Colombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia
Episodes
596: Exploring the Heart of Chile with Natascha Scott-Stokes
16 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Colombia Calling podcast, host Richard McColl speaks with author Natascha Scott-Stokes about her journey from Germany to the UK...
595: Guaviare: A Journey Through Time and Culture
09 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Colombia Calling podcast, host Richard McColl speaks with Bruce McLean and Marcel Reina about traveling in the largely unknown ...
594: "Kolumbiytsi": The thousands of Colombians holding the Ukrainian Front
02 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Colombia Calling podcast, Richard McColl speaks with Emily Hart about her extensive reporting - for a piece in Delayed Gratifi...
593: From Bogotá to Tabio: A Journey of Transformation
25 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Colombia Calling podcast, host Richard McColl reconnects with Lorna Phillips, (last on the podcast in Episode 173: "The Dating ...
592: Author and legend Wade Davis speaks about his book Magdalena
11 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Magdalena: River of Dreams, A Story of Colombia, is a captivating and essential book from Wade Davis--renowned, award-winning, bestselling author and ...
591: Redefining Womanhood: with Karol Lopez of the Fundación Las Fuertes
04 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Colombia Calling podcast, Karol Lopez of the Fundación Las Fuertes joins Richard McColl and Emily Hart to discuss the misconce...
590: The Pizarros: A Reflection of Colombian History
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Colombia Calling podcast, host Richard McColl interviews Dutch journalist Robert Friele about his book on the Pizarro family, e...
589: Unlocking Colombia's Historical Memory with Data
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Colombia Calling podcast, host Richard McColl engages with academics David Anderson (Associate Professor in Analytics at Villan...
588: Where is Matavén? Community Tourism in Colombia's distant Orinoco Region
14 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Where is Matavén, you may well ask? So, this week on the Colombia Calling podcast, we discuss an award-winning community tourism project with people ...
587: The Final Stretch: Hiking the Andes from Argentina to Venezuela
07 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this second part of our conversation with Oliver Treviso, we explore his experiences in the final two countries of Colombia and Venezuela. By all a...
586: 7 countries, 8000 miles, 21 months and 9 pairs of shoes: How Oliver Treviso hiked the Andes
30 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I came into this conversation thinking that I'd be chatting about the trivialities of an expedition through South America and I left in a state of abs...
858: 'A truth which cried out loud' - the families still seeking justice for the 'false positives' murders
23 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Colombia's special peace tribunal, the JEP, handed down its first sentences to the soldiers who murdered and framed civilians to boost mil...
584: Authentic Cartagena
16 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Cartagena is the eternal city of Colombian tourism. The Old City, the UNESCO World Heritage ramparts and colonial streets are protected from the ills ...
583: The Hidden History of Alvaro Uribe, part 2
09 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Following fast in the footsteps of Episode 1: "Alvaro Uribe the Early Years and Rise to Power, 1952-1994," Adriaan Alsema of Colombia Reports and myse...
582: Neo-Liberalism in Downward Dog - Gentrification, Inequality, and Crime in Colombia's Cities
02 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Colombia Calling podcast, Richard McColl and Emily Hart engage with Professor Nicolas Forsans of the University of Essex, a La...
581: Cultivating Justice? How cannabis regulation might transform Colombia
26 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Emily Hart speaks to Lucas Marin Llanes - the director of development at the Latin American Drug Studies Network, and a research affilia...
580: Truth Demands: Murder, Oil Wars, and Climate Justice
19 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Emily Hart speaks to Abby Reyes – human rights lawyer, environmental activist and author, as well as Director of Community Resilience Pr...
579: Looking Ahead to Colombia's Presidential Elections
12 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Colombia Calling podcast, host Richard McColl discusses the upcoming elections in Colombia with Sergio Guzmán and Isy Hawes fr...
578: Translating Mafalda
05 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Emily Hart speaks to multi-award-winning translator Frank Wynne about Latin America's most beloved cartoon - Mafalda - and how he brought ...
577: Small Earthquakes and what we never learnt in school about South America
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Blending travel writing, history and reportage, our guest on this week's Colombia Calling podcast is award-winning journalist and author Shafik Meghji...
576: The Myth Of The Narco
22 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In order to understand the issue of the cocaine trade in Colombia, we need to look at three factors: 1. Drugs Policy as a Geopolitical tool. 2. Marke...
575: The Rise of the Tren de Aragua: A Deep Dive
15 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This conversation on the Colombia Calling podcast delves into the complexities of the Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan criminal organization that has evol...
574: Andrei Gómez Suárez discusses peace dialogues and writing as he reflects on the Colombian conflict
08 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Colombia Calling podcast, host Richard McColl speaks with Andres Gomez Suarez about his new book 'We Are Not Made of Sugar',...
573: Richard McColl reads from his book: "The Mompos Project: A Story of Love, Hotels and Madness in Colombia."
01 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When British foreign correspondent Richard McColl purchased, on a whim, a ruined colonial building in the rural Colombian town of Mompós, he imagined...
572: Álvaro Uribe: The Early Years and Rise to Power, 1952-1994
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Few figures in Latin American politics polarize opinion like Colombia's former president, Álvaro Uribe. Right now, Uribe, Colombia's president from...
571: Forty Days Lost in the Colombian Amazon
17 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Remember the story that made the headlines for several weeks about the four Huitoto children, lost for forty days in the Colombian Amazon after the ai...
570: The True Story of how DEA Agents brought down the Cali Cartel
10 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Former DEA agent Chris Feistl and literary collaborator Jessica Balboni discuss the new book: "After Escobar: Taking Down the Notorious Cali Godfather...
569: La Escombrera: Colombia's Largest Urban Mass Grave
03 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
La Escombrera, a vast rubble pile overlooking Medellín, is considered to be Colombia's largest urban mass grave. Its excavation this year has unearth...
568: Coaching collaboration and solidarity in Colombia
27 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Heather Luna, a native of Michigan with strong ties to Colombia, spent a significant time in the UK before moving to Tabio. Since then, she has been w...
567: Early Onset Alzheimer's Investigated and Revealed in Colombia
20 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's an absolute honour to welcome author Jennie Erin Smith on the Colombia Calling podcast this week to discuss her latest book in which she investig...
566: Peacebuilding Cannot Happen Without Security: Why the Killings of Social Leaders in Colombia Continues
13 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What explains selective violence against social and community leaders in the aftermath of war? Why does the killing of community and social leaders co...
565: A Siberian in Colombia: Hearing from the Tabiuna Rusa
06 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Victoria was never meant to come to Colombia, in fact, had things gone according to plan she would be in China right now. But, fate had a different p...
564: The Latin American Boom in Literature and "that punch"
29 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There's so much to say about the Latin American Boom in literature, but how can we possibly discuss it at this point in time without mentioning Mario ...
563: Tropical Diseases and Disease Ecology in Colombia
22 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week we speak to Camila Gonzalez Rosas, Director and Associate Professor of Biological Sciences at Los Andes University in Bogotá and Researcher...
562: "Exploring the Toxic Record of Colombia's Oil Giant." The BBC speaks to the Colombia Calling podcast.
08 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Colombian energy giant Ecopetrol has polluted hundreds of sites with oil, including water sources and biodiverse wetlands, the BBC World Service has f...
561: "Silent, but so much to tell." The mystery of Colombia's Mummies
01 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In today's episode, Emily Hart speaks to archaeologist Daniella Betancourt: the woman decoding the enigma of Colombia's mummies. Mummification is a p...
560: Championing English-language books about Colombia
25 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Barry Max Wills, author of: "Better than Cocaine: Learning to Grow Coffee, and Live in Colombia," and Richard McColl of: "The Mompos Project: A Tale o...
559: Blood Gold in Colombia
18 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's Colombia Calling podcast, we speak to James Bargent, an investigative journalist for Insight Crime about his work putting together the ...
558: Back to the (microscopic) Future: Using Palaeontology, Pollen, and AI to predict and protect our futures
11 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today, we go back many millennia in order to protect ourselves for the coming centuries: Emily Hart speaks to two Colombian scientists, Carlos Jaramil...
557: The Petro Presidency Meltdown?
04 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
President Petro's Disastrous Televised Cabinet Meeting or The Petro Presidency Meltdown. Pause for breath if you can, but we've been experiencing a b...
556: The Colombia that is Silenced
25 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week on the Colombia Calling podcast, we speak to Lorena Estupiñán-Pedraza, a professor of international relations and political science from B...
555: "The World is Sick," a New Documentary on the Ancient Healing Medicine of Ayahuasca
18 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A new documentary, in the making, seeks to document the sacred nature of an ancient medicine. We're all familiar with vivid tales of projectile vomiti...
554: Lies, Damned Lies and Disinformation in Colombia
11 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jonathan Swift, "Falsehood flies, and truth comes limping after it." … never truer than in 2025 This week on the Colombia Calling podcast Emily Har...
553: From the Indian Plains to the Andes Mountains
04 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes, it's just fun to have an agreeable conversation, and this is why I enjoyed chatting to Vivek Jayaraman. Vivek was born in Tamil, India and...
552: The Myth of the Narco
28 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In order to understand the issue of the cocaine trade in Colombia, we need to look at three factors: 1. Drugs Policy as a Geopolitical tool. 2. Marke...
551: Following in the footsteps of Roger Casement in Colombia
21 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Brendan Corrigan has had multiple jobs in his time in Colombia (dating back to 2011), and his most constant has been that of a contributing writer of ...
550: Erin Donaldson in Colombia's Coffee Region
14 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As there are now a growing number of people considering moving to Colombia, and where better than the country's enticing Coffee Region, we decided to ...
549: Travel Trends in 2025
07 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Have you heard of "destination duping," "rosy retrospection," "JOMO," or "trailblazer hotels?" Well, with Colombia of course in mind given that this i...
548: Jazz for Peace with Rick DellaRatta
10 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Well, where to start with this interview?! It's that time of year when we endeavour to discuss more hopeful and positive episodes and then an email h...
547: Tu Fiel Amigo, Colombia: the Colombia Calling podcast Christmas Appeal 2024
03 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We've never done this before, but heck, why not?! So, here is the first ever Colombia Calling Christmas Appeal in our 11 plus years of being on the ai...
546: Torah Tropical in Cali: How Far Would You Go to Find God?
26 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The journey of making Torah Tropical began in 2021, in the midst of Colombia's historic civil unrest. Despair at the Duque government's policies and b...
545: South America's Hidden Histories, a conversation with author Laurence Blair
19 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
'Romantic, adventurous and thrilling ... remarkable' Telegraph 'Vivid, fast-paced and wonderfully ambitious … Patria teems with alternative stori...
544: Gringo Tuesdays arrives in Cartagena
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It has become a cultural phenomenon in Colombia, beginning first in Bogota before branching out to Medellin, Cali, Lima (Peru) and now Cartagena...eve...
543: Returning to Macondo
05 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After nine years away, Tim Buendia, has made it back to the town of Aracataca - birthplace of Gabriel Garcia Marquez - and it seems timely with a new ...
542: Total peace, totally reimagined - Nonviolent Communication in Colombia
29 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Hello and welcome to another episode of Colombia Calling – I'm Emily Hart and this week we have something a little bit different – the radical lin...
541: COP16 in Cali: Looking at Deforestation in Colombia
22 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On Episode 541 of the Colombia Calling podcast, and given the current COP16 in Cali, we revisit our conversation with special guest Ole Reidar Bergum ...
540: Why You Should Consider Colombia for Medical Tourism
15 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Colombia stands out for its excellent healthcare and is rapidly becoming another destination for medical healthcare. Thinking of a tummy tuck, a hair ...
539: Comparing politics and tourism in Nepal and Colombia
08 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week we get on the line to Naresh Dahal in Kathmandu to compare and contrast the tourism practices and politics in both Nepal and Colombia. Nare...
538: From South London to South Bogotá
01 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
"South London has a serious problem with knife crime." This week we discuss how Henry May arrived in Colombia and ended up being a mover and shaker i...
537: President Petro's Rocky Relationship with the Media
24 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Petro's first two years as president have been marked by tension between him and various media sectors. He has repeatedly denigrated journalism critic...
536: Death, Syphilis and Stories from Beyond the Grave in Colombia
17 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Angela Alvarez is a natural-born storyteller, her latest venture of the podcast: "When Home is a Foreign Word" is testament to this. In fact, there's ...
535: Colombia and the US Elections
10 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As the United States prepares for its pivotal presidential election on November 5, 2024, we join our friends at Colombia Risk Analysis to discuss thei...
534: Colombia Needs Regenerative Tourism!
03 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
With a hypnotising mix of charming coastal cities, world-class cuisine, and lush landscapes hiding immense biodiversity have made the bicoastal countr...
533: The incredible story of Colombia's first Woman Chess Grandmaster
27 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Nadya Ortiz is Colombia's first woman chess grandmaster. Hailing from humble origins in Ibague, chess became a conduit for her success. By succeeding ...
532: Journalism At War In Colombia
20 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Hallo and welcome to another episode of Colombia Calling - I'm Emily Hart and this week I'll be chatting to Nubia Rojas about journalism at war – ho...
531: Can President Petro Turn Things Around in Colombia
13 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
"From Ambition to Stagnation: the road ahead for Petro's administration," is the title of a new report by Eitan Casaverde and Sergio Guzman of Colombi...
530: The Latin American Review of Books
06 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Latin American Review of Books – LatAmRoB – has been publishing online continuously since 2005 as a small, independent website based in the UK...
529: The Sculptor People : the ancient mystery and modern theft of the statues of San Agustín
30 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
I'm Emily Hart and today, I'll be speaking to two experts and campaigners on Colombia's San Agustín Statues – getting into what they might mean and...
528: Petro, the Documentary
23 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
"Petro." Watch the documentary by Sean Mattison and Trevor Martin following Gustavo Petro during his run for the presidency of Colombia in 2022. "Pet...
527: Blood, Gun, Money - an investigation into the enormous black market for firearms
16 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
From the author of El Narco, Ioan Grillo presents us with a searing investigation into the enormous black market for firearms, essential to cartels an...
526: Ancestral Coffee Cultivation and Nasa Heritage by Native Root in Cauca, Colombia
09 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On the Colombia Calling podcast this week, we welcome back both Ervin Liz and Simon Winograd and discuss Native Root, their coffee-growing company bas...
525: Pablo Escobar's Influence on Colombian Football in the 1990's
02 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On the Colombia Calling podcast this week we discuss Pablo Escobar's influence on Colombian football in the early 1990's with David Arrowamith, author...
524: Where is Matavén? Community Tourism in Colombia's distant Orinoco Region
25 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Where is Matavén, you may well ask? So, this week on the Colombia Calling podcast, we discuss an award-winning community tourism project with people ...
523: The Ruling Elites and Violence in Colombia
18 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We are incredibly fortunate to speak to Jenny Pearce, Research Professor at the Latin America and Caribbean Centre (LACC) at LSE about her current res...
522: The Last South American Guerrilla
11 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The aim of "Colombia at a Crossroads" is designed not only to focus on Colombia's politics and history, but also to celebrate her culture and society ...
521: "Five Days in Bogotá," the new book by author Linda Moore
04 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week on the Colombia Calling podcast we enjoy a frank and flowing conversation with author Linda Moore about her latest novel, "Five Days in Bogo...
520: Leishmaniasis in the context of the Colombian Armed conflict
28 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On Episode 520 of the Colombia Calling podcast, we revisit episode 396 and once again get to discuss the disease of leishmaniasis in the context of th...
519: Explaining Venezuela's 2024 presidential elections
21 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Venezuelans go to the polls to vote for a president on 28 July 2024, in what will not be free and fair elections, this much is certain. Here on the C...
518: "Uribismo Killed Humour"
14 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode we speak to Mario Pinzón in the studio and discuss his views on Colombia and Colombian politics from the perspective of a citi...
517: Kicked off the Podcast!
07 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week your host, Richard McColl moves over to the role of interviewee as friend and fellow immigrant to Colombia, Eric Tabone switches up responsi...
516: It's ColUmbia not ColOmbia! A look at press coverage of protests in the US and Colombia
30 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It has become clear that the kind of coverage we can now expect from the mainstream media regarding protests is one which serves to highlight protesto...
515: Justice for Colombia's Children
23 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Medellin and Colombia are hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons, due to sexual exploitation of children by foreign visitors. In April, a US...
514: Two Hoteliers in Colombia Share their Experiences...and it's not Pretty
16 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's Colombia Calling podcast, we sit down and chat with Gary Murray, a former hotelier in Colombia and compare notes on the business. Murr...
513: In Colombia, things are seldom just black or white and one can never take anything for granted, except for the unexpected
09 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
"Get the most from your time in Colombia by adjusting your expectations with regard to what you probably take for granted: Punctuality [never], Predic...
512: There is no such thing as Spanish
02 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Journalist Emily Hart sat with Frank Wynne, tracing his incredible career from the start of his linguistic journey (a breakup and a bookshop in Paris)...
511: Adventures on the Pacific Coast with Linsey Rankin
26 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine starting your first business venture from a huge wooden treehouse, nestled on a wild island off the coast of the Colombian Pacific. Linsey Ra...
510: Cryptolombia? Digital currencies in Colombia and Latin America
19 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Emily Hart is setting out into the Wild West of cryptocurrencies here in Colombia and beyond. Is cryptocurrency the future of finance in L...
509: Colombia: A Wound that Never Heals
12 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's Colombia Calling podcast we speak to Sara Tufano, the author of "Colombia: unaherida que no cierra," (Planeta, 2023) and a former memb...
508: My Neighbourhood, My Dream – boxing and women's empowerment in the barrios of Medellín
05 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Emily Hart speaks to Andrea González Duarte about Mi Barrio, Mi Sueño - the women's empowerment project she founded in La Honda, a neighb...
507: Explaining Nearshoring in Medellin, Colombia
27 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's Colombia Calling podcast, Ohio native and now resident of Medellin, Zach Meese, joins us to discuss Nearshoring in his adopted homeland...
506: The Amazon Blackwater Expedition
20 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Adventurer Daniel Eggington is back! After completing the crossing of the Darien jungle along the Pacific side from Colombia to Panama in 2022, Egging...
505: Photographing the Arahuacas of the Sierra Nevada
13 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's Colombia Calling podcast we hear about British photographer Natasha Johl's work in photographing the Arahuacas in Colombia's Sierra Nev...
504: Colombia's violence from two perspectives
06 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Paula Delgado-Kling takes us to her homeland, Colombia, where she finds answers to the country's drug wars by examining the life of Leonor, a former c...
503: "Colombian food isn't bland, it's subtle."
30 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week on the Colombia Calling podcast, we discuss Colombian food and observe it through the philosophically tilted lens of expert Juliana Duque. ...
502: Zombies, Magicians, Climate Saviours? Inside Colombia's Fungi
23 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we are exploring the underground and invisible networks of Colombia – along with some of its strangest and least-understood creatures: fu...
501: "The greatest show on earth? A good conversation"
16 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Emily Hart speaks to Cristina Fuentes La Roche, International Director of the Hay Festival, about arts curation and festival-making in the ...
500: Fernando Montaño: Colombia's Billy Elliot
09 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's Episode 500 of the Colombia Calling podcast! Celebrate with us as we chat to Colombia's most famous dancer, Fernando Montaño. Fernando Montañ...
499: A Review of Colombia's Politics in 2023
19 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On the final episode of 2023, the Colombia Calling podcast welcomes back Colombia Risk Analysis' director Sergio Guzmán and Daniel Poveda to discuss ...
498: Birdwatching for Peace
12 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kidnapped by the FARC guerrillas whilst birding, Diego Calderon may just be Colombia's most famous birder. This week on the Colombia Calling podcast,...
497: Unseen Universe – Exploring Colombia's Sonic Worlds via the Humboldt Institute's Natural Sound Collection
05 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Emily Hart takes you on a sonic tour of Colombia, with the Humboldt Institute's Natural Sound Collection: not only are we going to be heari...