By Manuel Fuentes
FASHION, CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT…
“Medellín welcomes all people, of any origin. It is a city of very friendly people, with a climate that is simply perfect.” Claudio and Jairo could not agree more with Juan David Borja’s description of a city that brought together 85,000 people for the last LGBTIQ+ Pride march “to show its true face through love.”
Determined to discover the varied cultural and entertainment offerings with a diverse approach, the couple set out on a Friday morning to explore the fashion, art and design stores in the El Poblado neighborhood, the epicenter of “queer” life in a city where diversity is alive and enjoyed.
And it’s not just a perception. In 2017, Colombia won the award for Best Emerging LGBT Destination at the Fitur International Tourism Fair in Madrid and was subsequently recognized as South America’s Leading LGBTIQ+ Destination at the World Travel Awards (the “Oscars” for tourism) in 2018, 2020 and 2021.
There is also time over the weekend to explore the more artistic side and history of the city, with a must-see visit to the Museum of Modern Art to appreciate the powerful social protest of painter Débora Arango; the Museum of Antioquia, filled with works by the world-famous Fernando Botero; and the Casa de la Memoria Museum, opened in 2006 to provide a space for dialogue and acknowledgment of the armed conflict in Colombia.
On Saturday morning, Jairo prepared a very special visit: Comuna 13, an area of Medellín that was plagued by poverty, terror and helplessness during the 1980s and 1990s because of the urban guerrilla militias, paramilitary groups and drug trafficking organizations. Today, the figure of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar is now only a “souvenir” sold in street stalls.
The residents’ eagerness to better themselves, the socio-cultural transformation of the city and the development of productive activities, such as LGBTIQ+ tourism, have made this neighborhood a model of coexistence that every weekend celebrates a kind of mini-carnival, with thousands of tourists winding through its steep streets, dancing, singing and enjoying the delicious local cuisine.
And to round off the trip, you have to experience the “ballroom” culture, which emerged in New York in the 1970s, has strangely boomed in Medellín, and has become an international reference in the art of drag. Claudio and Jairo have heard a lot about the Querida Bar, the Oracle Club and, especially, the Chiquita Bar, located in the “pink zone” next to other equally fascinating places, bars, restaurants and dance clubs.
It is in this crazy fun atmosphere, where Walther Duque, a young designer ionate about fashion, theater and film, gives life to his alter ego Gretha White, the “drag queen” of Medellin, famous for her elegance and Hollywood glamor.
The weekend in Medellín is over and the reunion has served to send the pair of friends off with the feeling that the pandemic is giving way to a new era open to a future of hope, freedom and diversity. As they say in Medellin, “una chimba, parce!” That’s great, dude! EFE
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