Universidad de la Sabana
Managing Cultural Diversity in Business
Elizabeth Christopher
Vanessa Núñez Jiménez Code: 201111243
Fabián Mauricio Duque Code: 201120359
Andrés Tinjaca Code: 201121964

Government and all the people are in favor of art, sport or tradition?

While in Colombia there is a law authorizing and regulating bullfighting, municipal authorities have the duty to compile and facilitate the implementation of such shows.
Furthermore, although they may take steps to avoid unnecessary suffering, the authorities cannot "interfere with the ritual of bullfighting": that is, they cannot object to the death of the bull without a law thus empowered and at this time no exists in the country.
By six votes in favor and three against Constitutional Court of Colombia has ruled in favor of bullfighting and against prohibitionists. In this regard, the Court decreed that mayors have no legal powers to ban bullfighting in those localities where there is a tradition and culture bullfighting.
That ruling overturns the recent ban on bullfighting in Bogota where the mayor, Gustavo Petro, had decided that the Santa Maria bullring and bullfighting spectacles not give and devote to mere "cultural".
Knew nothing beyond the high court's decision of the Corporation President Bullfighting Bogotá, Felipe Negret, said that with this ruling the mayor Petro is bound to reopen the place for which it was built in 1931, which means for bullfights and failure to do so would be in flagrant violation of the court ruling that declared as final
For his part, Mayor Petro has taken refuge in the fact that there is currently no lease contract with any company Santa Maria square taurine and therefore has no obligation to open it. Now we have to wait for an appeal of former employers at the refusal of the mayor, which, not least, through a through a crisis of credibility between citizens and their popularity is declining. These are the scope of the Constitutional Court the ruling say, not only establishing regulations for carrying out the runs that "governs the entire national territory", but also catalogs the bullfighting act "as an artistic expression of human beings". This upheld the Law 916 of 2004.
The six judges who supported the decision makes clear that being declared constitutional law, compliance becomes an obligation for mayors and thus dashing any attempt to ban the show invoking humanitarian reasons or philosophical.
The judgment also develops the concept of "cultural and artistic expression" of bullfighting and concludes that in regions where there is a tradition cannot be restricted but, promptly, made of health or safety.
This shows that despite some people against bullfighting, Colombians still thinking that bullfighting is a way to express. Also it is clear that the government supports this kind of activities because of a bunch of people that like this “show” or “tradition”.
The Court notes as evidence of the existence of the tradition the mere fact that there are public arenas exclusively for the realization of bullfighting, like the bullfighting arenas.
In this case the Court notes that is protected is a heritage that is held by the followers or fans, whether they are minority or majority of society. This concept, being law, must be defended by the local authorities.
The ruling also emphasizes that the concept of cultural expression that defines the law justifies, in some way, the abuse suffered by the animal in the show. That tragic event, says the Court, is an exception to the rule to protect the rights of animals which, again, is limited only to geographic settings where there is the tradition.

There is a journal which made a research about why do Colombian agree with bullfighting and what they think about it, the journal made a list of 7 reasons agreeing bullfighting.
As a research group we found thoughts and opinions about these seven reasons agreeing bullfighting from Colombians that were against bullfighting
1: the bullfighting is a Colombian tradition. (No, the bullfight is not part of our traditions because in Colombia had not bulls. Neither cows. The Spanish brought the first run and was not until well into the sixteenth century. Bogotá had no bullring until 1890).
2: we have to preserve it because it is and old costume. (No. Human sacrifices are an ancient custom or were for some people. Societies change; otherwise we would be still living in caves or selling slaves.)
3: The bullfighting is an art (any definition of art other than those given by the proponents of the bullfight, includes it as an art. is known that music, literature, dance, pictures theater and so on are a kind of art.
4: The bullfighting is a beauty art. (If it was so interesting what an "art" is not renewed. The painting, film and comics stop looking for new routes, new forms of expression to show different facets of the human being. The run was repeated. There are "styles" but never innovation.)
5: The bullfighting is a battle in which the bullfighter risk his life and show “courage" (There is no honor in a combat when one of them have benefits, the bullfighter can lose the battle. If it was a fair fight. It would proof that there would be some honor in fifty percent of the runs; the dead would be the bullfighter. Because it is known that the bull has more size and it means that it is stronger than the bullfighter).
6: The bullfighting is an sport (The bullfighting is a show where people just have fun)
7: the bullfighter thing that they are superior specie (We are a species, among others, and if we have certain abilities, they also give us responsibilities. We are the strongest and the most intelligent and nothing more).

In conclusion, we can say that bullfighting is not a Colombian tradition, but it is a Spanish tradition which was brought in 1980 to Colombia, building the first bullring and wanting the highest class of Colombians to recognize it as a tradition, but we all know and we disagree with bullfighting, the percentage supporting runs is a minority and only because six justices supported the no ban, Colombians have to take it anymore, and bulls also are those who suffer in each run and often die. Something we have to be aware of is that bullfighting is an animal abuse and this is what we Colombians disagree with. It is for this reason that we fought for Colombian bullfighting ends in order to end animal abuse and finish with the idea that it is something completely Colombian.

References: http://blogs.elespectador.com/umpala/2012/01/14/doce-malas-razones-a-favor-de-las-corridas-de-toros/ http://news.sky.com/story/1069725/colombia-two-killed-and-17-hurt-in-bullfight http://m.semana.com/nacion/articulo/las-corridas-toros-bogota-cambio-tercio/267354-3
http://www.eltiempo.com/colombia/bogota/ARTICULO-WEB-NEW_NOTA_INTERIOR-10945057.html