In the shadow
On beaches in the Colombian Caribbean, vendors sell all kinds of goods to tourists, including food, floaties or inflatable toys, rent rafts or speakers for music listening, or offer braids, massages, tattoos or photographs. This is a hard way to make a living, especially working under a blinding, broiling sun above and hot sand below.
Due to the intense sunlight on the Caribbean coast in Colombia, beach vendors try to protect every inch of their bodies from contact with the harmful rays of the sun, including wearing ski masks or wrapping their heads and face in scarfs, towels or old shirts. In general, beach vendors tend to remain invisible to those tourists uninterested in what they are selling, but with the head coverings they are even more hidden from sight, while the sharp contrast of sunlight and shade throws their faces into shadow.
There are currently almost 2 million Venezuelans living in Colombia, with one hundred and fifty thousand living on the Caribbean coast. Many have settled with their families while others are just passing through. In either case, they mostly work odd jobs to pay their bills or to get money to be able to travel to the United States. Selling cheap products or offering services to tourists on Caribbean beaches is a very common way for Venezuelans to make money.
Undocumented Venezuelans are usually perceived by Colombians as social undesirables or as competitors for jobs who are willing to accept lower salaries and more precarious work conditions. For their part, Venezuelans working on the Caribbean coast tend to keep a low profile to avoid contact with police or government agents who might have them shipped back home. Blending into the shadows is a survival strategy for undocumented workers but it can come at the cost of losing one’s identity.
