Colombian stereotypes: “Pablo who?”

Pablo who?

A pair of restauranteurs in Vancouver (Canada, my home and native land), are drawing criticism and protests from people within the city’s Colombian community over the name of their new “Latin-themed” restaurant.

You guessed it, “Escobar.”

Is there any Spanish surname more incendiary?

I’ll wait while you try to find one.

People within Vancouver’s Colombian-Canadian community are understandably upset. Members of the community even protested the bar’s May 11 opening.

50+ rallied outside new #Escobar restaurant on opening day, claiming name is offensive to local #Latin community. Story at 11pm on @cbcnewsbc. #cbcpic.twitter.com/XFFBKY22wc

— Tanya Fletcher (@CBCtanya) May 12, 2018

The Colombian Consulate in Vancouver has also asked the owners to reconsider the name, likening it to naming a Canadian restaurant “Lepine” or an American one “Bin Laden.”

For their part, the restaurant owners say they’ve been taken aback by the fuss. They say the name is just a play on words and they won’t change it.

“We aren’t trying to celebrate in any way the negative elements of drug cartels, violence, or murder,” said co-owner Ari Demosten. “We’re really here celebrating a Latin American-inspired bar atmosphere.”

Uh huh. Meanwhile, a cocktail named “The Pablo” was quietly dropped from the menu.

A sign of things to come?

Frankly, I think it’s a sign of things to come. Among the side-effects of the world’s increasing curiosity about this country is how it challenges Colombians to confront their largest and most negative stereotype in unexpected new ways.

Like a Netflix series. Or the name of a restaurant.

“Just when I thought I was out.”

As Michael Corleone lamented in the lamentable Godfather 3, “Just when I thought I was out.”

I can understand the frustration. The country has made immense – and thus far successful – efforts to improve its international image. Tourism is booming – up 300% since 2006. Colombians are taking back their country and telling their own stories – perhaps for the first time in their history.

So, what to make of the mess in Vancouver?

Yes, “Escobar” is a common Spanish surname, as the bar owners claim. No, Canadian restauranteurs aren’t bound by convention or by law to help Colombia improve its reputation.

Yes, many Colombian-Canadians are upset at the mere mention of his name. No, Vancouver’s Colombian community is not unanimously opposed to it. “I am Colombian and I don’t care,” one user wrote on Twitter. “Come on people. Don’t be too sensitive.”

Different generations, different attitudes

No doubt there are generational differences at play in the varying responses to the name, with younger Colombians less likely to take affront. In addition, simply introducing something – anything – into the public sphere does not immediately equal its glorification.

I’d argue that the t-shirts bearing the drug lord’s mug shot that you can buy on the street down here do more in that regard than the name of a bar in another country ever will.

Still, for many Colombians – including many of my friends who are old enough to remember the worst days of the violence – the mere mention of his name pours a lot of salt on still-fresh wounds.

His story isn’t fiction

“Pablo” isn’t a punchline. His story is more than a fictionalized account starring a Brazilian actor with a wobbly Paisa accent and created for the foreign viewing market.

It’s painful history that has not yet faded into cliché. I cannot stress this strongly enough.

As I am showing with this blog, there has always been more to Colombia than cocaine. Still, this particular part of Colombia’s history will not go away. For Colombia and its people to be known for something other than that white powder will take years.

In the meantime, we should be ready for more stories like these, whether we like it or not.

UPDATE: See how Colombia is fighting the stereotypes in a brand-new marketing campaign.