Saturday, January 18, 2025

Tejada and the Colombian youth in resistance

Photo: Manuel Ortiz. José Alberto Tejada Echeverry, known as “Cucho Tejada”, and cameraman Jhonatan Buitrago, known as “Papu”, in Puerto Resistencia, Cali, Colombia. 

Pensula 360 Press – Global Exchange 

CALI, Colombia. It's after nine at night. Microphone in hand, José Alberto Tejada Echeverry, known as "Cucho Tejada," walks through the dark streets of Puerto Resistencia with his inseparable cameraman Jhonatan Buitrago, known as "Papu," until they reach a small esplanade lit by a spotlight.

Puerto Resistencia, a marginal neighborhood in the east of the city, formerly named Puerto Rellena for the sausages produced here, became the epicenter of the National Strike and the social outbreak that began on April 28, 2021.

Tejada and Buitrago make their way through a crowded rally. They are greeted with applause and kind words: "Thank you, Channel 2." Tejada knows he is loved by the youth of the neighborhood, whom he defines as "the brave boys who went out to the streets and took the country."

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