A controversy broke out after the statue of the historic Colombian bullfighter was removed on Tuesday, June 25, Cesar Rinconfrom the vicinity of the Duitama bullring, Boyacá. This event was attended by the senator of the Historical Pact Esmeralda Hernandezauthor of the project approved by Congress that prohibits bullfighting and the director of the Department of Social Prosperity, Gustavo Bolivar.
The decision was made by the mayor José Luis Bohórquez within the framework of the transformation of that space into a “peasant market, art and culture scene” and the launch of the call for mayors of other municipalities to access resources to reconvert the bullrings.
Gustavo Bolívar and Esmeralda Hernández.
Photo:@GustavoBolivar
Although the municipal administration clarified that the statue of Rincón It will undergo maintenance and will be relocated to another space where the story of the bullfighter will be told.the withdrawal that was recorded and published on social networks generated annoyance.
In fact, Gustavo Gómez, director of Caracol Radio’s 6 am, asked himself: “Was it necessary to proceed in an offensive manner? Orchestrate in Duitama a hurtful spectacle with the statue of César Rincón, as if it were that of Hussein or Mussolini, tearing it down with applause and shouts? If they were going to do it, could they have proceeded with some decorum with Rincón, who has always been a proud Colombian at the world level?
Gustavo Dominguezhistorian, asserted that the rejection of a sector of the population is due to the fact that it is a symbol of Colombian culture: “It generally causes a lot of commotion in the community when, overnight, a decision by a current mayor breaks with a traditional scheme. and cultural for many years. Since it has been there it has been part of the significance of the town.”
Duitama bullring.
Photo:@GustavoBolivar
The statue of the Bogota bullfighter César Rincón was made by the sculptor Argemiro Díaz Moreno and located since February 2003 in Duitama. Members of the Association of Friends of the César Rincón de Duitama Bullring contracted and paid for the work.
What did the mayor explain?
José Luis Bohórquez, mayor of Duitama, Boyacá.
Photo:@JLuisBohorquez
EL TIEMPO consulted the mayor of Duitama about the permits he would have to remove the statue and The official indicated that the figure was located on a property that was handed over to the Institute of Recreation and Sports. “In that order of ideas, the mayor’s office manages and has the right of ownership over those assets and over what is on those assets,” he said.
Furthermore, according to Bohórquez, Municipal Decree 434 authorizes the Planning Office to make decisions about the statues. “It also had a structural and aesthetic affectation: the head of one of the characters was hanging with a stick, there was also a kind of fungus that was taking over the statue because it has been abandoned for more than 20 years.”
The local president assured that once the statue is relocated it will have spaces on its sides for historical memory where its importance will be explained.
This newspaper also consulted Senator Esmeralda Hernández, who clarified that the Duitama bullring has not held bullfights since 2019 because it does not comply with the requirements of the Constitutional Court in his sentence 666. “Today it would be illegal to hold bullfights,” he commented.
For this reason, he points out, Duitama plaza does not fall within the transition period that other plazas such as Manizales and Cali will have.in which for now bullfights can be held on their fair dates.
What was Gustavo Bolívar doing?
The presence at the removal of the statue of César Rincón of the director of the DPS, Gustavo Bolívar, was due to the fact that several announcements were made of the call “Transformations for life”, in which the idea is to convert 15 bullrings into markets farmers this year and 20 in 2025. He was not involved in the decision to remove the statue, which was exclusive to the mayor.
“We found an ally mayor who is going to be a pilot of this idea (transformations for life) and that on Sundays in these squares there are peasant markets and we from Social Prosperity are going to deliver the furniture to the mayor, which consists of apartments and tents,” he said.
JUAN PABLO PENAGOS RAMÍREZ
Political Journalist EL TIEMPO
