The woman is demanding recognition, claiming that she “didn’t know she was going to appear on a banknote.”
News Colombia.
Recently, an interview in Semana magazine revealed the story of Adriana Martínez Dogirama, a woman from the Emberá community who claims to be the person who inspired the design of the 10,000 pesos bill, which began to circulate in Colombia in 1992 and was withdrawn from circulation in 1995 after a robbery at a branch of the Banco de la República in Valledupar.
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Adriana, in the interview, recalled the moment when photographer Mauricio Pardo took a photo of her without imagining that her face would appear on the bill. “I didn’t know I was going to appear on a bill,” she said. However, the recent response from the Bank of the Republic has generated confusion regarding the authenticity of her statement.
The Bank of the Republic said that the image on the banknote is an “original work in itself” that is inspired by the general features of Emberá women, highlighting cultural elements such as facial paint, necklaces and earrings. According to the entity, the illustration is not an exact representation of Adriana, but rather an artistic representation of the cultural identity of the community.
“The illustration that appears on the bill does not consist of the identifiable, inherent and individual image of any person, but rather the artistic representation of Emberá women,” they said.
The organization indicated that the confusion between the illustration and the Emberá woman would be the result of the inclusion of characteristic features of this community.
Adriana Martínez sent a letter to the Bank of the Republic in 2023
Despite this clarification, the controversy persists. In March 2023, Adriana sent a letter through a lawyer to the Banco de la República requesting recognition for the use of her image. In May of the same year, the entity responded explaining the design process of the banknote and reaffirming its commitment to the preservation and dissemination of Colombian cultural heritage.
“We declare that the Bank of the Republic, in the development of its constitutional and legal functions, collaborates in the rescue, preservation, analysis and dissemination of the cultural heritage of the nation to strengthen the cultural identity of the Colombian people, based on which it develops its cultural and scientific functions.”
They fight for recognition
Adriana Martínez Dogirama’s daughter said in the interview that both the face on the banknote and the real photo “match in many ways,” and asks that her mother receive “fair” recognition.
“I would like Mrs. Adriana Martínez Dogirama to receive fair recognition, since her image was inspired by the 10,000 pesos bill and now this opportunity is being given for everything to come to light and for it to be recognized that she is the true lady of the bills,” said Alejandra Banubio, daughter of the Emberá woman.
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