Russians find niche in Argentina
Published 30 December, 2007, 22:26
Argentina has historically welcomed immigrants. Many from Spain and Italy went there in search of a better life. But Russians have also found a new home in the South American country.
Many immigrants who arrive in Buenos Aires settle in La Boca, a neighbourhood of the Argentine capital.
Everyone who comes to Argentina finds his or her own attraction in it –some say it’s a very romantic country with open and amiable people.
At the Casa Rusa – the city’s Russian cultural centre – Slavic immigrants reminisce about the old days. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Leonardo Golovanov is not Russian. He was abandoned on the doorstep of a Russian family when he was only three days old.
“I was really little. I always say that they told me if I didn’t learn Russian then I’d get nothing to eat. So as you can see fortunately I learnt to speak Russian pretty well,” Leonardo says.
He says the adoption was destiny. It made him fall in love with all things Russian and led him to his wife Irina.
Jorge Matlaszuk’s mixed Ukrainian-Argentine blood has been an artistic inspiration to him. There’s no more typical Argentine instrument than the accordion. But Jorge’s one plays Russian folk songs.
At the same time, Jorge has no problem switching to contemporary Argentine songs. Indeed, he’s a walking example of the diversity of Argentina – a country that sprung from immigrants with a passion for beauty.
All immigrants have different stories that can take hours to tell but they probably have one thing in common – a passion for beauty. And Jorge is indeed a walking example of the diversity of Argentina – a country that sprung from immigrants.
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