He made a special appeal to the Bank of the Republic for a “fair” recognition.
News Colombia.
The first 10,000 pesos bill in Colombia was issued in 1992, as part of a series commemorating the 500th anniversary of the discovery of America. This bill was notable not only for its value, but because on the obverse it showed the face of a woman from the Emberá community, becoming an icon of Colombian paper money at the time. However, its history is intertwined with the infamous “robbery of the century” in 1994 and the eventual withdrawal of these bills.
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In October 1994, Colombia witnessed a criminal coup: the robbery of the Banco de la República, where thieves made off with 24 billion pesos. After the robbery, the authorities released the serial numbers of the stolen banknotes, urging the financial system and citizens not to accept them. This event accelerated the withdrawal from circulation of the 2,000, 5,000 and 10,000 pesos banknotes in 1995, being replaced by a new family of banknotes between September and November of that same year.
The story behind the face on the banknote
The face on the 10,000 peso bill belongs to Adriana Martínez Dogirama, an Emberá woman. In a recent interview with Semana magazine, Alejandra Banubio Martínez, Adriana’s daughter, shared details about how her mother found out that her image appeared on the bill. Her mother was 14 years old when her photo was taken, but she said she never imagined that her face would be printed on a bill, Alejandra said.
According to Alejandra, it was in 1992 when people began to tell Adriana that she was “the lady with the banknote,” which generated a mixture of surprise and pride in her community. The image was captured by photographer Mauricio Pardo in Santa María de Condoto, Chocó, Adriana’s birthplace, according to the story.
“I didn’t know that I was going to appear on a banknote, nor did the photographer, Mr. Mauricio Pardo, have any idea. We never thought we would reach the situation we are in right now,” he said.
The fight for recognition
Her daughter began to investigate further and, due to a series called “The Robbery of the Century”, where the bill and Adriana’s photo also appear.
He said he had been in contact with the Bank of the Republic, although not directly, but he says that the bank denies that it is Adriana and, on the contrary, claims that it was a product of the designers’ imagination. “The photo that was taken, the real photo and the banknote coincide in many things.”
The current situation for women is difficult; they live off fishing, the art of their community and tourism, they said.
Now they are asking that the lady from the Emberá community receive recognition for the image that was printed on the bills of that denomination. “I would like to see a fair recognition given to Mrs. Adriana Martínez Dogirama, since her image was inspired by the 10 thousand pesos bill and now this opportunity is being given so that everything comes to light and it is recognized that she is the true lady of the bills,” said Alejandra Banubio.
Here is the full interview:
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