Pablo’s Ghost

Fernando Botero’s portrayal of Escobar’s death in one of his paintings, detailing the violence seen in Colombia.

Roberto ‘Cubby’ Escobar is the 71-year old, former accountant of the defunct Medellín drug cartel and the curator of the Pablo Escobar Museum, which he established after his release from prison in 2006. The museum honors the memory of Colombia’s most famous criminal, who is his brother. Housed in a former hideout, it capitalizes on the growing stream of foreign tourists who want to know more about the notorious drug lord, and Cubby is the bobble-headed dashboard adornment of the vehicle bearing the late capo’s decontaminated image to them.

Once known as the ‘King of Cocaine,’ Pablo Escobar is now more popular than ever, even though he died in 1993.  His name is associated with a multi-million dollar, globe-spanning tourist and entertainment industry that has accelerated the romanticization and commodification of his life. His legacy has generated tensions between the Colombian state, which wants to separate the country from an international image of drug-fueled violence, and savvy entrepreneurs who want to capture tourist dollars by glorifying his over-the-top lifestyle. The frictions shape a struggle over the meaning and truths of Escobar’s life, which is part of a larger story of a vicious civil war fueled by the massive profits of the illegal cocaine traffic. That struggle is worth understanding, because it has international implications…

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