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Rosario, Argentina.  The President of Navarre arrived yesterday afternoon in Rosario, on her first official visit to Argentina.  Here, she will inaugurate the program of festivities for the Centennial of the Navarrese Center in Rosario.   Her official business will begin first thing this morning with a reception provided to the Delegation of Navarre by the local Mayor, Monica Frein.  Barcina, who will be accompanied by the presidents of the Navarrese clubs of Buenos Aires, Mar del Plata, Mendoza, Bolivar and the one of Rosario, will receive the “Distinguished Visitor” from this city of nearly one million inhabitants, the second/third most important in the country.

The program also includes a visit by Barcina to the University Cultural Space, where the directors will present her with an academic recognition, as well as award the Centro Navarro in Rosario with another acknowledgement, “for its history and contribution to the city of Rosario.” She will also attend a conference on the Marsa Zero project, a plan of monitoring and controlling hospital infections subsidized by the Government of Navarre that will be given by project director in Santa Fe, Joaquin Bermejo.

Honoring emigrants and the center

[The Marsa Zero Project began in October 2008 thanks to an agreement between the Government in Santa Fe, the Government of Navarre, and the city of Rosario among other entities including the local Navarrese Center. During this first phase, the Government of Navarre facilitated the stay of health professionals in its hospitals in hopes of familiarizing them with steps taken by Osasunbidea – Navarre’s Health Service in order to avoid hospital infections.  The techniques that they learned in Navarre are already being applied with very good results in 11 hospitals in the province of Santa Fe, according to a press note by Barcina’s government]

Barcina will visit an exhibit by painter Juan Grela and the Principal Theater of Asturias in the Parque de España and will present honors to Navarrese immigrants to Rosario who are members of the Center, mostly children or grandchildren of people from Navarre who immigrated to Argentina.  She will also award the institution with a copy of the painting “The Market of Elizondo,” by Javier Ciga whose original hangs in the town hall in Iruña-Pamplona.  During the event there will also be performance by local dantzaris.

Beginning of celebrations in Funes

A lunch at the “July 7th” farm, owned by the Centro Navarro of Rosario and situated in Funes, in the outskirts of the city, will open the celebrations of the club’s centennial. The center currently has 400 members, “half of which are under the age of 25.” Attending the event, besides the president, will be directors and members of the institution, as well as representatives of other Navarrese entities in Argentina, as well as the dance group from each. The “July 7^th” farm is a large social area, with pool, sports facilities and a fronton that was constructed in 2005, thanks to 180,000 Euros from the Government of Navarre.  Both the facilities in Funes as well as the club in Rosario were previously visited by former president, Miguel Sanz.

On Saturday, after a walk on the banks of the Parana and its islands, Yolanda Barcina will meet at the Centro Navarro in Rosario with the directors of the Federation of Navarran Centers in Argentina presided by Jose Luis Iturrat.  They will talk about the situation, activities that they carry out, and projects that they have for the future yet to develop.  Before lunch, the President will be interviewed by the host of the radio program “Horizonte Español,” Carmita Batle, who is also very involved with the Centro Navarro in Rosario and who in 2004, received the Cruz de Carlos III the Noble of Navarre Award.  

Centennial Banquet

In the afternoon, President Barcina will go to the May 25 Square led by a parade that will include the center’s gigantes, cabezudos and zaldikos as well as dancers and txistularis from the five centers who will perform in the plaza. A mass will be celebrated at the Cathedral in memory of deceased members.

Yolanda Barcina will conclude her stay in Rosario by attending the Centennial Banquet.