Government delegate in the Canary Islands, Anselmo Pestana, accompanied by government subdelegate in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Javier Plata, presented the project today Culture is freedomimplemented by the Government Subdelegation within the initiative Spain in freedom, 50 years of the Government of Spain.
In Culture is freedom students of the IES Villalba Hervás de La Orotava and the IES Puerto Cruz-Telesforo Bravo de Puerto de la Cruz, supported by students of the University of the Lagoon (ULL), interview recognized characters of the culture in Tenerife of the last 50 years in a series of 12 videopodcasts They will be broadcast from December 11 and until February 24 through social networks, to which is added a traveling exhibition whose content is based on the fundamental change that the arrival of freedom in Spain half a century ago after the death of the dictator.
Together with the people interviewed, the students of Baccalaureate are the protagonists of these interviews, in which they and themselves will be able to contrast how the cultural reality has changed for 50 years through the testimony of personalities from the world of publishing, literature, journalism, theater, music, audiovisual and plastic arts.
The interviewees are Víctor Berástegui, vice-president of the Masonic Historical Memory Association; Elfidio Alonso, journalist, leader of Los Sabandeños and former mayor of La Laguna; Marcela Rodríguez, activist in defense of LGTBIQ+ rights; Suso Junco, activist and singer-songwriter; Izaskun Legarza, founder of the Women’s Library; María Jesús Pablo, professor and activist; Ernesto Rodríguez, writer and author of the Festival of Hispanic Memory
“This project combines a fresh, accessible format, perfect to reach the youngest, and the historical rigor of the testimonies of those who have been protagonists of this cultural change that has been registered in our country after the arrival of freedom 50 years ago. A change and a culture that we project with this initiative from the Canarian perspective for the rest of Spain,” says Anselmo Pestana.
“Culture is Freedom It is a space to bring the past to the present and imagine together what future we want with a solid foundation that can be shared among Spanish citizens, bearing in mind that, as a society, we must remember the value of democracy, honoring people who were able to fight from different areas for the achievement of freedoms. Remembering where we came from to keep the dialogue on a future of progress and advances in rights and freedoms,” he adds.
An itinerant exhibition by educational centers
At twelve o'clock videopodcasts In addition, an itinerant exhibition will be exhibited in different educational centers, including those of Vocational Training, on the island of Tenerife and the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
The exhibition showcases a variety of large-format posters featuring the highlights of the interviews conducted for the project Culture is freedom, among them the serious consequences for the world of culture of the presence of repression and censorship during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, and the great advances after the arrival of freedom 50 years ago, in addition to reflecting the students on these issues.
In this project Aldeaslab collaborates, an entity linked to Children’s Villages that works for employability from sustainability, the promotion of gender equality and work as a dignifying element and that has devised the recycled cardboard supports of the exhibition.
The presentation of this project, held at the headquarters of the Government Subdelegation in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, also featured the musical performance of Cristina Mahelo, one of the emerging artists of the Canarian music scene who wanted to join the celebration of 50 years of Spain in freedom.