Uruguayan Independence Day in New York City

Thursday, August 27th 2009 - 15:56 UTC

Full article 16 comments

For many Uruguayans living in the New York area, the 25th August is not only an important day to remember their origins, but also a day to meet old and new friends, alike.

This year's ceremony was also attended by members of the diplomatic community and several visiting Uruguayan officials, supporting Uruguay's efforts at the United Nations.

On this sunny day, next to the statue of Uruguay's National Hero, General Artigas, a normally happy day in the annual calendar of events was sadly “shadowed” by a discreet disapproval of the “politicizing” of this important day, by the presence of a wreath from the Frente Amplio.

In the many years since the statue was erected in New York, many attendees were not aware of any political party having “colored” an Independence Day ceremony with an individual wreath, as ALL Uruguayans were symbolically represented by the Uruguayan flag and a wreath from the Uruguayan Consulate.

This type of political demonstration is inappropriate and can only remind Uruguayans of what can separate a society and a nation.

This is a day that should remind Uruguayans of what they can achieve together, and under one representative symbol.

by David P. Michaels - Bureau Chief, MercoPress

First Vice President, Foreign Press Association, New York

Categories: Politics, United States, Uruguay.

Top Comments

Disclaimer & comment rules

gus
The Frente Amplio flag, is the one used by Otorguez, one of Artiga's tenants in the 1812 liberation of the City of Montevideo.
Aug 28th, 2009 - 06:41 am 0
Jorge
I was deeply disappointed by your article. It's fairly simple: We are Uruguayans, we live in New York, we are proud members of the Frente Amplio, the political coalition governing the country. We want to be part of the celebrations and feel extremely welcome by our diplomatic corps. The fact that for the first time in its history, we have a Consulate that is fully inclusive, that has integrated itself into the fabric of our community, that welcomes ALL Uruguayans and more importantly, reaches out to ALL Uruguayans certainly makes a lot of us extremely proud. We were there last year too when we also presented a wreath to mark the occasion. And as you may have noticed, there were at least three other flags representing our motherland. As our President, the President of ALL uruguayans said almost five years ago: ¡Celebren uruguayos, celebren!
Aug 28th, 2009 - 10:54 am 0
Corresponsal
RE: The Frente Amplio flag, is the one used by Otorguez, one of Artiga's tenants in the 1812 liberation of the City of Montevideo

COMMENT.... but Otorguez did not have “FA” in LARGE letters across the flag!
Aug 28th, 2009 - 08:57 pm 0

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