The country’s president, Gustavo Petro, was not in the capital. On this occasion, from the province of the archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina, he paid tribute to the liberator Simón Bolivar and addressed a large part of his address to the people who inhabit the lands of this island.
«Homeland is a living being called people, territory, culture. “It is a flow of history that is built from the decisions of their communities and then the nation is built,” the governor said.
In this scenario, he celebrated the victory of Colombia in the International Court of Justice, which, however, he considered relative and emphasized that this fact should lead the whole of society to reflect on the concept of a nation.
Likewise, he said he was open to dialogue with his Nicaraguan counterpart, Daniel Ortega, on the rights of the Raizal communities who fish in Nicaraguan waters in the Caribbean.
In his speech, he stressed that “Colombia is above all the Caribbean. In the midst of its diversity, there is a concept that softens not only in Colombia, but in almost all countries of this beautiful sea, this is the concept of the Caribbean,” he said during the Festival for Sovereignty in San Andrés.
In this context, he referred to the process of struggles that allowed the birth of a sovereign state.
Jamaica, Haiti, Venezuela, Cartagena and Maracaibo are cities, like others, on the stage of the birth of the Republic of Colombia. Without a Caribbean called Jose Prudencio Padilla, without a battle in the Caribbean Sea, right there in Maracaibo, we couldn’t celebrate July 20.”
Also for the first time, a woman, Vice President of Colombia Francia Marquez, presided over the traditional military parade in the capital where the armed forces and police demonstrated their capabilities.
Today we celebrate National Independence Day, we celebrate the struggle that gave us the possibility to build our future. On July 20, 2023, we celebrate the change that pushes us towards ensuring a decent life for our people.”
The large female presence was very frequent in this traditional celebration, in which more than nine thousand members of the public force participated.
In this sense also, for the first time, the many divisions of only women who are part of the infantry battalions of the army, navy and police are shown.
Francia Marquez asserted that the cry of independence of July 20 brought together the demands of women, men, blacks, Creoles, whites, indigenous people, peasants, and mestizo who fought for freedom.
He emphasized that this cry has been repeated since then for movement towards a true abolition of slavery and the establishment of democracy, self-government and equality.
“In 2023, we continue to build our freedom with every action that honors our collective dignity and our dignity on our lands as citizens of Colombia,” he stressed.
In the course of this celebration, the second Legislative Assembly of the Government of Change was also inaugurated, with Petro urging members of Congress and the entire Colombian society to move towards a national agreement to achieve the real transformations of the country.
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