Colombia - Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture

Culture Smart / Cultuur Bewust

by Kate Cathey

Colombia is a magical country, full of spectacular varied landscapes, rare ecosystems, succulent tropical fruits, salsa and cumbia music, and kind, fun-loving people. The modern culture is a synthesis of Spanish, indigenous, and African traditions, evident in the music, the food, and Barranquilla’s famous Carnaval. The country’s major cities are modern and cosmopolitan, with an international style and consumerism that makes them feel more like cities in the USA than Latin America. Yet, five minutes into the countryside, its distinct rural charms reveal a slower and more bucolic past.
 
In the collective imagination, Colombia is exotic, lawless, and dangerous—an illegal narcotics trade and the ongoing armed conflict have contributed to its bad-boy image. But things are changing, and there is so much more than that.
 
Entrenched social inequality has led to strife, manifest in the long-lived left- and rightwing rebel movements and a cycle of appalling violence that has saturated four decades with an undeclared civil war. And still, the Colombians are animated, lighthearted and fun—always ready to laugh and enjoy the moment. They have found strength in each other, in their families, and closest friends who are the cornerstones of their lives. 
 
Culture Smart! Colombia shows how the country’s rough geography and tumultuous history have shaped modern values and attitudes. It looks at the public realm and at life at home with the family. It introduces you to Colombia’s distinct and delicious cuisine, and reveals what people think about each other, their neighbors, and foreigners. There is advice on the safest ways to get around; on how business is done; and how Colombians communicate. Culture Smart! Colombia explains the intricacies of a culture that is both modern and steeped in tradition, international and regional, cosmopolitan and agrarian, very rich and very poor, and after more than four decades of undeclared civil war is happily emerging from tough times and getting ready for the future.

Genres: Nonfiction, Travel

168 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall, Colombia - Culture Smart was a disappointment. I bought the book to learn more about Colombian culture than I could find in the "regular" travel guides, say Footprint or Bradt. I expected some deep dives that are not provided. I would say 80% of the information given you can find in the other books, be it with regard to politics, history, culture, daily life, food etc. Worse, probably because the book's author lives in Bogota, the book rarely deals with anything beyond Bogota. Would you like to understand regional differences, learn about cultural specifics in Medellin, Cali, or Cartagena? Forget about anything but very high level information. For example, Medellin is the main university town in Colombia with several highly regarded institutions, but you wouldn't know from the book with its focus on Bogota. Moreover, the author makes value statements out of the blue (e.g., on p. 98 when bemoaning that parents often gift their daughters cosmetic surgery for their Quinzeaneras celebrations without explaining what the true pros and cons are in a society where cosmetic surgery is accepted, even sometimes viewed as necessary).

[Jonathan Hockey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of useful information in here. I have found it very informative so far

[Pam Lauman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book portraying Colombian culture and society.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most useful travel guides I've ever read - not only does it tell the reader why they should visit Colombia and what to expect but also gives so much background into why the country has developed the way it has, which I think is so important to know. The information given is very well-rounded and also includes things you usually only find out the hard way! Only issue I had was that I would have liked the pictures to have been in colour but other than that a brilliant guide and I'll certainly be reading more from the series.

You can read my full review here:
https://pagesplacesandplates.wordpres...

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this to be a great cultural guide! The book broke down the complex political history into something easily digestible, and painted a clear picture of what to expect when visiting rural and urban cities. Her food descriptions were particularly wonderful and made me hungry! We can’t wait to visit! I’m also grateful for the head’s up about night life/street noise as something to keep in mind when booking lodging and traveling with kids.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I agree will other reviewers that state the author occasionally tries to pass opinion as fact. Also there are some spelling & grammar errors that were somehow not caught.

Publishers who are unlikely to ever read this: PLEASE update this edition. A lot has happened since Petro's presidency.

[Richard Wahlstrom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Overview

Although the book is somewhat dated (2011), it is a valuable introduction to the country, people, and culture. Insightful and helpful.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

some solid basic information

[Nicola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for a trip to Medellin. Not a lot of depth...

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful overviews of various aspects of Colombian history and society. Seems to over generalize, but that is what travel guides do.

[Rich · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not a book for the experienced Colombia traveller or a person very familiar with the Colombian culture or mindset, but this definitely would be a good book to have handy if you're visiting on a quick trip or there for business--especially if you're going to be in Bogotá. While for me there wasn't a lot that I read that I didn't already know, but were some things that became more clear; the vagaries of Tiempo Colombiano for one of them.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and informative. The author sometimes asserted opinion as fact, so I'll have to keep that in mind and take some things with a grain of salt.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of info on local customs and practices

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative, but heavily focused on life in Bogota over all other Colombian cities and regions.