Colombia (1961)

[Music] the Sun is just rising over the city of Bogota Colombia where I live all over the city families are waking up eating breakfast and getting ready for the day ahead like my family we live and work and go to school here in the city of Bogota Papa mama my two brothers Billie and Herman and myself Elena Romero Baba is a teacher every morning he leaves the house and walked up the hill to his University it is the University of the Andes in the hills above Bogota Papa is a professor of geography and history there my brother Billy is also in school he is only in the fourth grade he's lucky only half of the children in Colombia ever have a chance to go to school my older brother Herman is 13 he is a real student in our family he enjoys mathematics it wants to study at the university someday as for me I go to a girls school here in Bogota my favorite subject is art but I like geography and history too after school mom and I often go shopping together at the big super mercado or supermarkets [Music] what a wonderful thing it is that we can buy so many different foods in the same store after school Billy likes to spend his afternoon on the football field our football is really soccer a very fast game played with a round ball then it is time to study in our schools here in Bogota there is much homework Billy has his English Herman his mathematics and I have my geography to do father has given me a map of Colombia to help me learn about our country well it is really a puzzle with places for all the important cities and rivers and the different sections of the country that we call departments but even though we have a lot of studying to do there is always time for a little play in the evening after dinner Herman Billy and I like to play mano polio every night just before it is time to go to bed we have a family discussion sometimes mama makes a special drink for us from rice and milk Mama and Papa drink their small cup of strong Colombian coffee tonight Papa is going to help me with my geography he has promised to tell us something about our country Colombia I have never been very far outside the city of Bogota and so I am eager to hear pop a story this is our country Colombia a rugged land of tall mountains deep valleys and tropical lowlands Colombia is the fourth largest country in South America bordered by Ecuador Peru Brazil Venezuela and Panama it is the only country in South America to have coastlines and both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea along the Caribbean Sea are tropical lowlands where the cities of Cartagena and Barranquilla lie paronychia Colombia's major port is under magdalena river the country's most important waterway on the banks of the Magdalena bananas are grown an important product of Colombia the bananas are picked and taken to Bahrain Quiles waterfront market a colorful place with a lively flow of products from all over Colombia bags of coffee from the interior mahogany brought down the Magdalena River by both bags and sacks made from Colombian fibers Warren Kalia has been called the gateway to Colombia or it is here that the country takes in the supplies she needs oil and chemicals building supplies and machinery cotton for Colombia's textile mills ships from all over the world sail of the Magdalena to the port of Barranquilla but the Magdalena is much more than a shipping route to the people who live along its banks the river has many uses parang kia is not only a major port but a bustling city as well at its center is the plaza bolivar with his old cathedral however around the oldest section of the city taller buildings are rising and there are wide streets filled with noisy traffic over half the country's foreign trade flows through Barranquilla making it truly the gateway to colombia not far from Barranquilla and the caribbean coast is cartagena one of the most fascinating cities in south america cartagena is a city of Colombia's past with a history of invasion pirates and gold with thick walls and battlements that protected the city from pirate attack the fortress of San Felipe stands guard over the city as it has for hundreds of years Cartagena was so strong and so well defended by the Spanish that 27,000 men could not capture the city Cartagena is like a pair of old shoes the saying goes warm and comfortable within the city's walls there is a feeling that things have not changed much since the 17th century when the Spanish were at the height of their power cartagena is a city of the tropics with many colorful flowers and birds [Music] [Music] many fruits of the tropics grow in Cartagena mangoes papayas coconuts some of the farms outside Cartagena raise lettuce cabbage and other vegetables there is not much modern equipment people have farmed this way for many many years but the tropical lowlands are only a small part of Colombia there are two other great sections of the country southeastern Colombia is flat and mostly dense jungle very few people live in this area on the edge of the wild Amazon basin running through the center of Colombia are three ranges of the Andes Mountains the Andes have played an important part in the story of Colombia breaking up the land into hills and deep valleys separating city from city making transportation and communication very difficult it is in the Andes that Colombia's major cities are located Bogota Kylie and Medellin centre of the country's coffee production the countryside around Medellin is rugged a land of small farms nestled in deep valleys a land where the wild orchid grows Colombia's national flower farmers of the Medellin countryside where wide-brimmed hats and carry unusual money pouches [Music] coffee trees dot the hillsides around Medellin inside the pride red berries are the coffee beans coffee beans that bring wealth to our country for Colombia is the world's second largest producer of coffee coffee exports account for 80% of the country's economy the coffee trees are grown on large plantations plantations that have stores and schools and churches and complete facilities for growing picking and drying coffee the best coffee beans are carefully selected and planted soon the first sprouts will appear and grow into new trees ready to produce coffee for Colombia and the rest of the world after the coffee beans have been picked and dried they are sent to factories in the city of Medellin here the beans will be sorted put into sacks and made ready for shipping to the rest of the world ancient Indian statues look down on the city of Medellin they have seen some amazing changes take place in recent years our Medellin is the fastest growing city in Colombia and the country's industrial capital there are factories that produce steel and factories that process tobacco Medellin is the center of Colombia's textile industry the machines of the textile factories are busy turning out cotton wool rayon nylon providing material and clothes for the people of Colombia the pride of Medellin is its new football stadium where the best teams in South America come to play the amazing growth of Medellin is just part of an awakening that is taking place all over colombia in western colombia is another rapidly growing city karlie karlie is the third largest city in Colombia a center of trade set in an area rich with natural resources there are great fields of sugar cane lumber is caught in the nearby hills and brought to the lumber mills of Colleen [Music] rock is quarried coal and other minerals are mined Cali in its fine natural setting is attracting new businesses and industries there are many signs of progress in this growing city from modern houses to large department stores that serve the people of Kali on a high plateau 9,000 feet above sea level lies the city where we live Bogota it is the capital of Colombia and one of the great centers of culture in South America [Music] the plaza bolivar at the heart of the city is surrounded by tall buildings it is named after our national hero general simon bolivar who freed us from Spanish rule in 1819 today we are a free nation and the president's palace on the plaza bolivar is the seat of Colombia's government bogota old cathedral center of the Roman Catholic religion in Colombia also stands on the plaza bolivar [Music] just as we go to church every Sunday so do most of the people in our country but who are the people of Colombia they are a blending of many different races and bloods European Indian Negro they work at a thousand different jobs from shoeshine boys to well-dressed businessmen secretaries under way to the office Indians in native costume selling roots and herbs for medicine sidewalk vendors with heavy war ponchos for sale protection from the cold of the high plateau many different ways of life can be seen on the streets of Bogota city of over 1 million people many students come to our city for Bogota has long been a center of the Arts and Sciences the University of Bogota is the largest of several universities in the city the National Museum is always crowded the Teatro colon Bogota oldest theater presents the best in ballet concerts and opera in Bogota there is always time for entertainment on a Sunday afternoon the bullring is filled with people people who have come to enjoy one of Colombia's all the sports day for five [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] on Sundays when the weather is good families take a cable-car of the Maserati one of the tour Peaks that rise above the city or there are all day picnics to the thundering taken Dhamma falls a few hours from Bogota and the high plateau the countryside around Bogota is fertile land where herds of cattle crates when we oat and barley are cultivated Bogota is the center of a growing nation and must have ways to communicate with the other cities and regions of Colombia the trains that go out to the rest of the country often have a difficult journey over the rugged land Colombia's need for better transportation gave rise to the first commercial airline in South America planes now fly from Bogota to all parts of Colombia tying city to city making it possible for our country to look towards its future father says that Colombia is made up of many different cities and regions Medellin for interior Bogota they are all important they are all helping my country to build toward its future purposes that we will be a part of that future - Herman and Billy and me Elena Romero mala says well mama says there it is time for us to go to bed and I guess he's right for tomorrow will be a busy day in the city of Bogota for us there are narrow family [Music]