Ministry of Foreign Affairs presents book that expresses gratitude for international solidarity with Chilean men and women persecuted by the dictatorship

The book Solidarity was launched today at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile, a publication containing more than 120 posters from 23 countries that showed solidarity with Chileans who were persecuted by the dictatorship.

It was prepared by the Division of Cultures, Arts, Heritage and Public Diplomacy (Dirac) of the Ministry, in collaboration with the Museum of Memory and Human Rights. It aims to show Chile's appreciaton for the governments, artists, cultural groups and various actors in the international community who denounced the abuses and supported the Chilean people in their struggle against the dictatorship through the arts, visual language and creative expression. Culture became a fundamental pillar of resistance and a means of dissemination and political commitment.

The presentation was led by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alberto van Klaveren, who said that, with this publication, "our institution joins the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the coup d'état that broke democracy in Chile. This is an opportunity for the country to open spaces for dialogue and memory about this dramatic event that marked our history in blood and fire and also opens the way for us to think about democracy and address the challenges we face as a society with a new look".

"The book shows posters by creators from the furthest corners of the planet who, through their creative and committed work, illustrated to the world what was happening in Chile and showed solidarity with a fractured people. We bring them together in these pages as witnesses of a period in our history that we never want to see repeated in Chile or anywhere else in the world," added the minister.

Meanwhile, the director of Dirac, Ambassador Carola Muñoz, said that this publication "is our tribute of solidarity and an exercise of memory and gratitude to the selfless help of countries, international organizations, institutions, communities and individuals who empathized with Chile's pain and opened their doors to the diaspora, offering them a new opportunity for life. This book is in recognition of their efforts".

The director of the Museum of Memory and Human Rights, María Fernanda García, also participated in the book release. In addition, an audiovisual piece was shown, which is part of the project "50 years: identity, memory and future", carried out by the Imagen de Chile Foundation, and which seeks to portray how identity is built beyond borders. The ceremony culminated with a performance by the Chilean singer and composer of contemporary folklore, recognized as one of the best interpreters in the Spanish-speaking world, Francesca Ancarola, accompanied by guitarist Simón Schriever and Rodrigo Galarce on double bass, who interpreted songs by Víctor Jara.