Best Retireincolombia Podcasts (2025)

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576: The Myth Of The Narco 1:10:00

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32m ago1:10:00

1:10:00

In order to understand the issue of the cocaine trade in Colombia, we need to look at three factors: 1. Drugs Policy as a Geopolitical tool. 2. Markets: A Political Economic issue. 3. Narratives: the Myth of the Narco. On the Colombia Calling podcast this week we speak to Estefanía Ciro Rodríguez, expert on drug politics, the cocaine economy and th…

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575: The Rise of the Tren de Aragua: A Deep Dive 1:07:17

8d ago1:07:17

1:07:17

This conversation on the Colombia Calling podcast delves into the complexities of the Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan criminal organization that has evolved significantly over the years. Chris Dalby, an expert on organized crime, discusses the origins of the gang, its relationship with the Venezuelan government, and how it has adapted to the migration…

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574: Andrei Gómez Suárez discusses peace dialogues and writing as he reflects on the Colombian conflict 1:03:36

15d ago1:03:36

1:03:36

In this episode of the Colombia Calling podcast, host Richard McColl speaks with Andres Gomez Suarez about his new book 'We Are Not Made of Sugar', which reflects on his childhood experiences during the violence in Colombia, particularly the genocide of the Patriotic Union. They discuss the importance of memory work, reconciliation, and the ongoing…

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573: Richard McColl reads from his book: "The Mompos Project: A Story of Love, Hotels and Madness in Colombia." 51:23

22d ago51:23

51:23

When British foreign correspondent Richard McColl purchased, on a whim, a ruined colonial building in the rural Colombian town of Mompós, he imagined a lifestyle of relaxation, with idle afternoons reading the works of Gabriel García Márquez, writing glib observations and enjoying the hypnotic momentum of a Caribbean tropical narrative, swaying in …

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572: Álvaro Uribe: The Early Years and Rise to Power, 1952-1994 1:45:02

29d ago1:45:02

1:45:02

Few figures in Latin American politics polarize opinion like Colombia’s former president, Álvaro Uribe. Right now, Uribe, Colombia’s president from 2002 to 2010, faces charges of bribery, procedural fraud, and bribery in a judicial proceeding. Prosecutors must determine whether he instigated others to manipulate witness testimony in an attempt to m…

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571: Forty Days Lost in the Colombian Amazon 1:10:39

1M ago1:10:39

1:10:39

Remember the story that made the headlines for several weeks about the four Huitoto children, lost for forty days in the Colombian Amazon after the aircraft they were travelling in crashed? Well, our friend Mat Youkee has written the definitive book on this event, a triumph of the human spirit and survival, but he also delves into the history of th…

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570: The True Story of how DEA Agents brought down the Cali Cartel 1:04:01

1M ago1:04:01

1:04:01

Former DEA agent Chris Feistl and literary collaborator Jessica Balboni discuss the new book: "After Escobar: Taking Down the Notorious Cali Godfathers and the Biggest Drug Cartel in History," on the Colombia Calling podcast with Richard McColl and Emily Hart. Arriving in Colombia in 1994, a year after Pablo Escobar had been killed, Chris Feistl wa…

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569: La Escombrera: Colombia's Largest Urban Mass Grave 36:48

2M ago36:48

36:48

La Escombrera, a vast rubble pile overlooking Medellín, is considered to be Colombia’s largest urban mass grave. Its excavation this year has unearthed the remains of people whose families have been searching for them for decades. Earlier this month, it was announced that the excavation there is being expanded. Some hope that what is found in that …

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568: Coaching collaboration and solidarity in Colombia 1:01:43

2M ago1:01:43

1:01:43

Heather Luna, a native of Michigan with strong ties to Colombia, spent a significant time in the UK before moving to Tabio. Since then, she has been working remotely offering consultations, consulting and workshops and showing people the value of collaboration and solidarity. Her work has embraced questions of identity - including her own -, enviro…

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567: Early Onset Alzheimer's Investigated and Revealed in Colombia 1:25:40

2M ago1:25:40

1:25:40

It's an absolute honour to welcome author Jennie Erin Smith on the Colombia Calling podcast this week to discuss her latest book in which she investigates and chronicles her six-year investigation into the phenomenon of early onset Alzheimer's in rural Colombia. Jennie speaks to Emily Hart and Richard McColl. In the 1980s, a Colombian neurologist n…

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566: Peacebuilding Cannot Happen Without Security: Why the Killings of Social Leaders in Colombia Continues 1:17:49

2M ago1:17:49

1:17:49

What explains selective violence against social and community leaders in the aftermath of war? Why does the killing of community and social leaders continue unabated in Colombia? This week on the Colombia Calling podcast, we look at a new academic article entitled: "Delegative peacebuilding: Explaining post-conflict selective violence," written by …

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565: A Siberian in Colombia: Hearing from the Tabiuna Rusa 1:01:56

3M ago1:01:56

1:01:56

Victoria was never meant to come to Colombia, in fact, had things gone according to plan she would be in China right now. But, fate had a different path in mind for this native of a small town near to the city of Perm in Siberia, Russia. And so, on this week's Colombia Calling podcast, we hear from a Tatar far from her birthplace near to the Ural M…

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564: The Latin American Boom in Literature and "that punch" 1:02:36

3M ago1:02:36

1:02:36

There's so much to say about the Latin American Boom in literature, but how can we possibly discuss it at this point in time without mentioning Mario Vargas Llosa and his recent passing. And so, as a Colombia-focused podcast, we take a look at this era and these personalities in the literary world, such as Colombia's inimitable Gabriel Garcia Marqu…

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563: Tropical Diseases and Disease Ecology in Colombia 1:02:31

3M ago1:02:31

1:02:31

This week we speak to Camila Gonzalez Rosas, Director and Associate Professor of Biological Sciences at Los Andes University in Bogotá and Researcher at the the Centre for Investigations into Microbiology and tropical parasitology and we discuss tropical diseases in Colombia. Nothing is off the table from chagas, malaria, dengue, leishmaniasis, zik…

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562: "Exploring the Toxic Record of Colombia's Oil Giant." The BBC speaks to the Colombia Calling podcast. 1:14:07

4M ago1:14:07

1:14:07

Colombian energy giant Ecopetrol has polluted hundreds of sites with oil, including water sources and biodiverse wetlands, the BBC World Service has found. However, as detailed in a new documentary produced and directed by Owen Pinnell of the BBC: "Exposing the toxic record of Colombia's oil giant | BBC World Service Documentaries,:" there are far …

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561: “Silent, but so much to tell.” The mystery of Colombia’s Mummies 1:05:33

4M ago1:05:33

1:05:33

In today’s episode, Emily Hart speaks to archaeologist Daniella Betancourt: the woman decoding the enigma of Colombia’s mummies. Mummification is a practice which has been carried out all over the world, from Chile to China – from the ancient Egyptian pharaohs to Vladimir Lenin and Evita Perón, and - though chronically understudied - right here in …

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560: Championing English-language books about Colombia 50:50

4M ago50:50

50:50

Barry Max Wills, author of: "Better than Cocaine: Learning to Grow Coffee, and Live in Colombia," and Richard McColl of: "The Mompos Project: A Tale of Love, Hotels and Madness in Colombia," join editor Dan Cross on this week's Colombia Calling podcast. In a conversation that takes in the topics of culture and identity, immigrants to Colombia, writ…

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559: Blood Gold in Colombia 1:13:52

4M ago1:13:52

1:13:52

On this week's Colombia Calling podcast, we speak to James Bargent, an investigative journalist for Insight Crime about his work putting together the new podcast: "the Shadow of El Dorado." Along with his colleague Mat Charles, the resulting podcast is a multi-year project which takes the listener into the world of organized crime and how the Gaita…

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558: Back to the (microscopic) Future: Using Palaeontology, Pollen, and AI to predict and protect our futures 57:28

4M ago57:28

57:28

Today, we go back many millennia in order to protect ourselves for the coming centuries: Emily Hart speaks to two Colombian scientists, Carlos Jaramillo and Camila Martínez, time-travellers of the smallest imaginable time machines: fossilised pollen and tree cells. Climate change has been a constant feature of Planet Earth: at points in history, th…

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557: The Petro Presidency Meltdown? 1:10:58

5M ago1:10:58

1:10:58

President Petro's Disastrous Televised Cabinet Meeting or The Petro Presidency Meltdown. Pause for breath if you can, but we've been experiencing a barrage of negative headlines surrounding Colombia's President Petro. This began with, at first, the online fracas with President Trump over the treatment of Colombian illegal migrants being returned to…

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556: The Colombia that is Silenced 1:10:51

5M ago1:10:51

1:10:51

This week on the Colombia Calling podcast, we speak to Lorena Estupiñán-Pedraza, a professor of international relations and political science from Boyaca, but resident in the southern city of Cali. In a far-ranging conversation, we discuss Lorena's PhD studies public policy implementation in Boyaca, local problems with global impacts and all about …

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555: "The World is Sick," a New Documentary on the Ancient Healing Medicine of Ayahuasca 1:05:12

5M ago1:05:12

1:05:12

A new documentary, in the making, seeks to document the sacred nature of an ancient medicine. We're all familiar with vivid tales of projectile vomiting and the complete loss of bodily functions during an ayuahuasca ceremony but who, amongst us, has really explored the benefits of a ritual? This documentary seeks to educate us, through a carefully …

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554: Lies, Damned Lies and Disinformation in Colombia 1:10:49

5M ago1:10:49

1:10:49

Jonathan Swift, "Falsehood flies, and truth comes limping after it.” … never truer than in 2025 This week on the Colombia Calling podcast Emily Hart and Richard McColl tackle the issue of disinformation and fact-checking in Colombia and fortunately, we don't have to take on this task alone but are joined by two experts in the field. Laura Sarabia R…

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553: From the Indian Plains to the Andes Mountains 52:11

6M ago52:11

52:11

Sometimes, it's just fun to have an agreeable conversation, and this is why I enjoyed chatting to Vivek Jayaraman. Vivek was born in Tamil, India and in the way life takes its unusual routes has ended up living in northern Bogota and with a love of mountains - he's from the plains - and a firm desire to know and understand the regions of Cundinamar…

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552: The Myth of the Narco 1:17:14

6M ago1:17:14

1:17:14

In order to understand the issue of the cocaine trade in Colombia, we need to look at three factors: 1. Drugs Policy as a Geopolitical tool. 2. Markets: A Political Economic issue. 3. Narratives: the Myth of the Narco. On the Colombia Calling podcast this week we speak to Estefanía Ciro Rodríguez, expert on drug politics, the cocaine economy and th…