'I dated President Duque's sister' — Daniel Coronell

@wwaycorrigan

Renowned Colombian journalist, Daniel Coronell, has revealed how he once dated the sister of current Colombian president, Iván Duque.

Bad romance: Coronell reveals he dated Iván Duque's sister.

Coronell, a regular critic of Duque as well as his party Centro Democrático and, more controversially, that party's leader, former president Álvaro Uribe Vélez, made the revelation in an English-language interview on Wrong Way's Colombia Cast podcast.

Divine intervention
'Many years ago, like 30 years ago, I was the boyfriend of Duque's sister. I loved her a lot', he said.

They even discussed plans to marry. 'I cannot imagine my life (today) if I was the brother-in-law of this president of Colombia.'

Miami-based Coronell, an atheist, joked that it was a higher power that put an end to their romance. 'There was a kind of superior decision — and I am an atheist — that broke (up) the relationship on time.'

"I loved her a lot."

Asked whether he still remains in contact with President Duque's sister, his response was a blunt 'no'.

He also spoke about his April 2020 departure from his columnist role with Colombia's leading current affairs magazine, Semana, a gig he had held for 15 years. 

His leaving coincided with sweeping changes at the publication, with well-known broadcast journalist Vicky Dávila eventually taking over as director, a move seen by some as a shift to a more populist, sensationalist editorial style.

Quoting the Italian film director, Federico Fellini, Coronell said, 'Yo nunca había visto nada igual (which translates as 'I'd never seen anything like it'), that's my opinion of Semana.'

As for writing for the magazine again, his simple reply to that question was 'probably not'.

In relation to the 2022 Colombian presidential election, the current president of news at the US-based Univisión TV channel expressed his concerns that the election would, as in 2018, become a left versus right shoot-out.

While he suggested he would be against whoever is selected by the Centro Democrático side on the right — the 'Uribe puppet' as he calls it — Coronell also has concerns about the leftist former candidate Gustavo Petro who is set to run again.

Nonetheless, if it came down to a choice between Tomás Uribe, Álvaro Uribe's son who is being mooted as a runner, and Gustavo Petro, Coronell said he would vote for the latter.

However, he predicted that the Centro Democrático may opt for a more traditional conservative candidate such as Luis Alberto Moreno.

Whatever the case, he said he hopes that a solid centrist candidate can emerge in the coming months.

Watch the YouTube interview in full at https://youtu.be/ZsWTBwGXRXY or listen to an audio-only podcast version at https://anchor.fm/brendan-corrigan/episodes/Daniel-Coronell-on-dating-Duques-sister--unmasking-Uribe--Petros-problems--Vicky-Dvilas-Semana-eq798l.
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Listen to Wrong Way's Colombia Cast podcast here.

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Loving Colombia

In a previous episode of The Colombia Cast, the "Colombianised" British-born historian Malcolm Deas said, in response to a question about his love for Colombia: 'One doesn't love countries. One loves people and dogs and cats and that sort of thing.'

I get where he's coming from to some extent. It's not the country in terms of its institutions and general modus operandi that people come to love.

The railway route: One of Wrong Way's favourites in Bogotá.

Fair enough, those of a certain disposition may indeed become enamoured with the state, especially if they find favourable tax laws, see it as being well organised, affordable and safe with a fantastic health system, things along those lines.

Failed state, fine land

Nonetheless, such pull factors don't tend to set the heart racing, leaving us weak at the knees. They're also not perpetual.

Now, if we take the above in relation to Colombia, it doesn't score well at all. Indeed as a foreigner, if these were make-or-break issues, you'd have to question why you're here when you don't have to be.

'I do like Colombia, in terms of its landscape that is to say.'

For example, personally speaking in any case, I don't love the inequality and the many ways it manifests itself, the public transport (from a Bogotá perspective anyway), the often irrational bureaucracy and the not-being-paid-for-services-rendered (hint, hint Semana, and to a lesser extent this publication, although I am perhaps the bigger fool, especially in relation to the former; I'm currently looking to rectify that).

Moreover, and more tellingly as this brings it into the realm of reasons why one should "love" where they are, I'm not a fan of the interesadas (gold-diggers), the ubiquitous lying, the regular inept service in so many spheres and the excessive national pride — 'Colombia is the best country in the world, with the friendliest people' — that overlooks all the other shortcomings mentioned.

Te amo Colombia

It's here where I depart somewhat from Deas' assertion that 'one doesn't love countries'. You see, I do like — I rarely use the word "love" for anything — the country itself. I like its geographical area and all the many wonders contained within it — I just don't explore them as much as I should really.

I like power-walking on a daily basis at 2,600 metres-above-sea-level because, perhaps misguidedly, I think it's good for my overall health, the frequent air-quality issues notwithstanding.

Of course, there's a bit more to it than just the topography. As I've oft-written about, I do enjoy the barrios populares and some of the characters that frequent them, even if they may be doing me more harm than good.

'With time, the infuriating practices of some Colombians might change.'

I like being what I'll call a light-touch local in Bogotá. The city has been home now for well over eight years, so in many respects I feel as much a part of it as anyone. Yet at the same time, I am an outsider, a northern European outsider, and that is an advantage for the most part.

So, as I yet again contemplate my Colombian future, perhaps "loving" the country, the territory it occupies, the natural landscape, is the most important thing.

The infuriating, irrational practices of a not-insignificant number of its inhabitants, emanating from the top and flowing down to the bottom rungs, maybe these will change for the better in the not-too-distant future.

You see, despite what my "B negative" blood type might insinuate, I am an optimist at heart.
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Listen to The Colombia Cast podcast here.

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A new state of play?

Some of you may have noticed (hopefully you did anyway!) that there hasn't been a new post up here for some time. 

In fact, November was the first ever 'dry month' in terms of new blog stories since this page went live back in December 2011.

There have been a number of reasons for this. Now, while I enjoy having this little outlet to put my 'musings' about various things out there, the focus has been elsewhere of late.

The Colombia Cast: Off the ground, for now anyway ...

Newborn: The Colombia Cast

Since my return to Colombia in late October after a refreshing break back in Ireland followed by an interesting week in New York, and having kicked English teaching to touch, more energy has been put into IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz". My little baby let's say, one of almost four years of age albeit!

"It's best not to assign a sex to it in the current climate."

Now that baby has a sibling (I won't say what sex either one is lest I offend anyone). This latest creation was a long time in the womb — gestation for new projects, especially in these parts, is substantial. Nonetheless, it's alive and kicking, for now at least.

The Colombia Cast, in conjunction with Semana magazine, is the latest addition to that growing world of podcasts. In a similar vein to IQuiz, it's purely a labour of love, for the moment at least.

'Show me the visa (and the money!)'

Alongside this, though not quite in the labour-of-love category, is a new full-time gig at a global marketing company — work visa pending, but I've already started (not sure of the legalities of that one, guys).

So after over seven years as an independent worker in Colombia, being my own boss to a large extent, I've now entered the full-time workforce. Or so it appears: La Cancillería has to give it the official approval yet.

My mantra for most of the last seven years had been that I wouldn't work full-time for a Colombian company.

"The 'quantity of hours over quality of work' culture permeates."

Not only did I — and still do — value my independence, but the ridiculously long hours that many Colombians seem obliged to spend at work, whether they're actually doing work or not, is something I said I wouldn't sign up to.

The thing is, it's not actually a Colombian company I'm working for. Nonetheless, the quantity-of-hours-over-quality-of-work culture that permeates through many organisations here seems at play. It is early days, so I might be a bit off on that one. I hope I am in any case.

So in a year where it looked odds-on that my stay in Colombia was coming to an imminent end, it now appears I'm about to commit for a bit longer (visa pending of course!).

I might just be here for the opening of the new Irish Embassy in Bogotá after all.
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