Colombian ambassador settles in
Published:Sunday | November 6, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Daviot Kelly, Staff Reporter
A more jovial diplomat you may never find than new Colombian Ambassador Luis Guillermo Martinez.
It was evident during his interview with the Outlook recently, with members of his staff acting as interpreters. His English isn't that halting, we assure you though. Like his predecessor Ventura Emilio Diaz-Mejia, Martinez hails from the western coast of Colombia, his hometown being Cartagena.
"It's an important port in Colombia. It's a tourist city," he explained. The walled city is also known for its fort (established from the days of Spanish rule) and is a UNESCO-declared World Heritage Site.
"In Cartagena, there is a Caribbean identity. The people speak differently and have different cultural activities, for example, the music is that of the Caribbean." Quite the history buff, Ambassador Martinez chronicled the city's place in the history of Spanish occupation. Cartagena was one of the five military bases built in Latin America; Panama, Mexico, Cuba and Puerto Rico having the others. It's also one of the most up to date in the fields of engineering in Colombia. Martinez also pointed out that the historical relations with Jamaica began in Cartagena.
"Simon Bolivar went from Cartagena to Kingston in 1815 and wrote the Jamaica Letter. In fact, 2015 will mark 200th anniversary of the letter. It's a very important document in the history of Colombia's independence," he explained. He also cited that a famous Colombian author, Jorge Isaacs, had a Jamaican father. Reggae is also a huge draw for music lovers.
"My city loves the Jamaican music. I remember in 1983 Freddie McGregor visited Cartagena and the people remember Freddie all the time. When he said, 'Hello Cartagena', the whole stadium went crazy," he recalled.
Before he was appointed ambassador, he was a politician, serving as a councillor and then a congressman. He even deputised for the mayor on occasion. He has been involved in the fields of culture, politics and tourism, the latter taking him to the Caribbean occasionally. He was appointed ambassador to Guyana, Suriname and Caricom in 1997. After that assignment, he served as president of the tourist board and among the highlights was coordinating the general assembly of the World Tourism Organisation. Despite his travels to this region though, he had never been to Jamaica before being posted in October.
"It has been wonderful to be here now," he said. "It's been very exciting. Since I've been here, I've been trying to learn things quickly, especially the types of things I love like tourism." He marvelled at the Falmouth pier which he visited on the day the Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas docked.
"Jamaica also has excellent areas for ecotourism, and is one diverse island. Mountains, plains, beaches; the diversity is very important. You have excellent forestry. I see them when I travel in the rural areas because I love the forest," he said.
Aside from tourism and agriculture (another passion of his), Martinez is looking to further enhance the educational ties, especially with the University of the West Indies. He explained there was a new proposal to linking universities to further enhance the teaching of both languages. He reiterated that the economic ties also remain a priority. On a cultural note, Jamaicans aren't the only ones looking forward to the country's 50th year of Independence. Martinez has promised that Colombia will be playing its part to help mark the occasion. Saxophonist Michi Sarmiento will be performing here soon. Various conferences plus the visit of Colombia's main navy ship are all part of the plans. He believes there is reason to keep commercial links open with both nations, primarily because they share the Caribbean Sea. Talks also continue about possibly easing some of the visa requirements on Colombian visitors.
"This will facilitate commerce between our countries and will facilitate other relationships between us," he opined. When he has some spare time, he said, he wants to see the southern parts of the island, like Negril that he has not visited. But, ever the historian, he also wants to do some digging. He has already spoken with Deputy Prime Dr Ken Baugh about possibly viewing the Spanish Town archives. His mission: to find what relations there are between people who fled Colombia circa 1816 to avoid the Spanish. Some of the surnames seem to match Jamaican names! He also lauded his team at the embassy for their hard work and fun attitude.
"This is an excellent team of young people, including me!" he laughed. "The team is very happy in Jamaica. We have an excellent programme and next year, it will be even better!"