Colombian-Croatian chamber plans grand diaspora meeting

The Colombian-Croatian Economic Chamber, established three years ago, would like to host the next South American Croatian diaspora meeting, which could be organised at the end of this year.

Two weeks ago, the 8th such meeting was held in the Brazilian city of São Paulo, with descendants of Croats from Colombia participating for the first time, CE Report quotes HINA.

Angela Sankovich Ramirez, a communications entrepreneur, founded the Colombian-Croatian Economic Chamber exactly three years ago.

"Descendants of Croats in Colombia are scattered throughout the country. There were no Croatian language courses or anything that would bring the community together," she told Hina in São Paulo, where she gave a presentation and offered to host the next meeting.

In 2018, an honorary consulate was opened in Colombia, registering between 2,000 and 2,500 descendants of Croats. Some estimate that there are around 5,800 people of Croatian descent in the South American country.

Sankovich Ramirez, whose father came to the country in 1956 “adventurously” from Rijeka, now brings Croats together through social media and WhatsApp groups. Together with her husband Hugo, who acquired Croatian citizenship, she collaborates with the honorary consul Mauricio Rastrepo Gomez.

"When we started establishing the association, we first wanted to see who the Croats here are, how many there are and what they want," said Sankovich Ramirez, the Executive Director of the Colombian-Croatian Economic Chamber. In the future, this could become a real chamber for developing economic relations between the two countries.

In December, they received funds through a competition organised by the Croatian Government’s Council for Croats Abroad. As part of the project, they maintain ties with local people of Croatian origin, they are required to organise two events for them, such as a Statehood Day celebration, and their travel to the 8th South American Croatian Diaspora meeting, where they introduced themselves, was also covered.

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In São Paulo, there were four representatives of the Croatian community from Colombia, including the honorary consul.

"The number of applications for Croatian citizenship is growing in Colombia after the requirement to know the Croatian language was lifted," Rastrepo Gomez explained.

According to his information, there are 50 Croatian emigrants living in Colombia, and between 2,000 and 2,500 Colombians who have acquired Croatian citizenship, enabling them to work and travel across the European Union.

Sankovich Ramirez and her husband started the process of acquiring citizenship three years ago and received it six months ago. They have never been to Croatia but say they will soon travel there with Croatian passports.

They want to organise a Croatian diaspora meeting in the Colombian city of Cartagena de Indias, which, with its walls and sea, reminds them of Dubrovnik from photographs. These meetings, aimed at connecting descendants and emigrants of Croats with Croatia, are attended by representatives of the Croatian government and associations from South American countries.

A Croatian diplomat told Hina that organising such a meeting is a demanding task, which could be difficult for a newly established organisation. The Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs website carries a warning from 30 January advising "against all travel (to Colombia) unless necessary".

"The security situation there can change rapidly," the website states.

The Council for Croats Abroad, which has supported South American diaspora meetings since 2015, has yet to decide on the host.

Sankovich Ramirez says that in the meantime, they will continue with projects aimed at bringing Croatian descendants in Colombia closer together.

"We love Croatia. We will continue working on building the strongest possible community," she concluded.