The government delegate in Galicia, Pedro Blanco, held today a meeting with experts and representatives of different recovery associations of the Historical Memory of Galicia to promote in the Community the celebration of the “50 years of Spain in Freedom”.
The objective is to open a channel of collaboration with these groups to collect their suggestions on the programming that is being designed and collect proposals of acts to be developed in Galicia throughout this year to “highlight the role of Galicia and of Galician people and collectives in the fight against Franco’s regime and in the construction of democracy”.
During the meeting, the delegate explained the objectives with which the Government established this celebration, which are to "value the great transformation achieved in the 50 years of democracy, and pay tribute to all the people and groups that made it possible". And he remarked that for the government “there is no better way to protect the freedom we have now than to honor who gave everything for her, including her life.”
Pedro Blanco said that the program already includes events around the declaration of the Island of San Simón and the Pazo de Mearas as Places of Democratic Memory, and a colloquium on heritage and memory of Franco’s regime at the University of Santiago.
It is an open program to which, said the delegate, new activities are being incorporated to transfer to society the relevance of this commemoration.
Specific Commissioner
The Government agreed to promote this year 2025 the commemoration of the “50 years of Spain in Libertade” to mark the 50th anniversary of the death of the dictator Francisco Franco and the beginning of the democratic transition process.
With the aim of coordinating the logistical and operational events necessary for the celebration of the different commemorative events, a Government Commissioner for this celebration was created in January of this year (under the Ministry of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory) and the historian Carmina Gustrán was appointed as head of this body.
This Commissioner is also assisted by a Scientific Advisory Committee in the exercise of his functions and is of a temporary nature, so that he will remain operational for the duration of this commemoration.
Attendees
In today’s meeting, the following participated, together with the government delegate: Emilio Grandío, Professor of History of the USC; Xosé Alfeiran, of the Ateneo Republicano de Galicia; Carlos Babío, President of the Commission for the Recovery of the Historical Memory of A Coruña; Marilar Jiménez, of the Royal Galician Academy; Ana Romero, director of the Institute of Cornish Studies ‘José Cornide’; and Manuel Fernández, of the Cultural Association Democratic Historical Memory of Ferrolterra. The first four people are also part of the Committee of Experts of the Pazo de Mearas, representing several institutions and public administrations.