Rags in the Shadow of Riches

[Judi Lynn]

Rags in the Shadow of Riches
Prosperity of the Newly Glitzy Colombia Masks Rampant Misery Throughout Slums



A boy plays in Cartagena, Colombia, where the heart
of the city is prosperous but the slums are rife with
drug trafficking, malnourished children and
preventable diseases. (Juan Forero - Twp)

By Juan Forero
Washington Post Foreign Service
Friday, January 23, 2009; Page A10

CARTAGENA, Colombia -- Inside Spanish ramparts built to repel pirate attacks lies a colonial gem -- the historic heart of this city on Colombia's northwestern coast, complete with $500-a-night hotel rooms, stylish restaurants and newly renovated apartments at Manhattan-like prices. To the government of President Álvaro Uribe, Cartagena symbolizes a new Colombia, vibrant and prosperous.

But outside the 400-year-old walls, away from the cobblestones and charm of the old city, is a swath of slums so miserable that public health officials compare conditions there to life in sub-Saharan Africa. Unlike those who live in and visit Cartagena' affluent heart, most of the residents of the ramshackle barrios are black. Drug trafficking is rife, children are malnourished and preventable diseases are common.

United Nations data show that Colombia remains one of the world's most unequal societies -- a root cause of the country's 45-year-old conflict.

"The poverty is immense," said Adil Meléndez, a human rights lawyer and activist who works in Cartagena's poor neighborhoods. "And then there is a small pocket of very rich people who maintain a life of extreme opulence."

More:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/22/AR2009012203958.html