Page 33 - DIVA 3 2025 UN_web

D iv as f or D iv
internationala

“keywords for diplomatic communication:

respect, trust and discretion”

activity as an entrepreneur in decision to quit my diplomatic
Brazil, without forgetting either career was a result of different
my artistic hobbies or my activities circumstances more linked to my
as an Ambassador wife. own country than to my husband’s
career. My husband, whose work
I recall that in one of your as a diplomat I admire, is and has
previous participations at our been also a “colleague” (we first
art exhibition, you presented met at the Brazilian Diplomatic
original compositions using School) that understands perfectly
acrylic paints and clay. How my professional situation, a friend
have the places where you that listened to and supported me,
have lived as a diplomat’s wife when I had to change directions in
influenced your artistic interests my career and start studying again
and the works you create? What triggers your for a Mastering in Sustainable Development, to face new professional
creative process? challenges, and more than that, he is a caring husband and father, so
When you are living in different countries and after 40 years of happily walking together I can only say that there is
interacting with different cultures, sometimes no place for sacrifice.
very far away from your own culture, you can’t
avoid the process of intrinsic learning that Yes, perhaps it is not sacrifices, but rather certain compromises and
becomes, through observation and practice, choices that we make, together with our partners. What are the places
part of your subconscious knowledge. In my where you have been on diplomatic assignment? How did you manage
opinion, the creative process and the work of the to cope with all the related challenges and successfully adapt? And
artist are the concrete results of that process. In what about your children?
my case, the “incredible India”, a melting pot of So far, we have been assigned to different countries in Europe,
people, cultures, colors, tastes etc. was the place (Geneva, where my husband initiated his Diplomatic Career), London
that influenced me most, and spontaneously and Berlin, in Latin America in Ecuador (and Brazil of course), India
awakened my artistic interest, especially in and Bhutan, Russia and Uzbekistan, before coming to Geneva again.
photography. The sculpture also flourished Serving as a Diplomat myself I worked in Brazil (twice) and France
there helped by the incentive that came from my and lived also in Peru and Brussels.
mentor, a dear friend who invited me to create. I consider myself a person with a great capacity for adaptation to
Regarding the trigger for creativity, I think that different places and cultures, probably because one of my big dreams
In my case, the only possible answer is the was always to travel a lot, meet different peoples etc. I left my country,
emotion and impression that are produced by Honduras, very young and this probably helped me to get used to
people, nature, objects or materials that lead me different ways of life, cultures, languages etc.
to capture and specific moment, expression or
emotion in a photograph or freely follows and As for the Children, it is always a challenge to leave their friends and to
developed the imaginary creative activity that arrive in a completely new world, culturally different and to learn a new
comes at the encounter of an specific material, language. Sometimes the adaptation is difficult and it can’t be denied
independent of methods or the rules attached to that they, like most of the children of diplomats, have suffered from the
an academic background. many changes that a diplomatic career imposes on us and therefore they
also suffered its consequences as the feeling of losing their roots, while
You have been alongside your husband in his living far away from the extensive family and friends and moving from
long and impressive diplomatic career. Do you one country and culture to another. Sometimes the results of this life
ever feel that you have sacrificed your own are devastating for the family. But seeing things other way around we
career for his? can say that maybe a positive thing is the broad knowledge acquired for
In life there is always a time for taking decisions. this young person and the ability they develop to go around the world
I was a diplomat myself, married to another easily interacting with different cultures, speaking different languages
diplomat, coming from different countries, and therefore developing a great capacity of observation and a broad
building a life together with two children. My critical mindset.

w w w. d i va i n t e r n at i o n a l . c h