Once again, controversy aroused over the reinstallation of the statue of Sebastián de Belalcazar in Cali, the same one that was torn down by indigenous Misak in the framework of the national strike that began in April 2021 and which had the capital of Valle del Cauca as one of its epicenters.
Through a decree issued on April 1, the Mayor's Office of Cali ordered the reinstallation of the monument located northwest of the capital of Vallecaucana, which again raised blister in certain sectors of society, so the administration made a further clarification.
The district administration announced that parallel to the reinstallation of the statue of Sebastián de Belalcazar, progress is being made in a collective process for the construction of a new monument representing Cali's diversity.
Leonardo Medina Patiño, Undersecretary of Heritage, Libraries and Cultural Infrastructure of the Ministry of Culture of Cali, explained on this topic that dialogues have already been held with Afro-descendant and indigenous communities.
Statue of Belalcazar will not be installed until there is a new dialogue with the community
Regarding the monument of Sebastián de Belalcázar, the official indicated that it has already been restored and the date of installation has yet to be defined, because according to him, it is an issue that must be made concrete with the citizens to prevent the statue from being damaged again or even a new demolition.
“We must first carry out these efforts of dialogue with the communities so that they will not suffer any other type of demolition or vandalism,” explained Leonardo Medina Patiño.
As reported by the Mayor's Office of Cali this Wednesday, April 6, a new day of consultation with the community will be convened in the coming days in order to establish the date of installation of the statue of Belalcazar.
For his part, Mayor Jorge Iván Ospina said that the monuments built must make visible the ethnic plurality, multiculturalism and diversity that make up the citizens of Cali.
He also indicated that the installation of the statue of Belalcazar has to be installed with other conditions and some modifications. The foregoing, taking into account the reasons of the indigenous communities for bringing it down during the national strike last year.
“It is important then that we not only think that the statue should be placed within a historical context, but that we animate new monuments to make it possible to make visible all of us who inhabit space,” added the president of the Caleños.
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