Freedom in Practice: What We Learned From Carlos and Claudia Vives and Tras La Perla
In this photo, on the left corner, is Noemi Boyer, CEO at Demo Lab. On the opposite right side is Dr. Álvaro Salas-Castro, Founder and Chairman of the Board of DemoLab, engaging with locals from Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta.
What does freedom look like when it is lived, not merely promised?
This past week, we had the honor of visiting Carlos Vives, Claudia Vásquez, and the team behind Tras La Perla, their long-term initiative to revitalize coastal and Indigenous communities in Colombia. What we witnessed was not a traditional aid model, but a living ecosystem. It is a place where culture, trust, and local ingenuity drive transformation from within.
From the rhythm-infused walls of Cumbia House in Bogotá to the flood-prone homes of Pescaíto, every space carried the unmistakable imprint of something rare. This was freedom anchored in people rather than institutions, shaped by pride rather than pity.
Leadership Across Channels
Carlos and Claudia’s leadership does not live in a single lane. It moves fluidly across disciplines: music, sports, financial literacy, and sexual health education. Each one is a different expression of the same truth. When people are seen as capable, freedom becomes possible.
In Ciénaga, where families live on stilts and spend hours each day collecting water, solutions are created together, not handed down. Water treatment pilots are not imposed. They are tested and refined with the families who will use them. Ownership, rather than oversight, drives real change.
In Pescaíto, young people take the lead in sports, entrepreneurship, and health education. The programs are not checklists. They are invitations to build confidence, step into power, and shape what comes next.
Culture as Civic Infrastructure
Culture is not an accessory. It is the foundation. At Cumbia House, Carlos curates each performance like a civic ritual. A salvaged boat sits inside the bar, symbolizing the musical journeys that once flowed through Colombia’s rivers, connecting distant regions through rhythm and story.
Next door, the Río Grande Music School trains a new generation in the country’s artistic heritage. The goal is not to replicate tradition, but to make it their own. We were welcomed backstage into a world of sound, color, and care. Behind a wall of vinyl records, a hidden door opened to reveal Carlos’s changing room. It was a small, beautiful reminder that the heart of every great performance is intention, reverence, and craft.
A Model for Civic Transformation
In this photo are Tim Reynolds, Founder and Chairman at The Reynolds Foundation; Caroline Reynolds, Co-Founder and Vice-Chairwoman at The Reynolds Foundation; Dr. Álvaro Salas-Castro, Founder and Chairman of the Board of Demo Lab; and Claudia Vásquez, Executive Director at Tras La Perla Foundation.
At Demo Lab, we are building a new kind of civic education. One that sees freedom not only as a political idea, but as a human capacity. The capacity to act, to belong, and to shape one’s own future.
Carlos and Claudia’s model offers a powerful blueprint. It is a vision where:
Culture becomes a vessel for civic identity,
The private sector drives inclusion rather than extraction,
Local people are not seen as recipients, but as protagonists.
Their leadership reflects the society we want to help shape. One where responsibility, creativity, and liberty are woven together.
A Natural Alliance
We return from this visit not only inspired but more deeply rooted in our mission. Demo Lab and Tras La Perla are aligned not only in values but in approach. We both work from the ground up, design with dignity in mind, and hold space for complexity and nuance.
What we saw in Colombia confirms what we believe. Freedom is not something you define for others. It is something you build together. Community by community. Choice by choice.
To Carlos, Claudia, and the communities who welcomed us with such generosity and trust, thank you. You have reminded us that freedom is not a theory to teach. It is a practice to live. Together.
Click here to watch the video recap and relive the highlights!
By Demo Lab | April 2025