Manolo Galliano on his lifelong passion for local history and culture

Gibraltarian author and historian Manolo Galliano will be sharing his lifelong passion for the Rock’s history and culture. Manolo has written several books about Gibraltar’s streets, churches, and traditions told Features Editor Gabriella Peralta about his upcoming workshop as part in this year’s Gibraltar Literary Festival schools programme.

What can the audience expect from your literary festival talk?

When I was invited to give the said talk, I considered various topics and decided to present my short talk on 'The Way We Were'. This will encompass some of my early recollections and memories in how life was like in Gibraltar, seen from my perspective, when I was fairly young, way back in the 1950/60s.

You’re a prolific writer with a passion for local history and culture. What are some of the favourite themes you have explored in your books?

I have always been interested in Gibraltar's history, heritage and culture and this is borne out by my books, articles in the Gibraltar Heritage Journals, newspaper and magazine articles, illustrated talks and guided tours which touch on a variety of subjects - art, history of local churches, local traditions, fortifications, Governors, roadways, etc., etc.

Why is it important for Gibraltarians to celebrate our heritage?

It is imperative that we do not lose sight of our past traditions, customs and way of life which, in essence, have made us the vibrant Llanito community that we are today.

What do you hope the young audience will gain from your Literary Festival talk?

I do hope the young audience to which I am presenting this short talk will gain some insight as to how life functioned on the Rock in the recent past (well, perhaps not so recent, at least as viewed by them!). It is understandable that life continues to evolve, and changes in our way of life have to proceed, but we should be careful that we do not 'throw away the baby with the bathwater’.

Do you have any anecdotes from your books you would like to share?

On the question of anecdotes, there are too many to mention, especially when one considers the great strides in technical advances over the years and how much simpler life was in the past. Nevertheless, I often tell my grandchildren when they keep switching channels non-stop on our TV to connect to the hundreds of channels, Netflix etc., as to how things were in my heyday (1960s): 'There was no remote control for those early black and white television sets and one had to get up from the sofa every time that either of the two channels (just Television Espanola and GBC TV) was selected or even to adjust the sound button. Furthermore, whenever there was a strong Levanter wind blowing, television aerials were prone to movement which obviously affected transmission. There then ensued a mad rush up to terraces in order to move aerials back to their original position with a lot of yelling taking place from above to the person trying to fiddle with the buttons of the TV in the sitting room; often without success.’

What words of advice do you have for the younger generation?

My only advice to the younger generation is to go forward in life with all confidence, pride in one's homeland and respect for others, believing in the future but not forgetting the past and its traditions, because, as they say in Spanish: 'Lo que se pierde, se pierde para siempre' ['what is lost - is lost forever'].