Cortes attends Casa de la Memoria event

The Minister for the Environment, Dr John Cortes, attended an event organised by Casa de la Memoria de Jimena at the Palacio de Congresos in La Linea last week, where speakers reflected on shared history and the legacy of the Spanish Civil War.

The evening was opened by the Director of the Casa de la Memoria, Andres Barreno, and included the presentation of La Mala Memoria, a new book by journalist Jesús Pozo on the impact of the Spanish Civil War in the region, alongside contributions from Nieves Concostrina and Carlos Santos.

Attendees were also introduced to a new series of comics by Juan Alvarez and Jorge G. exploring themes of historical memory.

The first comic tells the story of La Niña Pasionaria and her ordeal at the hands of the fascist regime following Franco’s landing in Spain from North Africa in the summer of 1936.

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The event also looked ahead to the 10th anniversary of the Casa de la Memoria in Jimena de la Frontera, which will be commemorated later this year.

One of the authors, whose grandfather worked in Gibraltar, thanked the people of Gibraltar for supporting the residents of La Linea throughout its history, drawing extended applause from the audience.

Dr Cortes said: “I am really pleased that I attended. I was reminded of the hardships faced by the people of our neighbouring towns during the Civil War, hardships that we were thankfully spared in Gibraltar.”

“The importance of Gibraltar in that context really came home to me. The Casa de la Memoria plays a vital role in reminding people of the reality of their not-so-distant past, and I am grateful for their continued dedication to preserving historical memory and fostering reflection across our region”.