In the picture the Minister Counsellor from Panama, Armonia Belchieur, Edith Bergansius, the Ambassador of Chile, H.E. María Teresa de Jesús Infante Caffi and the Ambassador of Uruguay, H.E. Laura Dupuy Lasserre.
One hundred years of Hispanism in The Hague were celebrated by a group of important supporters of Edith Bergansius’ outstanding commitment towards the Spanish language and the promotion of the Spanish speaking countries’ literature and history.
Bergansius, Chair of the Asociación Hispánica de La Haya since 2006, described during her extemporaneous speech the history of the association from its outset as the Holland-Spain Association. It was created on 30 October 1920 in the aftermath of the Great War to support the sister association that had been created in Madrid, which was Holland-Spain. There were 37 influential people in The Netherlands who supported the creation of the association composed by 2 women and 35 men. Seven years later the group started to divided into different Spanish associations first in Amsterdam, followed by Groningen, Rotterdam, Utrech, and others.
After the war in 1947, it was decided to change the name of the association since Latin America began to become more prominent due to commercial exchanges, especially through Shell deals. It was finally called the Associación Hispánica de La Haya. Now with nearly 200 members they are the oldest as well as largest Hispanic association in The Netherlands.
We can say that during that last 13 years of Bergansius’ presidency every Spanish speaking country contributed to the association with one, or many cultural events based in the literature, the history, and other aspect of their culture.
The symbolic event with a very limited guests owing to the ongoing pandemic restrictions was held at Carlton Ambassador’s Hotel in the presence of the Ambassador of Uruguay, H.E. Laura Dupuy Lasserre; the Ambassador of Chile, H.E. María Teresa de Jesús Infante Caffi; the Minister Counsellors from Panama; Armonia Belchieur; from Ecuador, Fernando Echevarria; from Nicaragua, Sherly Noguera; Counsellors in charge of Cultural Affairs of the embassies of Spain, Luis Tejero González; Mexico; Jorge Delgado; Consul de Argentina, Juna Ignacio; El Salvador, Susana Patricia Azucena Mancia; diplomats from Colombia, Peru.
From the heart of the Asociación Hispánica de La Haya, the accountant Xander Nootenboom, the secretary Monstserrat Barbera Poix, and the Webmaster Peggy Booig attended. Elvira Bergansius, a lawyer and only child of Edith proudly attended the intimate event with her partner.
Edith Bergansius is a major point of reference for the Spanish language and culture community in The Hague, and she is also a key partner to embassies of Spanish-speaking countries, thanks to her engagement in promoting the Spanish language and the culture by organizing countless cultural events attended by hundreds of guests.
Diplomat Magazine congratulates the Hispanic Association for its 100th anniversary and wishes Edith Bergansius many years of success.
