euskalkultura.eus

The work, supported by the city’s General Directorate of Sustainable Development, and Tourism, is located at the south entrance of the city and aspires to become a place for reflection on “the totalitarian overflow and the struggle for life and peace.” Painted by local artist, Jorge Romero, it is expected to be inaugurated in 10 days or so, as the National Deputy, Jose Andres Arocena, told EuskalKultura.com. 

Florida, Uruguay.   Located at the southern entrance of the Eastern Republic of Uruguay, a hundred kilometers from the capital, the city of Florida – head of the party by the same name – is the birthplace for Uruguayan independence when in 1825, the then Eastern Province declared its independence form the Brazilian empire. This historic reference, and the large presence of Basque immigration in the area – some towns are more than 25% of Basque surnames – has motivated the creation of a mural reproducing Pablo Picasso’s Guernica, which once completed will be one of the unique characteristics in all of Uruguay.

Jose Andres Arocena, national deputy of the Uruguay Parliament, descent of Basques and native member of the Department of Florida, explained to us, “the administration has been developing a series of mural that are part of the Route of Murals on urban walkways,” the last of which has been planned and will be called the Mural of Peace, a recreation of Pablo Picasso’s masterpiece Guernica,” he said. 

The artist in charge is painter, Jorge Romero, who has done other work in the city.  Romero started on the mural at the end of March and local media are predicting its completion in a month or so, and that it will be ready to inaugurate in the month of May.  For the event a special Tribute Commission of the Mural of Guernica – Gernika in Florida was created comprised of Basque descendants, the Spanish Association of Florida, and the local administration.

The Eastern Guernica will be located at the southern entrance of the city and will be the same size of the original according to project directors.  It is hoped that it will become “a place to stop, think and reflection the importance of the values of humanity, of life and peace, as well as paying tribute to the Basque people it is a call to peace, while adding touristic value to the city.”

Gauchos, Easterners and Basques

While communicating with us, the deputy Jose Andres Arocena, stressed the importance of the project as it required mobilizing a large number of the residents of Florida because of the large number of Basque descendants there.  “Some have been here for generations while others are “gauchos and Easterners”; others, on the other hand, are first or second generation and their contribution is different, but we all share the same spirit and this has been incredible to get together and plan activities together,” he assures.

Deputy Arocena, was born in a Basque family in Uruguay with roots in Goizueta, Navarre, and was reelected in 2014 as a deputy of the Uruguayan Parliament for the National Party, a party, he explains, that was founded by a Basque, Manuel Oribe, in 1836, and which currently has 32 deputies, 12 of which have Basque last names among their first two.”

In his enthusiasm to strengthen ties between the two shores, Arocena visited the hometown of his ancestors in the plains of Urumea in 2013.  During his stay in the Basque Country he was welcomed by the president of the Basque Parliament in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Bakartxo Tejeria.