Centennial Memorial: 75th Anniversary of the Revolution

After
a year of celebrations, on 18 June, the events of the Centennial of the
founding of the National Confederation of Labour will culminate with
the placement of a monolith in memory of the hundreds of thousands of
members of the libertarian movement who gave their lives for freedom and
the Social Revolution and who fell under the genocidal bullets of
Francoism.  And it cannot be put in a more representative place than the
Fossar de la Pedrera in the Montjuïc Cemetery, where thousands suffered
the holocaust of the Franco regime.

It
was necessary that there be a memorial to remember the libertarian
victims. Because they lost twice the Civil War. They lost in the
battlefield. And they lost in the field of history, sentenced to forty
years of repression in every way, and nearly as many of ostracism, which
continues to be another form of killing. Because although before the
firing squad, all the victims of Franco are equal, for some political
interests it is best to distinguish the victims, claiming some and
forgetting others, distorting history and thus burying the memory. 

On April 1,
1939 the official end of the Spanish Civil War was decreed from Burgos
and Franco’s rebel troops first set foot in their killer boots in
Madrid, for libertarians there was only one way, with double meaning: to
fight the prevailing fascism and never forget the past and the
militants who gave their lives for freedom and a better and fairer
world. Their efforts cost them many lives.

After a
«transition» that it was nothing more than the continuation of the
Franco regime, where even organizations that had suffered repression
under Franco did not hesitate to return to bury their members for a few
miserable benefits, the libertarian movement understood that it had to
continue with the path bequeathed by its predecessors. Do not bend to
the system and fight for what we consider to be just. 

Now that
certain pacts of the Transition have expire, which open the pits of
shame showing the genocidal criminality of Francoism and the complicit
silence of some who call themselves democrats, we must continue in the
effort to reclaim the libertarian memory.

The act of
June 18 in Barcelona, ​​at the opening of this monolith made by Juan
Jose Novella, where the branches of a cypress made of steel grow and
extend the idea, will serve not only as the culmination of the centenary
of the CNT but also as the continuing recovery of our memory and
history. It is a tribute to those who lost their lives for freedom. And a
tribute to those still living, who survived the Spanish Holocaust of 
Francoism, and with their lessons and experiences they leave us with the
best medicine: history as the first pillar of the struggle for the
society of the future. 

The monument
In the images of the monument you can make out the words: to the men
and women of the CNT … Juanjo Novella, Basque sculptor with a special
sensitivity to issues of memory, has created a strong sculpture,
prepared to resist time and the elements and, at the same time, is
complex and tender, pointing upward, toward the ideals we had of the
better and that the organization lost: all those who fought for freedom
and social revolution who died. A remembrance that those who share and
want to continue the path are obliged to make.

The
sculpture is a truncated cypress, symbolizing a yearning for bearing and
dignity for those buried anonymously. Thus we set a milestone where the
cypress with all its symbolism is the main protagonist.

A mark on
the small open space surrounded by cypress trees will create a small
square in la Fosera. This sculpture was inspired by the columns that
greet the pedestrian entering the area and the cypresses and rows of
vegetables.

The verticality of the sculpture and its presence refer to the columns and the cypresses around them. 

The
sculpture is integrated without adverse impact on the location. The
presence of the piece is appropriate to the place, fitting in snugly
without being loud.

There is a
significant degree of transparency that will emphasize the interest in
the Sacercamiento and  experience a vision through it. This also allows a
minimal presence in the square, allowing one to perceive it
unobstructed. The installation allows to maintain the use of the space
and circulation of traffic.

The dimensions are of human scale, the sculpture does not overwhelm with monumentality but with its  human implications.

It sought to express austerity and simplicity as in the spirit intended and expressed by the CNT.

Juanjo Novella, sculptor