This Independence Day, Colombian expatriates will leave their mark on New York to celebrate the birth of their country.
Three fingerprints stamped together in the shape of a heart — colored red, blue and yellow in honor of the Colombian flag — will appear on posters and buttons at various expat haunts throughout the Big Apple and Connecticut to commemorate Colombia’s 202nd Independence Day this Friday.
The image is meant to “leave a mark on the hearts of all Colombians,” Elsa Cifuentes, a spokeswoman for the Colombian Consulate’s New York office, told La Semana magazine. “It’s an icon that links identity to love of country — a feeling that grows even stronger in foreign lands.”
If that’s the case, the image is sure to pull the heartstrings of a few homesick countrymen this Friday; according to the consulate, there are some 500,000 Colombians living in upstate New York alone.
Created by expat graphic designers Ivan Onatra and Gustavo Carvajal, the heart will provide a patriotic visual to go with four days of celebrations planned by the Colombian consulate. This year’s festivities begin July 18 and last well past the July 20 Independence Day, featuring traditional music, food, and dance.
For detailed event listings, visit the New York consulate’s event page.
