22 * Adriana Arboleda, famosa modelo y diseñadora colombiana, le ...

Despite the fact that most individuals
that immigrate into Miami are from all
different parts of the Caribbean, the
woman had to be Colombian. Her accent;
however, was unmistakably Cuban.
Producers are probably unaware
of a difference between Colombians
and Cubans and ignorant towards Colombian’s
spontaneity, joy and special
attributes.
It doesn’t stop there: Nip Tuck showed
a bold, tattoo-covered man as one of
the biggest drug dealers in Colombia,
and every woman that went into Drs.
Mc Namara’s and Troy’s clinic to get
a breast surgery (asking for cocainefilled
implants to transport to another
place) had to be Colombian, just like
the man that led them into it.
As if it weren’t enough, 24 and Everybody
Hates Chris were also ready
to expose a problem with Colombia’s
drug addiction. While in 24 it was a
problem with the President of the United
States, in Everybody Hates Chris,
Chris’ mother was trying to separate
him from bad influences and she had
to mention Colombia as a drug-filled
country in the process.
Paola Turbay, a recognized ex Miss Colombia
and talented actress, has been
trying to enter the television industry in
the United States for a while now. Her
career seems to be at its height. She
was casting for a teacher in the show
Californication, but was asked to play
an acting part as a maid. She accepted
the part as she said that it broke
stereotypes, but was it breaking them
enough? Why was she asked for the
maid part? Isn’t that the role played by
any Latin American that’s searching for
fame in USA? Just take a minute
and watch Weeds, Will and
Grace or The New Adventures
of Old Christine.
In the media, there’s no recognition
of the joy that imbues Colombia,
and not a remark on how
delicious the coffee is. There’s
not a TV show that gets into the
beauty of Colombian girls or the
tenacious mindsets of Colombian
men. Under the hammer of
the media, our world
seems to be breaking
apart. People
seem to be unable to
understand different
cultures apart from
the understanding
that is thrown at
them across their
television and movie
screens and they
do not understand
how cultural differences
create a diversity
that should be embraced
instead of resented.
If only people were brave enough
to discover by themselves what
Colombia really is, if they could
experience the agreeable climate,
the open minded people
and the mind-blowing surroundings.
There’s no way of looking
at a real image when a mirror is
broken; working to pick up the
pieces and put them
together is a difficult
task, but is far better
than allowing for
the true reflection of
Colombia to bet destroyed
and never
replaced.
The world is now a
broken mirror. It is
our choice whether
we fight to keep the
pieces together, or
let it completely fall apart. t*
25 *