Excerpt
Colombians have an irrepressible love of humor and joking a sense of fun that bubbles up in all aspects of everyday life. Although Colombian television doesnt boast a comedy tradition like Mexico or Spain, joking around is very much part of the national psyche. Expect strangers to share their witticisms, jokes to be scrawled on walls and serious amounts of silliness. Dubbed American comedies, known locally as enlatados (meaning canned as in canned food), satisfy the Colombian need for a giggle. During the late 1990s, Colombian comedian Jose Ordonez became a national celebrity by setting a world record for spending the longest time telling jokes on the radio. Other popular comedic talents include Andres Lopez Forero, Martin de Francisco and Santiago Moure along with Jaime Garzon who died in 1999.