Bogotá Cambió

So who is this Antanas Mockus guy? I mean, we all know he's a presidential candidate in Colombia and is rapidly rising in the polls... but who is Mockus the man? Where does he come from and what makes him tick?

Well now you can find out. The man was hugely successful as two-time mayor of Bogotá, where he set off what is arguably the strangest, most post-modern, and all around awesome process of urban renewal ever. As just one example that doesn't even begin to scratch the surface, this guy fired 3200 officers of Bogotá's notoriously corrupt traffic police and... replaced them with traffic mimes! Yes, mimes whose job it was to enforce traffic laws. Could I make this shit up?

And you know what's the real kicker? His unorthodox approach to city politics, inspired by his background in philosophy, paid off. But don't believe me, watch the great documentary below. And when I say great, I mean balls to the wall awesome. Cuddle up with a blanket and some popcorn and enjoy.

Oh and did I mention that before running for major he was the president of the National University of Colombia and...umm... mooned an auditorium full of people? True story.

Here's part 1:



part 2, part 3, part4, part 5, part 6, part 7.