GRAFFITOUR COMUNA 13

Comuna 13 is one of the most significant examples of the social transformation process that Medellín has undergone in recent years. Safety has improved dramatically, and the San Javier district, one of the 22 barrios of Comuna 13, is even the subject of Medellín's most popular city tour ! Small shops and artists' studios have sprung up, and hundreds of families now make their living directly and indirectly from tourism. You can go it alone, but the tour is more interesting with a local guide. The Graffiti Tour (or Graffitour) in Comuna 13 was created by Casa Kolacho, a cultural center bringing together local artists who have united to spread a message of peace through hip-hop culture.

The story begins in the early 2000s. At the time, Comuna 13 was controlled by ELN and FARC militias. To "pacify" the neighborhoods, newly-elected President Álvaro Uribe launched Operation Orión on October 16, 2002: 3,000 police, military and paramilitary members of the AUC (United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia) stormed Comuna 13, leaving hundreds dead and missing, mainly among the civilian population. The district is sealed off for several days for a "clean-up" operation (bodies are dumped in rubbish dumps). Comuna 13 falls into the hands of the AUC, who ally themselves with the Medellín Cartel. Civil society organized to change the situation, and effective social urban planning policies improved the situation of the inhabitants by opening up the neighborhoods (escalators, cable cars, etc.). In 2009, Héctor Pacheco, alias "Kolacho", one of the collective's leaders, was assassinated. Casa Kolacho was created in his honor.

Fifteen years on, Comuna 13 is no longer the lawless zone it once was. The cultural center, which refuses public subsidies to maintain its independence, finances its activities on behalf of local young people partly through Graffitours. During the walking tour, you'll admire some superb graffiti, but above all you'll learn about the importance of the hip-hop movement in the process of social transformation. The tour is currently only available in Spanish and English, but some local agencies offer accompaniment by a French-speaking interpreter. Indeed, it would be a shame not to understand the explanations given by these young artists, who are so keen to pass on their story and that of their neighborhood.