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How a secret message in a Colombian song gave hostages hope

When the pop song Better Days was released in 2010, it contained a secret message hidden in the catchy tune.

Click to view the original at bbc.com

Hasnain says:

This was a really interesting and cool hack.

""There are many millions of people who have listened to the song Better Days, but that wasn't our goal," says Mr Ortíz. "Success for us was to be found in small, specific numbers. It was in the chosen few hearing it and understanding it."

Gen Mendieta, who had been rescued in the same year, helped the mission by appearing on live TV and asking the rebels to give the hostages access to the radio for company.

"Someone once said, 'Whoever has a book is not alone," he says, "and in our case, it was, 'Whoever has a radio is not alone.'""

Posted on 2023-01-03T06:14:56+0000