As our Facebook Live show celebrates a year of broadcasting, we’re giving away prizes
After a year and nearly a half-century of shows, the Bogotá Nights show has turned one. Presented by Brendan Corrigan of the Wrong Way blog alongside myself, deputy editor Oli Pritchard, the show is live every Thursday at 9pm.
We’ve covered a wide range of topics in their own inimitable styles, from different sets of protests to the national team to the weather. Often, the pair reflect on the differences between Colombia and their home countries (Ireland and the UK respectively) and the idiosyncrasies they see every week in Bogotá.
We’ve celebrated Colombian culture in various forms – talking about music, sports, TV and much more. We’ve also talked about travelling, with some of our favourite destinations being discussed, even as we’ve spent much of our broadcast time in lockdowns. That’s one subject both of us are happy to have left behind!
The pair of us share a deep love for the city, but our guiding line on the show (as with the newspaper) is that we see Bogotá like a sibling. While there’s a lot of love there, that’s also a reason for us to point out when we think the city is going wrong – and there’s been a lot of that in the past 12 months. Claudia López has certainly come in for criticism, especially over her attitude towards Venezuelan migrants, and we’ve not talked about the police in glowing terms.
We live in different parts of the city, which is another regular topic of conversation. I’m in the south of Chapinero while Brendan is in the far northern barrios, giving us very different views on the city. “Before Bogotá Nights and before the pandemic, I used to host IQuiz ‘The Bogotá Pub Quiz’ on the odd Thursday night,” says Brendan, “So in some ways, the show is a continuation of my infrequent interactions, virtual as they are, with the world outside the barrio of which I speak so regularly!”
For my part, it’s fascinating to find that we have more Colombian viewers than foreigners, and I’m always interested to see people’s reactions and comments. Brendan agrees: “What I enjoy most about it is the fact that it’s live, enabling viewers to engage and leave comments in real time, which is something you don’t get when doing a recorded podcast. And I guess it keeps one on the straight and narrow on a Thursday night when otherwise that may not be the case!”
To celebrate the anniversary show, we’re giving away free* (you must pay the airport fees and tax) Viva flights to Mexico as well as artisanal coffee. Tune in tonight to find out how to win those exciting prizes!
* In case you didn’t read the parenthesis, you need to pay the flight costs…
