Dean of the Latin American Diplomatic Corps and Ambassador of Honduras His Excellency Ivan Romero Martinez writes ahead of an important anniversary

During 2021,several brotherly countries from throughout Latin America – including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaraguaand Peru – will celebrate their bicentennial anniversaries of independence from the Kingdom of Spain.

For Honduras and these other countries, this will be an opportunity to explore our identities and national unity.

Important programmes, events and conferences that develop diverse hypotheses on the causes and origins of these phenomena are planned.

In each geographical area of the Americas these events came about in different ways, but with one common goal: the freedom of their people and the forging of their own national identity.

Jose Cecilio del Valle, the wise Honduran, born in Central America and author of Central America’s Act of Independence, wrote to Jeremiah Bentham:

“Allow me to beg your attention to a new Republic that has just been born and whose happiness is of my utmost interest. Permit yourself to inform me of your thoughts.”

From one end to the other, the ideas of the actions that sparked the flames in the hearts of the peoples’ Liberators started to follow.

Simón Bolívar, the liberator of America dedicated and gave his entire life for the freedom of the Latin American people.  He stated: “I have proclaimed the absolute freedom of the slaves!” and summoned a fictional congress of Panama stating:

“The day that our plenipotentiaries’ cash in on their powers, an immortal era of the history of Latin America shall be established. When after a hundred centuries, the posterity searches for the origins of our public law and they remember the agreements that consolidated their destiny, they shall respectfully register the protocols of the isthmus. In them, they shall find the plans of the first alliances that trace the routes of our relations with the universe. What will then be the isthmus of the Korinthos in comparison to that of Panama?”

In Central America, the figure of Francisco Morazán also called upon the creation of a federation of free states.

Pablo Neruda said: “High is the night and Morazán overlooks” and Alvaro Contreras said: “Remove the genius of Morazán and you have eliminated the soul of the history of Central America.”

The history of Latin America is full of men and woman that gave their lives for a new world based on freedom and independence.

These commemorations serve as a reminder of these people and their actions. They also remind us to focus our attention to the requirements and duties of a united region, of a full understanding and commitment to the needs of our people and a transformation that converts us into a region of peace, progress and most of all, respect for human dignity.

And I will finish with the wise words of Jose Cecilio del Valle: “America shall be as of today my sole occupation. America by day, when I write. America by night, when I think. The most dignified study by an American is our America!”