News from Berlin

News from Berlin – Last Friday, on the 8th of August the state of Ecuador had its 205th Independence Day, which was officially celebrated in the Potsdam residence of Jorge Jurado, Ecuadorian Ambassador to Germany. The entrance was adorned by flags with spectacular landscapes of the South American country and its slogan, “Ecuador – love life”. As Ecuadorian citizens and guests from various diplomatic corps were arriving, the crew of the Embassy greeted everyone with a handshake. After the welcoming words and speech of the Ambassador, guests could listen to  relaxing Andean rhythms performed by Leo Rojas talent show winner, while traditional Ecuadorian food and beverages were served, bringing Northwestern Latin American cuisines closer to the audience.

In his speech Jorge Jurado talked about the case of the US American oil consortium Chevron-Texaco against the state of Ecuador. He explained the fight of the local population against the large-scale contamination of the Amazons caused by the bad practices of the company. He then highlighted that for the damage caused by Chevron-Texaco since 1972, the company has had to pay 19 billion US dollars, which is the highest environmental fine in the world.

Regarding the international relations of the country, he emphasized that Ecuador is maintaining good trade relations with Germany and ended with the hope that it will remain the same in the future. As for current world affairs, he declared the absolute solidarity of Ecuador to the Palestinian people.    

The Ambassador Jorge Jurado wanted to echo the socioeconomic improvements that Ecuador has achieved since the political party Alianza País won the elections in 2006. Most of them have translation in international index terms and macroeconomic figures. Their GDP have grown at a 4.9 per cent this year and it is expected that it increases in the future. Ecuador has surplus in their commercial balance. However, the most important accomplishment of this small country in the American Andes, is their “Social Economy of the Knowledge”, which means that education is their strength in fighting for development. Jurado also pointed that Ecuador is the leader of the Latin American countries in the reduction of inequalities in Latin America, according to the CEPAL (Economic Commission for Latin America).

The unique atmosphere around the event was created by Leo Rojas- the Ecuadorian musician who composes traditional Ecuadorian music in Germany. His career in Germany started for real in 2011, when Leo won a Super Talent show. This special ambience that Leo’s music creates is also thanks to traditional quechua instruments he plays: quenacho, antara, zanjas, zampona. Leo Rojas describes his music as “A sounding highway through the bustling Indian villages, endless cornfields and the impenetrable rain forests of his native Ecuador”. Indeed, when listening to his music one can feel like being far away from the hustling and bustling everyday city life.  

Kata Szabo, Agnieszka Laskowska, Iria Ameixeiras Cundíns

News from Berlin- Berlin Global