06/20/2021 18:31
Clarín.com
Politics
Updated 06/20/2021 6:31 PM
Alberto Fernández was once again at the center of the controversy for a sentence pronounced in an official ceremony, after the criticism he received for the Litto Nebbia quote about Brazilians and Mexicans.
"We have descendants
who became African Americans
," the President said Sunday, in an appearance for Flag Day.
From the Quinta de Olivos, the president delivered a
heartfelt speech
about the Homeland, on the occasion of the 201st anniversary of the death of Manuel Belgrano.
He was connected by videoconference with the Monument to the Flag of Rosario, where the Santa Fe governor, Omar Perotti, the mayor of Rosario, Pablo Javkin, and the Minister of Defense, Agustín Rossi, were present.
Along with them, on the banks of the Paraná River, there was a group of fourth grade students, prepared for the pledge of allegiance.
Perhaps emboldened
by the presence of the boys, Fernández gave a
fiery patriotic speech.
After recalling the historical and political contribution of Belgrano, the President said: "We also remember Belgrano because he made this flag, which equals us all and represents us all. And today you are going to swear allegiance to this flag, which is to swear to him loyalty to the fatherland ".
Alberto Fernández participated by videoconference in an event for Flag Day in Rosario.
Photo Juan José García
Then he rehearsed
a fatherly lesson
for the younger ones, in which he had the slip that recalled his controversial words about the origin of Brazilians and Mexicans and the subsequent accusations of racism.
"You will say
'What is the homeland, Alberto?
Can you explain it to me?'" He began from Olivos.
"Look, the homeland is
all of us
. We live in an immense territory, the eighth country in the world in terms of territory. A
very diverse
homeland in terms of
people,
" continued Alberto F.
And he detailed: "We have our native peoples, we have
descendants who became African Americans
, we have immigrants, we have descendants of immigrants."
What does sir say ??? @ alferdez: "We have descendants who became African Americans."
pic.twitter.com/o8LqQvNS3B
- Dani Lerer (@danilerer) June 20, 2021
"It is a plural society, with a lot of diversity. Every day we fight so that this diversity is a source of pride, of daily work, where
no one ever suffers from differences
and we are all respected," Fernández completed.
Of all his words, one phrase caught our attention: "We have descendants who became African Americans."
And again, the president's mistake caused ironies and memes on social networks.
Nebbia's phrase and insufficient funds
Users recalled the scandalous statements of June 9, when he shared an act with Pedro Sánchez, Spanish Prime Minister, and confused some verses by his beloved Litto Nebbia with others awarded to the Mexican poet Octavio Paz.
"Octavio Paz once wrote that the Mexicans came out of the Indians,
the Brazilians came out of the jungle
, but we Argentines came from the ships. They were ships that came from Europe," Alberto F. said on that occasion, next to the representative of the Spanish government.
What Fernández did not realize was that this phrase belongs to Nebbia, one of his favorite artists.
And not Octavio Paz.
In reality, the phrase attributed to the Nobel Prize in Literature is the following: "Mexicans descend from the Aztecs, Peruvians from the Incas, and Argentines from ships."
The press conference of Alberto Fernándeza and Pedro Sanchez.
Photo Juano Tesone
The criticism did not take long to arrive from Brazil and Mexico: within hours, prominent personalities from those countries pointed out Fernández for his misstep and
even accused him of being a racist.
Jair Bolsonaro also participated in the shaking
,
in the midst of the difficult diplomatic relations between Argentina and Brazil.
The Brazilian president first resorted to irony: he published on his social networks a recent photo with an aboriginal tribe and a single word ("Jungle!").
Later, Bolsonaro was tougher.
He compared Fernández to Nicolás Maduro and assured: "I think that
for Maduro and Fernández there is no vaccine."
In Argentina, meanwhile, the anger was capitalized by the
invisibility of dozens of indigenous peoples
.
"He wants to continue ignoring the existence of the indigenous peoples who are the first inhabitants of this continent," Félix Díaz
,
Qom leader, told
Clarín.
After the repercussions, Fernández
offered an apology
with a message on Twitter.
Furthermore, a day later he sent a letter to the Inadi.
"I allow myself to put these reflections to your consideration for the purposes that you consider to be appropriate," the president wrote to Victoria Donda, head of the organization.
But the storm also
questioned the presidential communication
, even with concern among his own officials and with criticism from La Cámpora.
They believe that Fernández exposes himself,
improvises too much
and that in his effort he is unable to avoid conflicts with countries in the region.
In this sense, last Thursday the President used a memory aid for his speech on the bicentennial of the death of Martín Miguel de Güemes.
Not in this way could he avoid the conflict
, since the gauchos of Güemes withdrew from the vigil of June 17 due to the irruption of dozens of Kirchnerist militants despite the strong restrictions that they themselves had suffered.
And a day later they staged a real rebellion.
That rudeness, preceded by numerous protests against Fernández, led to a political crisis in Salta, which included the resignation of the president of the Emergency Committee due to the coronavirus.
DS
Look also
Alberto Fernández's confusion between a quote by Octavio Paz and a lyric by Litto Nebbia: "The Brazilians came out of the jungle"
The Argentines who did not come on the boats: what are the original peoples that inhabit the country