ANDn the amalgamation of majestic architecture and bustling urban activity in London, is the Colombian Juan Pimientaone of the first Latin Americans to have enrolled in the prestigious London Metropolitan Police, better known for police serials and films such as Scotland Yard.
Behind that navy blue uniform and serene look is a lover of letters, poet and painter which he has captured in his self-financed novel, Maelstrom of Blood, a raw and fascinating story of transformation and revenge.
Talking to Juan is entering a labyrinth of emotions and experiences, where each turn reveals a new nuance of his life. “I was born in Medellín and I experienced the harshness of the Pablo Escobar years,” says Juan, in dialogue with EL TIEMPO.
I was born in Medellín and experienced the harshness of the Pablo Escobar years
His voice resonates with a mixture of nostalgia and pride for having survived an era that left some of his childhood playmates in prison or dead, in that fratricidal war of the Medellín cartel of the 80s and 90s.
“My childhood was marked by the absence of my father. My mother was a fighter who emigrated to British lands to be able to pay for our studies in Medellín. They were hard absences, which neither uncles nor grandparents could make up for. It was a difficult time, but also full of learning.”
Almost a decade passed before he was reunited with his mother. At the age of 18, Juan embarked on a journey that would change the course of his life. “It was a moment of reunion and also of searching for identity. I wanted to build my future away from the shadows of the past, but always carrying with me the roots of my land.”
Attacks perpetrated by the Medellín Cartel in the 90s.
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Between dishwashers and books, Pimienta's struggle to get ahead in London
His arrival in the British capital marked the beginning of a path full of challenges and opportunities. Like many Latinos, he had to do everything. Between jobs as a dishwasher in restaurants, he finished high school and began studying at the prestigious College of London.
With his hands worn out by the detergent, he ran to the university, where he graduated with a master's degree in Latin American Studies. “It was a necessity to understand my country, its culture and identity,” he explains, with the intention of delving into the cultural richness of my homeland,” he shares. “I wanted to understand the complexities of our history and find my place in the world.”
The Colombian wanted to follow in the footsteps of Arturo Cova, protagonist of the centenary work 'La Vorágine' by José Eustasio Rivera.
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In the footsteps of Arturo Cova
That desire to reunite with the beloved Colombia, he applied for a doctorate in Literature, in which proposed to follow in the footsteps of the centenary work 'La Vorágine' by José Eustasio Rivera.
In mid-1999, he packed his bags, with a few savings and without thinking much he began his doctoral research trip with his mission of tour the same places that Arturo Cova visitedthe main character of the novel Rivera.
One of the maps that Juan Pimienta made, following the trail of Arturo Cova.
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The guerrillas stood in my way, preventing me from continuing my research.
“He was a dreamer,” acknowledges Juan Pimienta, when recounting how he made maps, outlined paths, the same ones that Cova traveled in search of his beloved Alicia. However, his trip was cut short by the political reality of Colombia. “The guerrillas stood in my way, preventing me from continuing my research,” Juan recalls regretfully.
His trip coincided with the legendary eighteen-month case of kidnapping and subsequent murder perpetrated by members of column 16 of the FARC. of several members of the army, including Captain Wilson Quintero. The guerrillas, busy pursuing the fugitives, prevented him from continuing his journey through the region.
Juan Pimienta joined Scotland Yard.
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“It was a devastating blow, but also a call to find new paths”. Frustrated, but without losing hope, Pimienta returned to England. There, he learned about the initiative to incorporate ethnic minorities into Scotland Yard and saw the opportunity to fulfill his youthful dream of joining law enforcement. He applied and was accepted, becoming a pioneer for the Colombian community in the UK.
During his years at Scotland Yard, Pimienta has fought crime tenaciously, especially dedicating much of his time to fighting knife crime in London. However, his creative spirit has not been extinguished. In his free time, he cultivates his passion for poetry and painting, and after two decades, he has completed his novel Vorágine de sangre.
Two decades and a novel inspired by the centenary Vorágine
The novel tells the story of a peasant farmer who, after suffering a brutal outrage by the military, embarks on a quest for revenge. Along the way, he transforms into a being as cruel and ruthless as those who pushed him into the abyss.
The novel is a reflection of the depths of the human condition, a reminder that we all have lights and shadows.
“Writing 'La Vorágine de Sangre' was a long and arduous process, but also liberating. The novel is a reflection of the depths of the human condition, a reminder that we all have lights and shadows,” explains Pimienta, who perceives herself in the echo of a man who seems to have found his voice in words and his purpose in the law.
Juan Pimienta
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MARÍA VICTORIA CRISTANCHO
Special for EL TIEMPO
LONDON
In X: @mavicristancho
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