00:00Do you remember these photographs?
00:02They are from the tragedy unleashed by the avalanche of October 5, 1976,
00:06which left more than 71 dead and destroyed the north of a thriving and resilient city,
00:12Pereira, in the Coffee Region of Colombia.
00:14Does this image sound familiar to you?
00:16It's from the Pereira earthquake of 1995.
00:19It left 35 people dead and more than 200 injured.
00:23And this?
00:24It is the historical testimony of the Coffee Region earthquake,
00:27which in 1999 affected five departments, destroyed Armenia and brought grief to Pereira again.
00:34On August 10, 2026, another earthquake struck Colombia,
00:38leaving more than 300 dead, and 93 of those deaths were in Pereira.
00:43The capital of Risaralda also had 260 missing persons and 259 injured.
00:5069 collapsed structures and 67 damaged.
00:54The Historic Center, the Circunvalar, Barrio Cuba, Pinares, Álamos, Universidad and Perla del Otún
01:00They bear witness to that pain.
01:02That's why Pereira is celebrating its birthday this August 30th, but without a party.
01:06We grieve for your people, your streets, our stories, amidst the rubble.
01:11But these days have also reminded us what we are made of.
01:14Because while some lost so much, others were able to share what they had.
01:19While one part of the city was falling, another immediately began to rebuild it.
01:24And that's who we are too.
01:26A city that helps, a city that embraces, that doesn't leave those next to it alone.
01:31We have a long way to go.
01:33We know.
01:34But we also know something.
01:36Pereira will not get up on its own.
01:38We're going to rebuild it together.
01:40Happy birthday, Pereira.
01:42My beloved Pereira.
01:44Please don't abandon us.
01:46Here we are, we're still here, and we're going to see you shine again.
01:50Its 163rd anniversary comes amid images of grief.
01:53Rescuers, rescued, collapsed buildings,
01:56Humanitarian aid arriving from all over the country
01:59and thousands of families mourning those who died in the earthquake two weeks ago.
02:03And today it's not easy to say happy birthday to you, Pereira.
02:06Because you arrive at this anniversary wounded.
02:08Because we are going through one of the most painful moments in our history.
02:11But if the history of this city has taught us anything, it's that Pereira knows how to get back up.
02:15This is a city that has been built many times by the hands of its own people.
02:20By people from Pereira who understood that when one person alone cannot do it, we can do it together.
02:24And today we have to do it again.
02:25It is up to us to rebuild houses, streets, businesses, dreams, and even our smiles.
02:30But also to hug each other, take care of each other and help each other rebuild from within.
02:34Our anthem speaks of the mighty drive of the titans.
02:37Perhaps we have never needed to remember who we are so much.
02:40Because many things may have fallen down, but what is most important remains standing.
02:44His people.
02:45And while its people remain standing, Pereira will also rise again.
02:48With love, with light, with our own hands.
02:51And as we have always done, because we are people who love this city.
02:54Happy birthday, my Pereira.
02:56This time your gift will be to see standing up again.
02:58Today I want to send a very special greeting to the beautiful city of Pereira on its birthday.
03:05The city where I was born.
03:06A city that at this moment, and due to the events of the last few weeks
03:12He is going through moments of suffering and pain.
03:15But I am also sure that with the drive and determination of its people we will pull it through.
03:21A very special greeting from my heart to all the people of Pereira and to all those who live in Pereira.
03:29Sending you a big hug, and we'll get through this.
03:32Pereira wants to rise from the tragedy.
03:33He already did it.
03:34In the 1976 avalanche, in the 1995 and 1999 earthquakes, and now, once again in 2026,
03:42He is an example of resilience, courage, and the effort to overcome his tragedies.
03:48to heal the wounds and rebuild with love in the midst of pain.
03:51We want to tell you that today, more than ever, is the time to unite.
03:56to join our hearts and demonstrate the strength of an invincible city.
04:01Through dance, movement, and creation, we will be sowing smiles and bringing hope.
04:09Together, we will turn the page and build a Pereira full of light and color.
04:15He needs support, let's not forget that.
04:18May Colombia not abandon her, may the promises of state aid be fulfilled.
04:22that the reconstruction plans start soon and that they are executed successfully and quickly.
04:28I know we're not going through the best of times, that we had an earthquake that hit us all.
04:34businessmen,
04:34But I want to send them that word of encouragement, that we are capable, that we are moving forward,
04:40that our Pereira will rise again and become beautiful, more beautiful than before.
04:46This August 30th birthday will be different, and that avenue, August 30th,
04:50It will not be full of festive activities as the people of Pereira had planned.
04:54It will be a commemoration without a party, but with the spirit of a Pereira-style gathering.
04:58that solidarity gathering in which countrymen from all corners
05:01They join forces to build what seemed impossible.
05:03An airport, an Olympic village, a stadium, a hospital, or an aviation project.
05:08It is difficult to find such concrete and successful examples of citizen initiative in any other part of Colombia.
05:14Saying God to my city, I think about what he could have done but didn't.
05:18And here are places we think we know because we've walked their streets,
05:22learned its corners and acknowledged its pains.
05:24However, on August 10, the month in which his birthday is celebrated,
05:28Pereira felt the power of the earth once again.
05:30And in less than two minutes, those everyday places were reduced to rubble.
05:34Today, 163 years after its founding, the people of Pereira refuse to be forgotten.
05:39Landmarks and loved ones survive in conversations.
05:44The photos, the murals, the songs.
05:46Today Pereira looks different, but the drive of its people, its civic spirit, its memory, remains intact.
05:52That is why today, on his birthday, all of Colombia embraces the poem by Julio Cano Montoya,
05:57which became the city's anthem.
05:59Hail to Pereira, hail to the efforts of its heroic and good sons,
06:03that with love gave him a name, gave him fame, made him great, give him honor.
06:09Hail to the mighty thrust of the titans, of the mountain under this sun,
06:14Like Venus from the foam, she emerged from the forest, from the axe to the sun.
06:19You will never stop being great, Pereira, and many more and better birthdays will come for you.
