The award from the Colombian Embassy to ten Colombians who leave the country’s name high is a tribute to the migrant this year. Through the recognition of a dozen people who work in different fields, it recognizes all those who have forged a new life outside our borders and who project a good image of Colombia through their works.
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Since 2015, the Embassy awards these awards and shows that Colombian talent is present in the most diverse areas. This year he highlighted trajectories in the social, business, scientific, sports and artistic fields. “His hard work, dedication and passion have been recognized and rewarded in a nation that values diversity and talent,” said the ambassador, Eduardo Ávila Navarrete. “Your presence here today is a sign of your impact and your ability to excel,” he added.
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In this sense, Harvin Orozco, creator of the Lakama group, explains that the award “gives visibility to the person who emigrates and leaves family and friends, who becomes strong in the face of adversity and starts again”. And that, in addition to the difficulties that all migrants go through, they must deal with the bad reputation that the country suffers from some international sectors. “Colombians fight every day against this stigma,” Orozco explained to EL TIEMPO, “and the correct way to change that mentality is to excel with work, with dedication and showing that Colombia is passion, it is love, it is struggle, it is sacrifice.” He adds that the effort is fueled by “patriotic love for a wonderful country with the most beautiful people in the world.”
Orozco is one of the winners who leave a good taste in the mouth. His group has several inclusive premises in the Chueca neighborhood, in Madrid. His latest restaurant, Aguapanela, serves typical dishes in a pleasant atmosphere that recreates Colombian atmospheres in different rooms, such as the mangroves or the Guajiro desert.
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In the field of gastronomy, the trajectory of Jose Humberto Martinez, founder of the José Pan bakeries, a true Colombian emblem in Madrid. It was one of the pioneering places where Colombians went in search of pandeyucas, almojábanas and roscones in Spain. Now it has several offices, where more than one hundred compatriots work. He assured that the recognition is very “important” for his country, his family and “for all Colombians who have left our land.”
In the Canary Islands the Colombian flavor is also present. Attest to this is the Café Regina, named in honor of its owner’s grandmother, Mario Gil, another of the winners. As head of the M&M Restauración business consortium, Gil has brought the aroma of our coffee to more than seven establishments, which are supplied with grain grown in Caldas.
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They took care of representing food for the soul Stefany Moreno and yeison garciadancer and poet, respectively.
I am deeply proud of having been born in Colombia, as I am of all that I have experienced in Spain; I am from both lands.
Moreno is dedicated to acrobatic salsa and other Latin rhythms. He has 24 years of artistic life. She is a teacher and artistic director of the Estrellas Mundiales de Danza School, which has been in operation for more than ten years. She has graced stages as far away as Los Angeles and has competed in contests like Got Talent. Upon receiving the award, she recalled the effort and dedication she needed to get ahead in a country that did not see her born.
García, who arrived in Spain at the age of nine, is the director of Afro Conscience, an artistic, cultural and political proposal that highlights the Afro value. He has a degree in Political Science and a master’s degree in Research Methodology in Social Sciences. And he is also a poet. He had one of the most emotional moments when he read some verses when he received the award. “I am deeply proud of being born in Colombia, just as I am of everything I have experienced in Spain; I am from both lands”, says the author of the collection of poems Derecho de admisión.
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With society in mind
The social aspect shone in the awards from various angles. John Jairo Romero is a representative of victims abroad and founder of the Revivir association, which has advised more than 900 families. He promotes the process of historical memory and claims the rights of victims to truth, justice, comprehensive reparation, non-repetition, and return. He revealed that he came to Spain “to safeguard life” and expressed his desire to “die in Colombia.”
the activist Monica Montano Garces fight for the eradication of slums where thousands of workers in the agricultural sector survive in regions such as Huelva, in eastern Spain. She is a professor at the Faculty of Psychology, Education and Sports Sciences at the University of Huelva and a businesswoman in the port sector. She is Secretary of Organization of the Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) in Lepe and Secretary of Migrations of Huelva.
Martha Patricia Goyeneche Guevara, on the other hand, stands out in the world of communications. Journalist from the Jorge Tadeo Lozano University, specializing in documentaries from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, he works with the Government of Malaga on the radio program Nuevos Malagueños. With his microphone, he has been dedicated since 2007 to commenting on aspects of migration and interviewing people who stand out outside their country of origin. He touches on all the issues that concern the diversity of cultures: language, associations, legal aspects, gastronomy, folklore…
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science and sport
The awards also highlighted the work of Colombians who work for others in the scientific field. Juan Andres Echeverri Cifuentes He is a graduate of the CES University of Medellín. He arrived in Spain in 2008, when he began his training in General Surgery and Digestive System. For four years he has been part of the Hepatobiliary Transplant and Surgery Unit of the Marqués de Valdecilla Hospital in Santander, in the north of the peninsula. “Throughout his professional career and his specialty, he has managed to increase access to organs for many patients on the waiting list,” says the Embassy, which emphasizes that he has saved “hundreds of lives.”
And, of course, Colombian sport also shines in Spain. He does it under the name of Pablo Echeverry, a young 20-year-old motorcyclist who has more than 14 years of experience in circuits and championships in places like Italy and Spain. He is competing for the second year in the Aprilia Rs 660 Cup, in Italy, where he has already been on the podium. His next race will take place on October 8-9 in Imola, Italy. He declares himself “proud to carry the flag” of his country to “all circuits.” He lives in Palma de Mallorca and this time he also won a prize, but not in a motorcycle race.
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Migration contributions
In the words that the ambassador addressed to those present, he highlighted the importance of Colombian migration in Spain in different aspects. Regarding labor, he “has contributed to the Spanish economy through the increase in the labor force and the flow of remittances sent to Colombia.” In the cultural area “it has enriched Spanish society with the richness of Colombian culture.” Socially, he “has created Colombian communities in Spain” that help migrants “maintain their cultural identity while building lives in their new home.”
The awards ceremony took place on January 31 at the Embassy headquarters in Madrid, where nearly 70 guests tasted typical snacks.
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More than 70 Colombians have received this recognition for their good work throughout the eight years of the award’s life. Some of them have been the soccer players Radamel Falcao García and Leicy Santos; the painter Duván López; businessmen Almudena and Ana Espinosa, Óscar Colmenares (from the New York Burger restaurant), Elizabet Delgado (from the typical restaurants Patacón Pisao and La Rochela); chefs Jon Giraldo (from Anormal) and Andrés Felipe López (from Mugaritz); the horticulturist Andrés Daroca; the designers Melissa Losada-Bofill, Marcela Vélez Osorno and Paola Quintana; medical researcher Marco Marzola Payarés; the hairdresser Eduardo Sánchez; the actor Juan Pablo Shuk; the musicians Rubén Darío Reina and Juan Alonso Mendoza; and businesswoman Beatriz Fernández (from Crepes & Waffles).
JUANITA SAMPER OSPINA
FOR THE TIME
MADRID
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