Ciénaga, Magdalena: the children cleaning up the litter swamp

@wwaycorrigan

There’s a saying amongst some cynical folk — so you can, of course, exclude Wrong Way — that Colombia would be a beautiful country but for its ubiquitous rubbish.

Rubbish on the beaches of Isla del Rosario. In fairness, I have seen worse.

In middle-to-low-income countries, dealing with litter is often well down the list of priorities for the average individual. This is somewhat understandable when almost every aspect of one’s life is a constant struggle.

Be that as it may, wanton waste can be even more of a problem in coastal areas where tides bring in from far and wide the most unsightly of what’s floating around the sea. When people aren’t inclined to clean up their own rubbish there’s little chance they’ll be enthused to deal with that of others.

However, by instilling a bit of pride in one’s place, the will to spruce up shared spaces can be found.

‘Regardless of what those cynical types say, some parts of Colombia are capable of cleaning up their own act. If only the country’s rich and powerful could follow suit.’

Such a spirit is being cultivated in Isla del Rosario near Ciénaga on the Caribbean coast in Colombia’s Magdalena department, its shores having been particularly blighted by washed-up waste.

Over the last few weeks the community — in particular its younger generations — has come together to tackle the trash.

As part of this ongoing de-litter drive, a major cleanathon is planned for Sunday 17 October (see video below, in Spanish). Outside of the actual cleaning, the idea is to impress upon residents of this humble fishing village the importance of maintaining a clean environment.

So there you have it, regardless of what those cynical types say, some parts of Colombia are capable of cleaning up their own act. If only the country’s rich and powerful could follow suit. We can dream.

*N.B: Ciénaga means ‘swamp’ in English, hence the title for this piece. I’m sure it’s not that much of a swamp these days.

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