The 2022 edition will be held on Saturday, October 1 and Sunday, October 2, with more than 500 places open to the public, 1,000 cultural events and a screening of the film work by Concepción “China” Zorrilla, a figure honored in this edition under the slogan “ Culture of two shores”. “Understanding ourselves as Uruguayans implies understanding ourselves as people from the River Plate and Zorrilla embodies that identity,” assured the Minister of Education and Culture.
The presentation took place this Tuesday, the 20th, in the Nelly Goitiño room of the Sodre National Auditorium, with the presence of the acting President of the Republic, Beatriz Argimón; the Minister of Education and Culture, Pablo da Silveira; the undersecretary of the portfolio, Ana Ribeiro; the director general of the National Cultural Heritage Commission, William Rey Ashfield; the president of the Uruguayan Post Office, Rafael Navarrine; the national director of Culture, Mariana Wainstein; the president of Sodre, Adela Dubra, and the Uruguayan actress Cristina Moran.
Argimón highlighted the figure of «China» Zorrilla as an ambassador of the River Plate culture and highlighted the importance of the event, which allows all Uruguayans to rediscover the rich national history, learn more about the honoree, visit places and witness cultural events.
Da Silveira, meanwhile, affirmed that Heritage Day is a cultural event with a long tradition that shows the best of national politics, given that it was never interrupted, despite the rotation of political parties in the exercise of power or with the pandemic. “That speaks of the capacity of Uruguayan democracy to build State policies,” he assured.
The continuity of the event is assured because it is a popular festival, Uruguayans throughout the country appropriated this festivity and made it their own, he reflected, adding that the cultural agenda is largely marked by this festivity.
In addition, he pointed out that choosing the theme for Heritage Day is complex because of the people or institutions to be recognized, but he assured that there were no difficulties for the election of “China” Zorrilla, and that is due to a peculiarity of the honoree, who already she was a legend when she was alive.
He added that the River Plate approach that characterizes this recognition is a profound aspect of the country’s identity, because Uruguayan culture and history cannot be understood if it is not viewed from a perspective that exceeds territorial limits. “Understanding ourselves as Uruguayans implies understanding ourselves as people from the River Plate and China Zorrilla embodies all that,” she remarked.
For his part, Rey reported that, on this occasion, in addition to the activities that hundreds of public and private institutions organized throughout the country, for Saturday, October 1 and Sunday, October 2, an original meeting will be added on Friday, October 30. September at the Auditorio Nacional del Sodre, where well-known figures from the entertainment industry will remember their link with China through memories and anecdotes.
He stressed that, in this edition, through an agreement with the National Institute of Statistics (INE), information about the event will be collected, which will later allow the development of more accurate policies.
Also on this day, through an agreement with the Municipality of Montevideo, the National Institute of Uruguayan Cinema and Audiovisual (ICAU) and the Embassy of Argentina, it will be possible to attend more than 100 places where Zorrilla’s cinematographic work will be screened in different departments.
