Text: Juan David Latorre. Photos: Embassy of Colombia.
Last Thursday 15 July, on the occasion of the 211th anniversary of the signing of independence, the Embassy of Colombia made the traditional floral offering in front of the statue of the liberator Simón Bolívar, in the Parque del Oeste, and commemorated this historical milestone with the long-awaited National Day on 20 July at the residence of Ambassador Luis Guillermo Plata.
Both events were attended by representatives of the Spanish Government, headed by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and for Latin America and the Caribbean, Cristina Gallach, ambassadors accredited in Madrid, members of the diplomatic corps and nationals.
Ambassador Luis Guillermo Plata paid tribute to the men and women who paved the way for what Colombia is today, a free, sovereign and democratic country. He also took the opportunity to announce major events coming up in Madrid, considering that this year also marks 140 years of diplomatic relations between Colombia and Spain and the thirtieth anniversary of the National Constitution.
“President Iván Duque”, confirmed the Colombian ambassador, “will visit Madrid in September to commemorate the anniversary and to participate in the Book Fair, in which Colombia is the guest of honour. For this we have prepared a series of cultural meetings with about 40 Colombian authors, the Carnival of Barranquilla will come and we will have a mural representing our land in the Colombia metro station”.
Regarding the World Congress of Law Colombia 2021, in which in recent days it was confirmed that Barranquilla would be the official venue, Plata added: “Nothing could be better to celebrate this great milestone than to host a world-class event in which at least 2,000 jurists of the highest level will participate: presidents of courts, judges and, of course, HM King Felipe VI, who has already confirmed his presence for 2 and 3 December”.
The guests, including the ambassadors of the Dominican Republic, Peru, Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador and Chile, together with the Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of Ecuador and delegates from the Embassies of Brazil, Uruguay and Costa Rica, were able to enjoy the art exhibitions ‘Geodesia’ and ‘Abstracciones’, taste different dishes, snacks and drinks from Crepes and Waffles and Café Raizal and remember what Colombianness is with the music of the Barranquilla artist Nicolás Tovar.
