Still feeling a bit out of place in the LA metropolis, I figured I'd accelerate my immersion back into US culture by attending one of the biggest music festivals in the country. I'd to Coachella way back in 2003 when you could buy individual tickets to each day but a lot had changed since then, mainly the sellout crowd of 70,000+ per day which meant herding music fans through long gates and lines.
The heat and traffic kept many potential fans at the numerous day/pool parties going on during the day, though on average, our group showed up around 5pm to enjoy the music for each day that lasted til 1 or 2 in the morning. I was exposed to a lot of new music I'd missed by spending the last 9 months out of the country and can honestly say that the quality of the performances was the best of any music festival I've ever been to. Coachella is quickly becoming the must-see music event of the year in the US and I'm hoping to be able to come back as often as I can.
Some highlights:
-With mostly indie and electronic names heading up the festival, Jay-Z had the most to prove and delivered by incorporating a live band and putting on one of the best stylistic performances I've ever seen. Much to my chagrin, Jay-Z did not hop on a NY-bound helicopter directly after performing and stuck around to support some of the lesser-known indie bands. Here's Mr. Carter doing one of my faves, check out the killer set design:
-MUSE incorporating Once Upon a Time in the West themes into their set and outright rocking my face off:
-Thom Yorke paying homage to the electronic nature of the festival, playing some music that Radiohead would never play, really upbeat and dancy.
-Jack White jumping around to every single instrument for the Dead Weather.
-2Many DJs putting together a hilariously creative audio portion to accompany their hard and heavy mash up of eletro and dance music.
-MGMT kind of sucking but bringing the crowd together with their singles
-Discovering amazing new acts like Miike Snow (who stole the show on Sunday for me), The XX and Passion Pit.
-Biggest letdowns for me were Gorillaz, Infected Mushroom and Orbital who just couldn't really contend with the caliber of the other acts sharing the stage.
-seeing Them Crooked Vultures with John Paul Jones (of Zep fame) on bass and Dave Grohl, who is a MONSTER on drums. They were the first act I caught on Friday and to see a band having that much fun on stage is something so entertaining and nostalgic for me:
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Repatriation
First time back on U.S. soil since August of last year. Some initial adjustments have to do with everything being BIGGER and FASTER here. I also feel like people are generally more agitated, no doubt something to do with the economic state of things. Luckily I've been eating better than ever: Thai, Phó, Japanese, Mexican; everything I've been lacking in variety and the quality is just something cities like LA, NY and Mexico City can only provide.
The first Thai restaurant I stopped at was a perfect reintroduction to LA. Some screenwriters in the corner arguing how to make the perfect pitch, a washed-up former B-list starlet drinking wine by the bar and some "account executives" fresh out of college taking advantage of the lunch specials.
The spiciness of the jade curry I've just ordered invades my senses like a roundhouse kick of Asian chilies and coconut milk; washed down with the exotic flavors of an iced tea impossible to come by in South America. Yet, the scene still bothers me. Everybody in the restaurant seems like they are in a hurry and/or upset. The waitress brings me the check a minute after taking my plate (a feat at least 20 minutes in Colombia). I'm satiated with curry goodness, though still a bit culture shocked. Regardless, the fantastic dining options of LA are one aspect making my adjustment back to life here (for the time being) that much more bearable.
The first Thai restaurant I stopped at was a perfect reintroduction to LA. Some screenwriters in the corner arguing how to make the perfect pitch, a washed-up former B-list starlet drinking wine by the bar and some "account executives" fresh out of college taking advantage of the lunch specials.
The spiciness of the jade curry I've just ordered invades my senses like a roundhouse kick of Asian chilies and coconut milk; washed down with the exotic flavors of an iced tea impossible to come by in South America. Yet, the scene still bothers me. Everybody in the restaurant seems like they are in a hurry and/or upset. The waitress brings me the check a minute after taking my plate (a feat at least 20 minutes in Colombia). I'm satiated with curry goodness, though still a bit culture shocked. Regardless, the fantastic dining options of LA are one aspect making my adjustment back to life here (for the time being) that much more bearable.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Fruit-Sponsored Terror
Fast forward to today and Chiquita is back in a US Court, being sued for providing arms and funds to both the AUC and FARC, Colombia's revolutionary guerrilla organization, as well as making a payment to release an American hostage held by the FARC.
This kind of monkeying around reminds me of one of the most blatant incidents of fruit-sponsored terror back in the Fifties in Guatemala. Back when Chiquita Brands International was better known as United Fruit Company, they had a multimillion dollar business importing bananas from Guatemala and other Central American countries. (coining the term 'banana republics'). In 1950, Leftist Jacobo Arbenz was elected President of Guatemala, promising to redistribute much of United Fruit's land to poor peasants. United Fruit responded by launching a lobbying effort for US intervention against the new "communist threat," which was abetted by the fact that CIA director Alan Dulles sat on the board of directors for United Fruit.
What resulted was CIA operation "PBSUCESS," which involved a massive propaganda and psyops campaign, ultimately financing right-wing militants to carry out a succesful coup d'etat against President Arbenz in 1954. The saddest part of this was that the US-sponsored coup opened the doors for a left-wing insurgency and a sectarian civil war that lasted from 1960 to 1990. It at least appears that now the USG has taken initiative in prosecuting Chiquita's recent dealings with Colombian terrorist organizations, running contrary to its history of working with them to destabilize Latin American governments. Moral of the story: Don't want to support terrorism? Buy
***Update: Kit has brought to my attention that Dole has also been implicated for colluding with Colombian paramilitaries, and while two civil lawsuits have been brought against the company, there has not yet been a verdict.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Blogging for USC's Center for Public Diplomacy
Here's an article I wrote for USC Center on Public Diplomacy's blog about the Public Diplomacy impact of the South American Games for Colombia. Thanks to Paul for setting it up.
THE SPORTY SPICE OF COLOMBIA
Even as most of North America was closing out the XXI Winter Olympics by viewing an epic hockey match between Canada and the U.S., America's Southern Hemisphere had already started preparing for their own version of the Summer Olympics. The South American Games, which featured over 5,000 athletes from fifteen different countries, came to a close earlier this week in Medellín, Colombia. The significance? The emergence of Colombian sports diplomacy and its vital role in re-branding the country's image.
Colombia certainly tops the list of countries in need of a brand makeover. To most outsiders, Colombia evokes imagery of dense jungles, impoverished coca farmers, guerrillas, and of course, the drug lord Pablo Escobar.
Despite its reputation, Colombia has undergone an incredible transformation from almost-failed state to one of the most prosperous countries in Latin America. With U.S. assistance, the Uribe Administration's security policies have reduced the capacities and numbers both of guerrillas and paramilitaries while decreasing the level of domestic coca cultivation.
When the Colombian government first approached a marketing consultant about re-branding the country's image in 1996, the consultant's reply was "Don't waste your time." However, when the Colombian government rang him up again in 2004, the result was the establishment of Colombia es Pasión (Colombia is Passion). Since its inception, Colombia es Pasión has typically relied on tourism and cultural diplomacy as its principle Public Diplomacy outlets.
Until recently, the most recognizable cultural exports from Colombia were art, literature and music: Nobel Prize-winning author Gabriel García Márquez is one of the most well-known writers in the world and Fernando Botero's disproportional "fat" sculptures can be found all the way from Mexico City to Armenia. Colombia is also home to international megastars Shakira and Juanes, who will represent Colombia by singing at the opening ceremony of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Though the Colombian National Soccer Team did not punch their ticket to South Africa, Colombia will host the 2011 FIFA "Under 20" World Cup and intends to make a serious bid for the FIFA World Cup in 2026.
Colombian sports are on the rise as a useful public diplomacy resource. Five-time All-Star Edgar Rentería opened the door to Major League Baseball for his country and recently established the first professional league in Colombia. Juan Pablo Montoya and Camilo Villegas continue to compete (and win) internationally in NASCAR and PGA respectively. Even the former FARC stronghold of Villavicencio has garnered international praise for hosting the annual Cowgirl World Championships. Colombian athletes competing in other countries' professional leagues and the increasing number of international sporting events hosted in Colombia demonstrate the potential sports diplomacy has for re-branding the country.
Colombia put down some serious pesos in hosting the South American Games. The inauguration ceremony featured world-class pyrotechnics and the choreography of Cirque du Soleil director Franco Dragone. Colombian Public Diplomacy efforts during the games were directed at both athletes and spectators in attendance. Entrance was free to all of the events at the Medellín million-dollar arenas and sports complexes constructed specifically for the Games. Particularly clever was the accommodation of international athletes in the same apartment complexes that Medellín has constructed as part of its urban renewal projects. Consequently, all athletes were issued a Metro pass to utilize Medellín's public transport (which include a MetroRail and Gondolas) to commute between the events and their accommodations. And despite an urban terror offensive by the FARC, not one act of violence managed to disrupt the Games in Medellin.
Though this is not Colombia's first time hosting an international sporting event, the South American Games may have been its most important. Less than twenty years ago, Medellín was known as "the most dangerous city in the world," leading global homicides with 381 per 100,000 inhabitants. Hosting international events in Colombia's most infamous city is perhaps the best way of demonstrating the leaps and bounds Colombia has made in recent years to those who continue to doubt its progress. In any case, Colombian sports diplomacy will hopefully function as another cultural commodity in re-branding the country's image and distancing itself from its tumultuous past.
Miles Knowles is a graduate of the Master of Public Diplomacy program at the University of Southern California. His interests and areas of expertise are Cultural Diplomacy and Sustainable Development in Latin America. He is currently living in South America doing freelance NGO work and blogging about his experience at http://rockstardiplomat.blogspot.com/
THE SPORTY SPICE OF COLOMBIA
Even as most of North America was closing out the XXI Winter Olympics by viewing an epic hockey match between Canada and the U.S., America's Southern Hemisphere had already started preparing for their own version of the Summer Olympics. The South American Games, which featured over 5,000 athletes from fifteen different countries, came to a close earlier this week in Medellín, Colombia. The significance? The emergence of Colombian sports diplomacy and its vital role in re-branding the country's image.
Colombia certainly tops the list of countries in need of a brand makeover. To most outsiders, Colombia evokes imagery of dense jungles, impoverished coca farmers, guerrillas, and of course, the drug lord Pablo Escobar.
Despite its reputation, Colombia has undergone an incredible transformation from almost-failed state to one of the most prosperous countries in Latin America. With U.S. assistance, the Uribe Administration's security policies have reduced the capacities and numbers both of guerrillas and paramilitaries while decreasing the level of domestic coca cultivation.
When the Colombian government first approached a marketing consultant about re-branding the country's image in 1996, the consultant's reply was "Don't waste your time." However, when the Colombian government rang him up again in 2004, the result was the establishment of Colombia es Pasión (Colombia is Passion). Since its inception, Colombia es Pasión has typically relied on tourism and cultural diplomacy as its principle Public Diplomacy outlets.
Until recently, the most recognizable cultural exports from Colombia were art, literature and music: Nobel Prize-winning author Gabriel García Márquez is one of the most well-known writers in the world and Fernando Botero's disproportional "fat" sculptures can be found all the way from Mexico City to Armenia. Colombia is also home to international megastars Shakira and Juanes, who will represent Colombia by singing at the opening ceremony of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Though the Colombian National Soccer Team did not punch their ticket to South Africa, Colombia will host the 2011 FIFA "Under 20" World Cup and intends to make a serious bid for the FIFA World Cup in 2026.
Colombian sports are on the rise as a useful public diplomacy resource. Five-time All-Star Edgar Rentería opened the door to Major League Baseball for his country and recently established the first professional league in Colombia. Juan Pablo Montoya and Camilo Villegas continue to compete (and win) internationally in NASCAR and PGA respectively. Even the former FARC stronghold of Villavicencio has garnered international praise for hosting the annual Cowgirl World Championships. Colombian athletes competing in other countries' professional leagues and the increasing number of international sporting events hosted in Colombia demonstrate the potential sports diplomacy has for re-branding the country.
Colombia put down some serious pesos in hosting the South American Games. The inauguration ceremony featured world-class pyrotechnics and the choreography of Cirque du Soleil director Franco Dragone. Colombian Public Diplomacy efforts during the games were directed at both athletes and spectators in attendance. Entrance was free to all of the events at the Medellín million-dollar arenas and sports complexes constructed specifically for the Games. Particularly clever was the accommodation of international athletes in the same apartment complexes that Medellín has constructed as part of its urban renewal projects. Consequently, all athletes were issued a Metro pass to utilize Medellín's public transport (which include a MetroRail and Gondolas) to commute between the events and their accommodations. And despite an urban terror offensive by the FARC, not one act of violence managed to disrupt the Games in Medellin.
Though this is not Colombia's first time hosting an international sporting event, the South American Games may have been its most important. Less than twenty years ago, Medellín was known as "the most dangerous city in the world," leading global homicides with 381 per 100,000 inhabitants. Hosting international events in Colombia's most infamous city is perhaps the best way of demonstrating the leaps and bounds Colombia has made in recent years to those who continue to doubt its progress. In any case, Colombian sports diplomacy will hopefully function as another cultural commodity in re-branding the country's image and distancing itself from its tumultuous past.
Miles Knowles is a graduate of the Master of Public Diplomacy program at the University of Southern California. His interests and areas of expertise are Cultural Diplomacy and Sustainable Development in Latin America. He is currently living in South America doing freelance NGO work and blogging about his experience at http://rockstardiplomat.blogspot.com/
Sunday, April 4, 2010
The Rajun Cajun on Demand
I just came to learn that our favorite rabble-rousin', bbq-analogy-makin' Democratic pundit, Mr. James Carville is the top campaign adviser to the conservative Colombian presidential candidate Juan Manuel Santos. Well, they both are pretty scary looking guys but I think that may be their only thing in common.
In other presidential campaign news, former Medellín mayor Sergio Fajardo has announced that he is willing to join forces with Green Party's Antanas Mockus for a center-left presidential coalition. Mockus, currently polling third after conservative candidates Santos and Sanin has not made any official announcements.
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