By Virginie Peccoud.
On August 7th, the embassy of Colombia in the Netherlands commemorated the battle of Boyacá. For this occasion, the Embassy organized a virtual conference: Colombia a country of opportunities, Adean and Amazon region. This aim was to bring people closer to the Colombian culture by analysing the opportunities and challenges of this very diverse country through art. The Colombian diversity lays in its geography, its demography and its culture.
Claudia Blum, the Colombian Minister of Foreign Affairs, started the conference with an interesting speech, giving background information. She said that it is crucial to remember the battle of Boyacá, which ended on August 7th, 1819 as it is an important milestone in the independence of Colombia and for building the nation. Hence, independence does not correspond to one precise event, but it was the result of a series of multiple political and social processes.
The minister then proudly said that throughout its Republican history, Colombia has strived for the institutional consolidation of the rule of law characterized by the separation of powers the defense of democracy and fundamental freedoms. Today, it is a country that is advancing in its process of economic and social development while trying to reduce inequalities. In addition, Minister Blum stated that her country is tone of the most stable in Latin America and that diversity is at the heart of Colombian identity.
Indeed, it is a multicultural and multiethnic country, with more than a hundred indigenous groups and almost seventy native languages. Moreover, Colombia has a very important biodiversity with the highest rates of birds and orchids in the world. Claudia Blum said that the inheritance of such a diversity can be observed in many artistic fields such as music, dance, gastronomy, literature, visual arts and so on. To conclude, the Minister said that her country strives to further open its doors to the world and increase collaboration.
Jose Rosero, who is an illustrator and visual artist explained his work. He gets inspired by his hometown and Colombian cities in general. In one of his latest work he painted carcasses of destructed colonial houses and naked walls. Two other speakers who were invited to this conference work at the Instituto Humboldt, a biological research institute specialised in the Colombian biodiversity. They were part of the creation of the Tarot de la biodiversitad, a project which bridges science and art. The goal of this card game is to raise awareness on the importance of protecting the Colombian flora and fauna but also to promote indigenous myths and legends. In other words, it provides a mystical understanding of the Colombian diversity.
Finally this event, by celebrating diversity in arts promotes and encourages Colombian creativity. It shows how much of a strength diversity is and that it should be protected and fully celebrated.
