Probably those who don’t live in Argentina or Uruguay don’t know much about this story, so I will give some details. The most famous tango singer of the history is Carlos Gardel, currently going for his 70 years death anniversary. The traditional story says that Gardel was born in Toulouse and that came to Argentina at a really young age. But there’s another version saying that he was actually born at Tacuarembo, an uruguayan city.

One could ask, from common sense, is it really that important to determined where was Gardel born? didn’t he make his whole career in Argentina? didn’t he sing about Buenos Aires? But it’s not so simple: to determine where was Gardel’s place of origin would allow to legitimitize, for example, a series of touristic businesses related to it. For instance, the official website of Montevideo (Uruguay’s capital city) tourism office; Montevideo Invita, speaks about the “universal uruguayan singer Carlos Gardel”. And in 2004 I read on the newspaper El Pais a note that asked to declare as “enemy of the uruguayan nation” an argentinean judge that resolved to recognize Gardel as french (if anyone has the URL address of this note, I would appreciate to share it with me, since I haven’t found it at El Pais site). While we could say that here are also taking part old issues such as nationalism, I’m afraid the commercial issue has much more to do with it. For example, in the place where he would have been born in Tacuarembo, there’s a museum and guided visits are being made.

To be honest, I find this matter of polemic around Carlos Gardel rather amusing. Frankly, I couldn’t care less about where was he born. I remark this because when I search through some websites about this topic, I find quite passionate positions on this issue. More likely, what I’m trying to show is how a historical battle is also a struggle for a specific symbolic capital, that works quite efficiently inside the touristic field: to determine where was Gardel born would allow to legitimize a series of important touristic events in that place. I will now cite what the montevidean newspaper, El Pais, published: “Turned into a touristic industry, the intendency of Tacuarembo has implemented a “gardelian tour” to let the visitor know the different places related to the life of the author of El dia que me quieras. The tour includes key locations in Gardel’s history such as the city’s cathedral, the police station, the cemetery, the Escayola theater and the hause where the singer was born, now turned into a museum. All these places are pieces of the complex, fascinating and long silented puzzle that reveals the vital itinerary of the Zorzal Ciollo”.

Now, when will I be getting a coffee mug with the legend “Tacuarembo, the birth place of Carlos Gardel” on it?

Spanish Version Here