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COLOMBIA – MONEY AND MADNESS Sept 1998 DUR 15’44” Plane/Andes/cockpit Clark/reading
“world’s most dangerous places” Woman reading?
Newspaper Clark Police bash in door etc. Aircraft lands MAP Clark and Quil in
car Quil speaking
Spanish to the driver Beggars stop car pov’s car etc. Crucifix Jesus
driving POV from car CLARK QUIL CLARK QUIL Stock footage Pastrana victory Eyes Trigger Gunshot various
angles Extracting bullet Murphy reloads Sync John Murphy Caballero shows
range Girl with bullet
proof coat Clark Knock on window Jose looks up Door unlocked We enter JOSE PINERO WITH
GUN Square – café – guys selling Jose and Claudia walking Emerald clearing house Japanese buyer and Claudia Jeweller/weighing Quil and Clark in the car Quil on phone in Spanish Crucifix and driving Professor Alejandro
Reyes Violentologist REYES JOSE AND CLAUDIA SECOND OFFICE SEQUENCE CAR ARRIVES WITH CLAUDIA INTERIORS AT TV JOSE AND CLAUDIA DEPART FROM HOME IN CAR TRAVELLING NIGHT TRAVEL DRIVER – JESUS and crucifix Mountain mist Arrive at emerald market Miners Buying and selling at emerald market Entry to mine administration man with walkie talkie Mine manager in office Chopper arrives CLARK QUIL Arrival of the “investor” Interior car with armed guard GUAQUEROS SIFTING THROUGH DIRT Interview guaquero with black hat Camera fogged Jesus driving and music Mafia Patrons arrive, vehicles Professor Alejandro
Reyes Colombia University Barbeque and Guaqueros shacks behind Guaqueros sifting through dirt |
30,000 feet above
Peru heading north along the Andes. Destination Bogota. Colombia gets a bad
press and with good reason. The country boasts
some awesome statistics. It has the highest murder rate in the world – Latin
America’s longest running civil war – A kidnapping industry that turns over
nearly 400 million US dollars a year. The leading
cause of death for individuals over the age of ten is violence. On my first visit
to Colombia a decade ago I was made immediately aware of the uniquely
Colombian experience of life… and death. The head of this
narcotic squad told us – “when you go through the door if you hear automatic
weapons open fire – stay back”. Helpful if
unnecessary advice – especially unnecessary we realised when we got inside. For this was no
raid on the profiteers and victors of the so-called cocaine war but yet another assault on the losers and victims caught
in the crossfire of Colombia’s battle for wealth and power. Now, ten years
later, as I approached Bogota I wondered what, if anything, had changed. MAP Quil speaks in Spanish to driver MUSIC I’d worked with Quil
Lawrence before – an American journalist living in Bogota and writing for the
highly respected Christian Science Monitor. You had some problems during the elections There was a lot of violence coming up to the elections, more than there was during the actual voting. It wasn’t like in 1990 for instance when there was somebody who was actually gunning down candidates; they lost three presidential candidates in the lead up to 1990, but there were massacres and a lot of political assassinations. And Andres Pastrana, I’ve heard that one of the main things he’s got going for him is that he’s never been accused on corruption. That’s pretty rare in this country, isn’t it? I hate to burst your bubble but he has been accused of corruption, just not narcotics corruption. Compared with
the past Andres Pastrana is squeaky clean. His predecessor Ernesto Samper was
accused of accepting 6 million dollars from the drug cartels. Pastrana has
promised change – but any change must be brought about in a climate of
overwhelming corruption and violence. One two three
gunshot NEW V/O This is not a
reconstruction – the bullets are real. Some have benefited
indirectly from the violence. John Murphy runs
a booming business selling bulletproof clothing. We have guerillias here and they use military munitions – for
example in the States, the biggest threat is civilian type ammunition but
here we have military which is harder to stop. Miguel Caballero
the designer tries to combine ballistic functionality with the best in
fashion – for both men and women. For many
businessmen in Bogota, the possibility of violence is just part of everyday
life. Jose Pinero is
an emerald dealer. He was shot
three times while being robbed. Now like most esmeraldistas
he carries a gun. Poke sync through Yes most of the time because where there’s
money there is madness. It’s the same all round the world. Outside the
Pinero office, in and around the cafes that line the Plaza de Rosario,
millions of dollars are changing hands – emerald deals are being done. Offers
made that can’t be refused. Today Jose and
Claudia have an offer that they can’t refuse. NEW V/O To be invited to
this emerald clearing house is a privilege. It means you’ve made the grade –
joined the club. Selected esmeraldistas wait their
turn to meet an international clientele. This Japanese
buyer has come to town with a rumoured 3 million dollars to spend. Jose and
Claudia hope to get their piece of it. Colombia
provides 80% of the worlds best emeralds. But what we’re watching is the
legal trade. An estimated two thirds of Colombia’s emeralds are smuggled out
illegally (along with cocaine). Quil on the phone in
Spanish – he can see you now… Quil was taking me
to see Professor Alejandro Reyes whose field of study touches most aspects of
Colombian life – for Professor Reyes is a violentologist. It’s an exceptional
situation in Colombia but the emerald zone has its own law, its own justice
system, the police system – all of that is under the control of the patrones of the emerald, and it is a very absurd
situation. To understand the emerald
industry in Colombia, you must first come to terms with this man, Victor
Carranza, known as the emerald czar. NEW V/O The winner of the
emerald war in which some 5,000 died, Victor Carranza now rules the emerald
zone with his own private army. They behave mostly
as mafias, or groups of loyal people to bosses, with lots of armed men and
the control of the population – they are a state within a state. But Don Victor
Carranza has two major problems – firstly he’s now in jail – accused of
multiple homicide – and secondly, he is reportedly dying of cancer. He still runs his
emerald empire from jail but its future is now uncertain. Today, Jose and
Claudia have business up country in the mining district of Cuzco – the heart
of Victor Carranza’s empire. It could be a
middle class scene anywhere in the world, mum and dad say goodbye to the kids
and head off for a business trip. But this is no
ordinary business. MUSIC It is an eight-hour
journey through the mountains north of Bogota. The possibility of guerrilla
attack is very real. The region is disputed – held firmly by neither the
government nor the guerrillas. Jose speaks to Jesus Jose has made this
journey to the emerald markets in Cuzco repeatedly over the past fifteen
years. He prefers to travel
at night. He tells us that it
is not safe to have lights. Our filming is
therefore by infrared. NEW V/O We were nervous
about this mad high-speed escapade through rain swept mud sliding roads, but
I had great faith in Jesus – our driver. EXTEND SHOT OF
JESUS This is a black
market – it’s where Jose Pinero buys his stock. All the stones being sold
here are theoretically illegal. The emeralds have
been stolen. They are stolen by
the miners who work for Victor Carranza’s company, Emeralco. But the miners are
not paid, they are expected to steal, and they are watched to make sure that
they don’t steal too much. In this almost
feudal system such favours are given by the powerful and loyalty is shown in
return. Even Jose speaks respectfully on Don Victor Carranza. JOSE INTERVIEW At this moment he’s known as the
Emerald Csar of the world. He’s the man – the
biggest shareholder – he’sa very important
man. We sought
permission at administration to film in the mine – while we were there, there
was an arrival. Who is arriving? Mr Pablo Elias Delgardillo, an investor. A powerful and
colourful businessman. He had arrived to attend a board meeting the following
day. Como se llame – maurizio With permission to
film granted, we were escorted to the mine. These are the
impoverished guaqeros – they don’t even have the
status of the unpaid miners – but they are allowed to search through the
rubbish thrown out from the mine. It’s a custom that has endured for
centuries – for this mountain has been mined for emeralds since before the
Spanish arrived. Some can spend
their entire lives at subsistence level in the hope of striking it rich. Interivew guaquero black
hat So how long have you
been here? -15 years in the
mines of Muzo and Coscuez How’s your luck
been? -Very bad. So how long since
you found something? -Never. In 15 years? -I’ve never been
lucky. Why do you continue
doing this? -I’m doing this
because I’m still waiting to get lucky – it’s about hope. And so we entered
the mine. The temperature
increased. We were heading
towards an area that was causing much excitement, a discovery known as La Pintada – or painted – a green glow on the mine wall that
discloses the presence of emeralds. The heat became
oppressive – almost unbearable – the distant sound of detonations a constant
reminder of the possibility of mine collapse, - but I am here by
choice, I can always go home. The workers here
live with this possibility every day and night. NEW V/O We were two minutes
now from the Pintada – the green glow – the
discovery of wealth – the humidity was so
intense I wondered what might defeat me first, the heat or the
claustrophobia. It was the temperature that won – but it was the camera that
gave out first. Levitt: The camera’s
fogged, it’s not working. It was good to be
back in the safe hands of Jesus. We were going to
the board meeting. Emeralco – being held in the
absence of the Chairman Victor Carranza – unavoidably detained. The board members
arrive. These are the
warlords who fought the emerald war. Their peace is dependent on Victor
Carranza but Carranza is gone. NEW V/O I don’t know what
was discussed in their board meeting. But in this business, the bottom line
is violence. I was told that
there was to be some rationalisation of assets and that some of the investors
might find themselves with a reduced portfolio. Interview Alejandro Reyes Victor Carranza and
a dozen, or two dozen, lords of war – private lords of war – that we have in
Colombia are a good example of the problems that Pastrana is going to face
with a peace problem, a peace process. When the board
meeting is over, the warlords will feast. They prepare to carve up the meat
in the background are the slums of the guaqueros.
For in Colombia, the poor must be content to search through the scraps thrown
out by the powerful. |