Environmental Havoc Is Making Colombia’s Mosquitoes Deadlier
Colombia hosts many of the world’s most dangerous species of mosquitoes. Climate change is making them more prevalent.
13 Articles by: Kurt Hollander
Kurt Hollander is a writer and fine art/documentary photographer. Originally from New York City, he has been living in Cali, Colombia, for the past ten years, where he has just finished writing a book called Cali Caliente: A History of Violence.
The Global Reach of Colombia’s Private Security Firms
In response to violent drug gangs, Colombians have taken to employing private security who are trained to kill and outnumber the police and the army. But their close ties to the far right and the cartels means they often only make Colombians more unsafe.
Colombia’s Receding Coastline
In Colombia, coastal erosion caused by a combination of climate change and environmentally destructive industrial agriculture is displacing the country’s poorest citizens. But the scale of the disaster means that it has no easy solutions.
The Colombian Killing Fields
Colombia recently discovered mass graves in a 150-year-old cemetery in the city of Cúcuta. The bodies, many of which were smuggled in during this century, reveal connections between right-wing militias, business, and the state.
Colombia’s Hosting of COP16 Will Be a Heavily Militarized Affair
Next month, Cali, Colombia, will host the annual environmental conference COP16. The city’s right-wing mayor has called upon thousands of army and police officers in preparation, both of whom have a long history of suppressing environmental activists.
Colombia Is Uncovering Right-Wing Militias’ Mass Graves
Recently, Colombia discovered mass graves in a cemetery over 150 years old in the city of Cúcuta. The bodies, many of which were smuggled into the graveyard this century, reveal unpleasant connections between right-wing militias, business, and the state.
Petro Is Trying to Rein in Colombia’s Infamous Riot Police
Colombia’s riot police, the ESMAD, have a sordid record of abuse and extrajudicial executions of protesters. President Gustavo Petro is trying to reform the force — but he faces an uphill battle.
Real Estate Developers Killed NYC’s Vibrant ’70s Music Scene
In the 1970s and early ’80s, NYC’s racially and ethnically diverse working-class neighborhoods nurtured groundbreaking rap, salsa, and punk music. Real estate speculation did away with the social conditions that made those scenes possible.
This Massive Oil Refinery Illustrates the Challenges of Colombia’s Clean Energy Transition
President Gustavo Petro has pledged to transform Colombia’s energy industry in a greener direction. But the country’s heavy economic dependence on hydrocarbons, illustrated by the legacy of its massive refinery in Barrancabermeja, poses steep challenges.
Colombia’s Sinú River Tells the Story of Profit-Driven Violence and Environmental Destruction
The Sinú River in Colombia has provided food, water, and transportation to local people for thousands of years. In recent decades, wealthy landowners used violent force to push through construction of a dam that has caused disastrous flooding in the region.
In Gustavo Petro’s Colombia, a New Plan Is Promoting Green Energy and Indigenous Rights
For too long, multinational energy companies have extracted resources from Colombia’s Guajira Desert region without sharing any of the benefits with indigenous residents. A new green initiative spearheaded by President Gustavo Petro aims to change that.
Colombia’s Ugly Architecture of Inequality
Cali, Colombia, is among the most unequal cities in the world. The story of its inequality is written in its architecture, replete with sprawling favelas, fortified luxury homes, and intimidating bunkers that belong to cartel bosses and police alike.
Martial Arts in the Age of Trump
From the UFC to Hollywood, MMA and other ultra-brutal martial arts have gone mainstream — hand in hand with the rise of the far right.