Touring downtown Medellin has become an inevitable to-do on the agenda of tourists, investors, diplomats and citizens of the world who want to perceive the scents, colors and flavors of Medellín at its best. For this reason, after almost a year of closure for theaters and spaces for cultural socialization due to the pandemic, some of them are preparing to reopen their doors to the public, preserving all biosafety protocols.
The SOS Centro strategy and Caminá pal Centro, prepare their first activities and tours in March and April in order to turn some sectors of this city commune into transformation centers through theatrical and musical performances in the open air or in closed spaces, with limited capacity.
The different sellers and unique characters from the city’s downtown are intended to be the protagonists of this exercise that brings people from all the city’s and world’s corners to Medellín’s downtown for cultural walks and appropriating public space.
These initiatives stem from the Alianza para el Centro, a network working alongside institutions such as the University of Antioquia, the Pablo Tobón Uribe Theater, Comfama, Banco de la República, Corpocentro, the Mayor’s Office of Medellín and Casa Centro Cultura, among others, whose task consists of recovering downtown spaces that were once epicenters for prostitution, drugs, crime and abandonment in order to invite all citizens to walk its streets without fear.
The city’s downtown still has many social, economic and environmental challenges, but it also has a journey that shows transformation, life and hope not only for the city but also for positioning itself as an internationally chosen destination.