazi groups that have take root may now be considered illegal here. The new law protects people living in Colombia from discrimination based on race, ethnicity, religion, nationality, political ideology or philosophy, sex or sexual orientation.
Zell Zeroes in on Colombia
Source: Bloomberg
Billionaire Sam Zell said he is entering the real estate market in Colombia in the next two weeks as he continues to favor international investments over U.S. property deals.
Zell, chairman of Chicago-based Equity International, will invest in real estate in Colombia and will eventually move on to residential projects, he said in an interview today on Bloomberg Television.
“Colombia is the next star of Latin America,” Zell said on “In the Loop” with Betty Liu.
Equity International’s first deal in Colombia is a $75 million investment in Bogota-based Terranum Development, a closely held real estate company, according to a statement today. Terranum is developing a 190,000-square-meter (2 million-square-foot) mixed-use complex near Bogota’s El Dorado International airport, the companies said.
Zell, through Equity International, which he co-founded with Gary Garrabrant in 1999, has invested in real estate-related companies around the world, including in Brazil, China and Mexico. His involvement in the U.S. property market is“minimal” amid low interest rates and inflation that he estimates to be as high as 6 percent, Zell said.
Bogota Named One of the World's 15 Best Cities for Business
Source: Proexport Colombia
Fortune magazine named Bogota as one of the 15 best cities for business in its annual Global 500 feature, highlighting several multinational companies that recently established outposts in the Colombian capital.
Fortune included Bogota on its short list of the top 15 new cities in the world to do business—up-and-coming cities in which investors can find skilled workforce, solid infrastructure, and potential customers.
Says writer Josh Dawsey in the “Global 500” article’s enhanced digital map of the 15 best new cities for business: “A World Bank study recently ranked Colombia No. 2 in Latin America for entrepreneurs (it takes just days to incorporate a company), but large multinationals like Bogota, too: Citibank and McDonald’s have set up there, and call centers serving the world are proliferating in the city. Why? Colombians speak clear, unaccented Spanish.”
To select cities for this feature, Fortune consulted corporate and economic development executives to determine where companies are opening new businesses, taking into account (among other factors) the age and prosperity of the locals.
Read More in our business Section
Read our article on Colombian rockers Aterciopelados
Read our article on the wonderful shop Talento Colombiano
Read our Article and Restaurant Review...abasto in Usaquen
Guest Blogger, Christopher Burke, talks about the amazing diversity of specialty districts in Bogota:
Harmonic Relations – Aterciopelados is Still Center Stage
The Colombian rock group Aterciopelados has been a force in the international music scene for over twenty years. When they ventured out under the name Delia y Los Aminoacidos, the rock scene in Bogota had not yet been fully developed, which worked to their advantage, allowing the band to experiment with their look, sound and lyrics.
In 1993 the band’s name was changed to Aterciopelados (The Velveteen Kids), and they attracted the attention of the Mexican label BMG who was scouting for new Colombian bands that sang in Spanish as opposed to English; a departure from what other Latin groups were doing in order to break into the “mainstream” Anglo market. When Aterciopelados agreed to cut their debut album with the label, it was an experiment and the recording was done on a very low budget. “Como el corazon en la mano” released in 1994, displayed the influence of hardcore punk, salsa, bossanova, carriler and other musical styles on their early work, and the unique compositions the act would become famous for. Since then the journey for Andrea Echeverri and Hector Buitrago a/k/a Conector, has been one of collaboration, isolation, determination and reincarnation.
When their first single hit the airways Aterciopelados was at once familiar and alien to the radio audience. No one could have anticipated that this quasi-independent effort would catapult the band to international notoriety and sell 100,000 records - a remarkable achievement for Colombia musicians during that time.
While Conector and Echeverri attended the prestigious Universidad de Los Andes at the same time, they didn’t know each other. Echeverri was studying art and Conector concentrated on engineering. The idea that some meetings in life are pre-destined, or fated could definitely be applied to when Conector and Echeverri met at a mutual friend’s party in La Candelaria (the most historical district of Bogota and a center of creativity). As Conector explained there was “…an aesthetic attraction…” that drew the pair to each other. At that time Conector was writing music for a punk band but was growing tired of the scene and wanted to experiment with different genres. “In those days, punk was very violent and self-involved in Bogota and Medellin, and I wanted to leave [the punk movement].” Echeverri was writing her own music, which would prove to be singular. The pair started to collaborate and then formed a band with a guitarist who soon left. The two decided to continue together – both romantically and professionally. Although their romance ended some time ago, the relationship seems to have deepened and now conveys something more palpable and profound – a sense of deep human, spiritual and artistic connection and affection.
For the complete article, see Harmonic Relations
When in Bogota, check out the live music venues and cultural events.
