[Bread-Baking Typewriter] The Jewel of Latin America, Colombia

In 2014, as the 'Ethnic Mode' trend surged, Hollywood stars began carrying brightly colored Mochilla bags. Mochilla is a crocheted bag made by the indigenous Wayu (Wayuu) people living in the Guajira Desert, and it means 'crossbody bag.'

The matriarchal Wayu people live in Colombia but follow indigenous autonomy laws, receiving self-governance from the government without financial support. However, in the 2010s, this tribe faced a severe crisis. A prolonged drought lasting two to three years threatened their survival. In response, the female chief of the Wayu, who had been extremely reluctant to contact outsiders, reached out for help from the outside world. She asked for a sales channel to sell their crocheted bags, the Mochillas.

The chief's earnest plea soon reached Hollywood, and images of Paris Hilton, Katy Perry, Vanessa Hudgens, and others strolling the streets with Mochillas captured public attention. This unique fashion item quickly became a must-have and hot item, adorning the shoulders of celebrities worldwide and dominating various social networking services (SNS).

The author, who flew directly to Colombia to meet the Wayu people and import Mochillas, became deeply fascinated by their way of preserving tradition while adapting to nature. Becoming enamored with the Colombian people, the author developed an interest in their living environment, culture, literature, traditions, and customs.

The author graduated from Seoul National University with a degree in Russian Language and Literature and pursued graduate studies at the University of Illinois in the United States, earning both a master's and a doctoral degree in Slavic Languages and Literatures. The author has lectured on 19th-century Russian literature at Seoul National University and translated over 20 Russian novels. Having also worked as a fashion MD in the fashion industry, the author is currently the CEO of the fashion company Space Nool Co., Ltd.

In 2016, the author traveled to Riohacha, a remote small city at the northeastern tip of Colombia, to purchase traditional Mochilla bags made by the Wayu Indian tribe. Driven by humanistic curiosity, the author visited the Guajira Desert where the Wayu live, met Wayu children and infants, and through holding even very young children for extended periods, wrote 'Mochilla Story' to promote the cultural and traditional significance of their bags and to help Wayu children with the royalties.

The newly published book, Colombia, the Jewel of Latin America, can be seen as an introduction and guide to Colombia. It presents Colombia's past and present, introduces its culture and industries famous for coffee, butterflies, and emeralds, and explains the history and origins of the Mochilla bags made by the Wayu people. It also introduces literary giant Gabriel Garc?a M?rquez and Fernando Botero, known as the Picasso of South America.

Through two books and over ten years of efforts and various activities contributing to cultural and economic cooperation between Korea and Colombia and strengthening the friendship between the two countries, the author received a commendation from the Embassy of Colombia in Korea. The award ceremony was held on the 9th at the Colombian ambassador's residence, attended by Alejandro Pelaez Rodriguez, the Colombian ambassador to Korea, along with South American ambassadors, the Japanese ambassador, and 30 to 40 others.

Colombia, the Jewel of Latin America | Kim Jeong-ah | Dark Horse | 304 pages | 40,000 KRW