Colorful orchids dominate the Orquideorama at the Orchids, Birds and Flowers show in the Medellin Botanical Gardens. The event is part of the Festival of Flowers, which has been held in the city every year since 1957. PHOTO: Dennis D. Jacobs
Slowly but surely, like a germinating seed, Medellin, Colombia – once the murder capital of the world – is becoming the flower capital of the world.
Every year at the beginning of August, this city of 2.4 million people puts on a huge celebration called Feria de las Flores (Festival of Flowers). This year’s festival stretched from July 31 to August 9 and featured a wide array of events ranging from antique automobile displays to concerts and theatrical performances. The biggest event of the festival is the parade which takes place on Friday, a national holiday in Colombia. A highlight of the parade is the procession of silliteros – local flower growers who march carrying massive flower arrangements on their backs.
Another major attraction of the festival is the Orquídeas, Pájaros y Flores (Orchids, Birds and Flowers) show held at the Medellin botanical garden in a facility called the Orquideorama. As part of a group of journalists touring the country as guests of Colombian tourism officials, I got a behind-the-scenes look as 100 workers prepared for last Wednesday night’s opening of the show.
Flower growers from throughout Colombia vie to receive top honors from judges at the Orchids, Birds and Flowers show. PHOTO: Dennis D. Jacobs
Although orchids are the stars of this show, put on by the Sociedad Colombiana de Orquideología (Colombian Society of Orchidology), many other flowers are represented, including carnations, roses, delphiniums, and bird of paradise.
Speaking of birds, scattered amid the displays are cages holding canaries, parakeets, and larks whose colors rival those produced by the flowers.
The show’s imaginative displays attract many visitors and there are sometimes long lines to get into the facility, the jewel of the refurbished nine-acre botanical gardens.
In addition to Medellin residents, each year the flower festival attracts 300,000 visitors from other parts of Colombia and about 10,000 from outside the country.
As word gets out that Medellin is no longer a dangerous place (local officials proudly point out that the violent crime rate in the city is lower than many American cities, including Washington, D.C.), those numbers are likely to continue to grow… slowly but surely.
For more info: Feria de las Flores (in Spanish)
Related: Move over Disney World... the happiest place on Earth is in Colombia
Comments
What gorgeous photos, Dennis! And a great article too!
This article isn't correct at all.
Medellin's murder rate is spiralling out of control after several years of paramilitary supression and it's about three times more dangerous than the most dangerous American cities. It was always a lot more dangerous than Washington, even a couple of years ago when Medellin's murder rate reached it's lowest point and was half of what it is now.
You have to be wary of what the local politicians say they're very biased in my experience.
Mark: I didn't see any evidence that the murder rate is "spiraling out of control" or "paramilitary suppression." I did speak to a young woman who had actually moved to Medellin from the north coast of Colombia because Medellin was safer!
I have been to both DC and Medellin in the past year and I can tell you I felt perfectly safe everywhere I went in both cities. I'm sure there are neighborhoods in both cities you would want to avoid, particularly after dark, but that's true pretty much in any large city.
I didn't speak on my trip to any elected officials. I did speak to a lot of people who were very honest about the problems Colombia had in the past. Everyone I spoke to said things are better now and are optimistic about the future. You will be reading more about the changes in Colombia in future articles.
A couple of statistical notes related to the last comment:
Mark claims that Medellin was "a lot more dangerous" than DC even at the low point of violent crime in the city a couple years ago. In 2005, Medellin had a murder rate of 37 people per 100,000 inhabitants. DC had a rate of 45 per 100,000.
It is true that the homicide rate is up this year in Medellin compared with the last two years, but the violence is nowhere near the levels seen when Medellin was the murder capital of the world. Violence began spiking in April after a notorious drug lord was captured by authorities along with about 20-30 of his henchmen (in a rural area far north of Medellin). This led to an increase in violence among drug gangs fighting over territory that is still ongoing.
So, in summary I would say that unless you are involved in drug trafficking, if you stick to the tourist areas as you would any large city, you are very unlikely to encounter any problems.
Great article, good to see that Americans are now discovering The Transformation of Medellin, Colombia.
To learn more visit www(.)medellintraveler(.)com
Vive Colombia!!
Yes, well going on holiday to see a flower festival and not seeing violence doesn't mean the murder rate isn't soaring. Vacating in safer districts and actually living somewhere are two completely different things though you admit walking around in safer areas. An Italian guy was found brutally murdered in Bello in May and some guy I was speaking to who just came back from Medellin saw a guy shot dead right in front of him. This news really ought to be put around more, in almost any other city in the world this and the upsurge in murders would be considered shocking.
The main driver was the extradition of strongman Diego Murillo who policed the city, the murder rates' been increasing rapidly for the best part of two years. The paramilitaries have lost control which is what I'm saying they're 'no longer suppressing' the crime situation. A lot of the murders are also attributed by the police, as ever in Medellin, to simple common delinquency. A lot of this is probably drug-related in
My comment didn't finish, and those figures aren't accurate and very unfair on Washington. In 2007 Medellin had around 1,000 murders, Washington with almost twice the population had 412.
Look up table 6 on the FBI website.
Mark: I'm going to need more info than "Table 6" on the FBI website... the FBI website is pretty large.
The statistics I provided are accurate. Please stop trying to lecture me on Medellin. I just came from there! The people in charge are the police and the proper authorities, not paramilitaries. In addition to tourist areas, we visited Comuna 13, which just a few years ago was a largely lawless area and scene of brutal violence. The city is investing heavily in building parks, libraries, and other improvements for the people there, working with the local community to determine what they need. You will be reading more about this in future posts.
I'm not saying Medellin is paradise, but it's most certainly not the lawless violent place you are trying to portray. Maybe you should go back for a visit.
People don't have to take my word for it. Here's an excerpt from an article from the LA Times:
By Chris Kraul
March 26, 2009
Reporting from Medellin, Colombia — Once the shadowy and violent domain of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, Medellin has undergone a renaissance over the last decade due to enlightened civic policy and public works, offering government officials proof that urban decline can be reversed.
Once one of the world's deadliest cities, Medellin's homicide rate has dropped by more than 90% since the mid-1990s. Former rebels and paramilitary fighters are being re-integrated into Colombia's second-largest city in an innovative program adopted by the nation's demobilization director.
Great article about orchids and flowers by Dennis Jacobs. I can tell you that Colombia is going to be a much safer place fast. I have a friend in Medellin, Colombia that says things are changing for the positive...
Phillip
1888Orchids.com
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