The Monkey traveled to Tame, in the eastern department of Arauca, which has been an extremely conflict-ridden zone in recent years. Tame is one of the prinicipal towns of the llanos, a vast region of plains in eastern Colombia and western Venezuela. It was here that General Bolívar waited for the forces of the Colombian revolutionist Francisco Santander before their combined army crossed the Andes and marched toward Boyacá, where they decisively routed the Spanish in 1819.
In this photo, the Monkey rests in the llanero sunshine on Tame's central plaza.
El Mico meets with a Colombian monkey at a school in Tame.
The Monkey rests on a police barricade closing off a street in central Tame. Among other attacks, the town center has been targeted by car bombs.
The Monkey peers out over the Araucan Sabana, or savannah, just outside Tame. Despite the seemingly serene scenery, out there in the distance the leftist guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the People's Liberation Army (ELN) are in a bloody conflict for territory and influence with the ultra-right United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) and the Colombian Army. All sides routinely violate human rights and contribute to mass forced displacement. It's the ugly reality of a nationwide civil war that has raged for over four decades.
Home——Region Selector——Special Features——Monkey FAQ——Contact——Links
Copyright monkeytravel.org 2002-2005. The Monkey respects your right to use his photos for your personal, non-profit entertainment or for educational purposes.