I came across this curious page called www.fairtradecoke.org on twitter recently and decided to follow it up and talk to the author for Ep244 of the Colombia Calling podcast. It was a great pleasure to talk to Dutch Anthropologist Janneke Nijmeijer in Amsterdam about her project and foundation. 

For those unaware, Coca grows at an altitude between 500 and 2000 metres, and the Andes mountains of Bolivia, Peru and Colombia offer the perfect climate for cultivating coca. Centuries before cocaine was being discovered, indigenous people across South America consumed coca. The cultivation and consumption has been of cultural and social value, and therefore an important of their economy. 

Besides the social and economic importance, coca was also used as a medicine. Coca is a mild stimulant that fights altitude sickness, enhances concentration and is very nutritious, among other things. Because of its medicinal and nutritional qualities indigenous people considered coca to be sacred: la hoja sagrada. 

So, tune in to hear more!

This we sit back down with Chris Morfas (you'll remember him from Ep225, President Trump in Colombia) and speak with him about his expertise in alternative travel, sustainability and cycling and take all of this into account with his experience from Sacramento, California. 

Chris has been both volunteer and consultant to Colombia's leading NGO working on sustainable mobility, providing analysis and recommendations regarding its strategic planning, organizational structure, program implementation, project delivery, and political effectiveness. 

And, now Chris is a transplant to Bogotá, providing his knowledge to his new home town.

After a brief holiday period away, I am happy to announce that the Colombia Calling podcast is refreshed and back on the airwaves and thrilled to have special guest Emma Louise Jay on the line from Las Palmas, Antioquia, talking about her unique Colombia experience. 

Imagine being bought a flight to a strange and far-off land by a stranger - no strings attached? Well, this happened to Emma back in 2011 and now, she calls Colombia home. Was she, as she suggests in her blog www.conqueredbycolombia.com born in the wrong country? So, hailing from the town which gave the world Radiohead, she now prefers a buñuelos to crumpets and is a researcher at a prestigious university in Medellin. 

Want to find out more about Emma and her adventures in Colombia, well you'll have to tune in to this engaging and philosophical episode No242.