Colombia, a land of stories and landscapes that deserve to be told with all possible colors.
By Andrea Ochoa Restrepo
That is the essence of Destinos con Color, a social, tourism and artistic strategy that seeks to transform communities through art, citizen participation and the strengthening of their territorial identity.
In its current phase, the project has reached four emblematic territories of the country, where it is not only beautifying the environment with murals and vibrant colors, but also sowing capacities, strengthening the social fabric and enhancing the tourist vocation of each place.
Nueva Venecia, Magdalena: the colour of resilience
One of these territories is Nueva Venecia, a stilt town in the heart of the Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta, known for its unique geography and resilient history. There, the project has been much more than an aesthetic intervention: it has become a collective experience that revives local pride and projects the community towards sustainable tourism.
Thanks to the articulation between the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, FONTUR Colombia and Fundación Pintuco, participatory painting days, cultural workshops, appropriation of public space and embellishment of facades have been generated, all using the portfolio of color solutions.
Beyond Color: A Tool for Transformation
Color, in this case, is not just paint: it is a tool of transformation. The artistic interventions have been accompanied by processes of training and community dialogue, fostering local identity, a sense of belonging and new opportunities for economic and social development.
The inhabitants have been active protagonists, leaving their mark on every brushstroke, sharing knowledge and dreaming together of a future where their territory is a destination for locals and visitors.
Tierra Blanca is filled with color, inclusion, and hope
In the upper area of the hillside, west of Cali, the inhabitants of Tierra Blanca and neighboring sectors have united around a common cause: to transform their territory through art, color and community participation. All this as part of the Destinations with Color project, which has been advancing strongly in Comuna 20 for four months.
This social and tourism strategy, promoted by FONTUR – an entity of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism – has the support of the Mayor's Office of Cali and the Pintuco Foundation. It is developed through the Undersecretariat of Territories of Inclusion and Opportunities (TIO), of the Secretariat of Territorial Development and Citizen Participation.
The project also integrates district agencies such as the Ministry of Tourism and the private sector, in a collective effort to improve the quality of life and promote the social and economic development of the community.
As explained by Martha Cecilia Cala Hernández, undersecretary of TIO, "it is a commitment to social and economic transformation with art and color for the beautification of the territory. We want these spaces to be places of pride and well-being for everyone and to promote community tourism".
Among the leaders and participants, John Fredy Ayala stands out, who from Siloé has been the protagonist of this change. He invited his community and all the people of Cali "to fill with color what is gray," and with emotion he recalled: "We were young or people of high social risk, now we can see changes that go in the heart and with a lot of love."
More than color: transformation with purpose
The focus of the project transcends the aesthetic. This was stated by Claudia Ángel, coordinator of Alliances and Projects of the Pintuco Foundation: "The total participation and inclusion of the community is promoted. The purpose of the project is to aim at the appropriation of the communities over their territory and their processes; the aesthetic is a means or mechanism, but it is not the main purpose."
The initiative includes components of leadership training, community tourism and technical development, including an architectural proposal co-created with the neighbors. The goals include the intervention of more than 2,600 facades, 1,050 meters of muralism, floor painting, tactical urbanism and the installation of furniture for meetings and gatherings along the route.
The objective is clear: to leave installed capacities that promote self-management and the continuity of initiatives that strengthen the economic and social development of the area.
Volunteering day with high impact
One of the most recent activities was the day of beautification of the tourist corridor of La Estrella, which runs through the sectors of Lleras Camargo, Siloé and Tierra Blanca. As María Alejandra Muñoz, social coordinator of the project, explained: "Today with a day of volunteering we beautified from the park to the MIO station in Tierra Blanca, where 11 houses were painted, 120 ornamental plants were planted and the space was cleaned to strengthen this territory."
More than 60 volunteers participated in this day full of collaborative work, live music, planting, painting, a community pot and care spaces for all attendees, reinforcing the sense of belonging and the positive use of public space.
Bogota: Magical Territories That Are Transformed with Color
Photo: Pintuco
The Magical Territories agreement was launched, an initiative that revitalized public spaces through tactical urbanism and placemaking interventions. This action positively impacted 1,500 people, offered training to 258 inhabitants and included the renovation of a 480 m² field and the artistic intervention of 476 m² through muralism.
Within the framework of the Let's Paint a More Beautiful World program, the Foundation carried out the recovery of 20 sports fields in departments such as Antioquia, Atlántico, Cundinamarca, Bogotá, Caldas, Risaralda and Valle del Cauca. In total, 12,811 m² of public space were transformed, benefiting more than 57,000 people. This process had the participation of more than 1,000 volunteers and allowed 427 people to be trained in architectural finishing techniques.
Miguel Ayala, director of the Pintuco Foundation, highlighted: "The Foundation's vision, together with its methodologies, has promoted the economic growth of several regions through art and color, contributing to the improvement of the country's social and economic conditions."
A concrete example was the painted courts, according to the Foundation "Around 3,800 people from the Villa María neighborhood, in Suba, Bogotá, will now be able to enjoy a renovated, striking and art-filled sports stage, through a design by the artist Joselo, which captures elements that identify the inhabitants of the sector."
This great intervention had the dedication of 26 people from the community who we trained in painting and architectural finishes, in addition to Pintuco Fans who joined with their experience and 15 AkzoNobel volunteers who also joined to fill the stands and surroundings of the field with color.
"Our project to paint a more beautiful world continues to advance. Today we have already delivered 8 multi-sports plaques and we will continue with the remaining 12 throughout the country," they added.
Voices from the territory
Alexander Marmolejo, president of the JAC of Tierra Blanca, said: "We have had a lot of approach and received support and we have had a good bond. They have supported us in what we have needed, nothing like this has ever been seen in the territory".
For his part, Julián Andrés Santa, also a resident of the sector, highlighted: "I am very grateful to the Mayor's Office and the Pintuco Foundation for the project they are carrying out to paint the facades because they help culture and the development of tourism; we went from being a dangerous area to being a tourist area."
