Columbia is a country that lies on the coast of South America right next to Panama City. The country had earlier been under the colonization of the Spanish people around the year 1499. The country had a long history under the Spanish colonizers before they achieved their independence in the year 1819. After colonization and acquiring its independence, the country experienced many internal conflicts whereby there was instability in the country. However, the conflicts experienced have had a reasonable decrease over the last one decade. Columbia was one of the first countries to acquire independence and have a constitution in the South American continent. A number of significant changes are evident in the newly formed country of Colombia following its independence. The abolishment of slavery in Colombia was of the biggest achievements the country has ever had its history and in the South American continent. This is what motivated other neighboring countries to seek independence under a democratic constitution.
The political history of the Colombian country is quite long with traces that go back to a very long period. The presidency of the country has seen to the crackdown witnessed on outlawed groups that are anti-government (Boyce 93). This has led to the fueling of the conflicts that are in existence between the government and rebel groups that are not in support of the country and other government practices. The conflicts have, however, been on the decline following the pressure that the government has put on ensuring that groups such as these are demobilized in order to guarantee peace within the country. These rebels groups are the same groups that have been associated with the supply of illegal drug substances such as cocaine which are said to be manufactured and sold within and outside of Colombia. The crackdown that the government has imposed has also contributed to a significant decrease in drug trafficking in Colombia (Woods 74). This has led to the removal of Colombia by foreign departments on war against drug trafficking on the list whereby Colombia was among the world’s biggest producer of cocaine and other drugs. These practices by the Colombian nationalities and members of other rebel groups are what have led to the protests in the country where citizens are protesting for the government to ensure that they eradicate these groups entirely. The Colombian political scene is shaped by the party’s willingness and agenda on their fight against these groups and drug producers and traffickers. Changes were inevitable since there is a need to ensure that the county’s image is shaped on its willingness to entirely eradicate these negative practices that are carried out within the country. There have also been talks that have been held with the few remaining rebel groups in the country by the government to give an opportunity where there will be dialogues regarding the rebel groups need to put off their fight and cut down on the violence. The government has had a major success in trying to resolve these issues (Woods 79). This is evident through the political stability and the few rebellions that are being witnessed in the country. Most countries have associated Colombia with drug trafficking and other related matters that have been a drag for the country. Due to this, there have been restrictions and tightened security at boarders and airports where Colombians have been unfairly treated since they are termed to be drug peddlers and traffickers. This has caused humiliation to the country where respectable people in the society have been mishandled in different countries due to the reputation that Colombia has acquired.
The country of Colombia is democratic and under is governed under three separations of power that are required in a democratic country where the president commands the government and he is the commander-in-chief of the military forces of the Colombia. There also exists a good economy in the country which has been on the rise during the recent years following the changes that have been made in the country’s governing system (Garcés 102). The changes have been quite positive with a favorable environment for investors who have been keen in establishing viable business ventures in Colombia. The country has witnessed escalating employment rate following the demobilizing of the rebel groups which were contributing to the violence being witnessed in the country. It is well known that peace is a factor that is required to ensure that is economic growth in any country. There have been significant changes witnessed on the country’s economy; there have also been a slow inflation rate following the changes made on the economy (Garcés 148). Colombia has a lot of natural resources that are very resourceful to economy. The resources are quite diverse, and they range from oil, precious stones, agricultural products and other products that are surplus and suitable for export. The shipping of these has been positive to the country’s economy based on the revenue acquired (Boyce 184). It is evident that instability that existed had been a major hindrance to development in the country. The changes that have taken place following the demobilizing of the illegal groups have seen to a lot of changes in the country’s governance and economy where there has been development.
Despite there being a number of languages in Colombia, the country’s most affiliated and spoken language is Spanish. This is due to the influence that the Spanish had on the Colombian in habitants during the colonization period. However, with the development that is currently being witnessed, since Colombia is an international country and a tourist destination for many visitors, there have been changes in languages (Woods 76). The changes have been in terms of incorporating English as a second language despite the existence of Spanish as a national language. English is spoken in most of the country’s biggest cities as a way to promote development. However, the majority of people located outsides cities and in rural areas are only conversant with Spanish. This is due to the inability to learn and understand English as a language. There are other languages that are common among other indigenous inhabitants of Colombia but they are not widely known spoken compared to Spanish.
The majority of the people in Colombia associate and base their religious beliefs on Roman Catholic Church. The catholic beliefs were brought about by the Spanish people who were mainly composed of Catholics. There is total acknowledgment of the beliefs of the church such as sacraments and hence highly value these practices through abiding by the teachings. There exist different levels of devotion whereby it stated that people in the rural areas still uphold commitment to the Roman Catholic Church. There are also instances where the catholic beliefs are associated with their traditional beliefs especially African since there are diverse people in the Colombian country (Mejía 54). There exist religious patron saints that people go to pray with since they are believed to be servants of God whom people should seek guidance from since they are more accessible than God. The country’s government acknowledges the freedom to worship whereby it gives room to members of the Protestants church. Through this, there have been establishment of churches by Protestants who compose a reasonable number of the country’s population. The Muslim community is sparsely populated since there are very few Muslims in the country. With time, there has been the abolishment of traditional beliefs that were associated with the catholic belief in the country (Mejía 180). This is due to the knowledge that has been brought about by civilization where there is a need to acknowledge Christianity as an independent religion without the incorporation of any traditional beliefs and practices. This has had a significant impact in shaping the country’s religious system among members of the Catholic and protestant church.
The role of the family is where the family structure is recognized as the main social structure on which the community is based. The family is a setting in which individuals acquire the support they deserve, this is through children and the youths seeking counsel from older people in the family. The traditional system involved the family especially the extended family leaving under the same roof. However, there have been changes where extended families are rare to find under the same roof since most family members are located in different regions within the country. The father is regarded as the head where he makes all important decisions with the help of other family members and particularly the wife at times (Garcés 103). Children are expected to be at home at their early stages of development until they are off to get married. This is common among all the diverse cultures that are found in Colombia. This belief on the role of the father and the women in the family is common among different cultures and races around the world.
In the Colombian tradition, individuals acquire respect out of their position in the society and other factors such as age. With age, people are said to be wiser and are more suitable in providing advice. This makes it clear that older people are naturally more respected than other members of the society. Different ages are allocated with different responsibilities within the society. The different responsibilities are required to be carried out with respect and accuracy with regards of other members of the society and good morals.
The existence and roles of different sexes vary with location. However, traditionally it was expected that different sexes are allocated with different responsibilities within the community. The women were expected to be in control of most of the household activities and took care of the children. However, this role has changed with modernization; this is due to the changes that have been brought about by civilization. In the current society women in Colombia are in positions that had earlier been reserved for men since they had traditionally been expected to be dominant. The role of men in the traditional setting required that men be allocated with great responsibility in the society. This includes being the sole provider in the family and the head of the family where they were expected to instill discipline in the society and the family. The changes in the role of the different sexes and the limitations that had been set have been under great critics in the modern society and from human activities that have motivated women to fight for equal rights (Mejía 59).
There are also differences in social interactions. This, however, varies within the different social classes. It is believed that the rich people in the society are more respectful with proper etiquette compared to other members of the society. In this setting, the upper-class people in the Colombian society have more respect when it comes to handling different members of the community and have more respect to women. This is unlike other classes in the society where people still uphold their cultural beliefs that accord little respect to women and other individuals.
The county’s health care beliefs have drastically improved with modernization. The changes have however not been evenly implemented. The rural parts of the country have not acquired better health facilities compared to other regions within the country’s cities. This has led to the inability to access proper medical care. It is evident that there are a lot of changes that have taken place in the country’s culture with globalization. In summary, it is evident that despite the changes that the country has undergone in its culture, there is still some existences of parts of their culture that are still maintained.
Works Cited
Boyce, Davies C. Encyclopedia of the African Diaspora: Origins, Experiences, and Culture. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO, 2008. Print.
Garcés, Elena. Colombian Women: The Struggle Out of Silence. Lanham, MD [u.a.: Lexington Books, 2008. Print.
Mejía, Anne-Marie . Bilingual Education in South America. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters, 2004. Print.
Woods, Sarah. The Bradt Travel Guide. Chalfont St. Peter, Bucks, Eng: Bradt Travel Guides, 2012. Print.
