Colombia have used this year’s World Cup to show the world their passion, togetherness and talent, and, largely, the world has responded positively, and been able to see the magic Colombia can bring to the table. However, a number of individuals have seen fit only to mock Colombia, and make light of the country’s struggles over the past 60 odd years. The most high profile cases have involved Russell Brand, Dutch actress Nicolette Van Dam, and Australian radio presenters Matt Tilley and Joe Hildebrand. All of these individuals, rather than taking the time to understand or learn more about Colombia, have instead chosen to belittle the suffering of millions with cheap ‘jokes’ about cocaine and violence. The World Cup is a perfect time to bring people from all over the world together, and a little bit of fun at the expense of other countries shouldn’t be anything to get upset about, but there are instances when the ‘joke’ goes too far, and this, in my view, has been one of them.

I won’t waste time recapping all of the individual offenses, or give them the attention they so clearly crave by repeating their ‘jokes’ here; needless to say, they all involved cocaine, and were, in my opinion, largely unfunny and unimaginative. The radio presenter’s tirade in particular lacked even a speck of wit, imagination, or intelligence. It was simply a humourless, self-congratulatory rant. The classic defence of ‘It was a joke, get a sense of humour’ will naturally be fallen back on, but it seems to me that a joke should have some element of humour rather than simply blind prejudice and mockery. Colombians have seen drugs bring death, displacement and endless suffering over the years, largely in the name of a drug which is consumed elsewhere. I would strongly urge these people to review some statistics about where cocaine is mainly consumed before they go around ‘informing’ people that everyone in Colombia is ‘on it’ or in possession of it.

I am by no means suggesting that the problems in Colombia are over; however, things are changing here, and people are desperate to move away from the old image of Colombia, which is massively outdated. They are keen to show the world the beautiful landscapes, fascinating history, and kind, welcoming people. Colombian friends of mine are fed up of telling people in other countries that they are Colombian and being bombarded with the same ignorant questions and tired quips.

Colombians have shown that they are perfectly capable of accepting and laughing at certain stereotypes – witness the popularity of Sofia Vergara, whose jokes on ‘Modern Family’ about burros and over-the-top accent have been hugely popular. There is no lack of a sense of humour here, there are just some things that aren’t very funny, and xenophobia and prejudice are two of those things.

Here is a link to the online petition demanding an apology from Hildebrand and Tilley; I urge you to read it and sign it.

P.S. Matt and Joe – yes, Colombia is really famous for it’s (excellent) coffee. Come and have a cup in Bogota, we can talk about this properly, and you can see what Colombia is really all about.

Chris