Minister John Cortes was pleased to attend an event organised by Casa de la Memoria de Jimena at the Palacio de Congresos in La Linea last week, an event that highlighted the importance of remembering and reflecting on our shared history.

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

Attendees were also introduced to an exciting new series of comics by Juan Alvarez and Jorge G., exploring themes of Memoria Histórica. The first one relates 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.

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.

The presentations were powerful and moving and reminded all present of the excesses of the fascist regime during and following the Spanish Civil War.

One of the authors, whose grandfather worked in Gibraltar, gratefully recognised and thanked the people of Gibraltar for supporting the residents of La Linea throughout its history, a comment that was met with spontaneous, extended applause.

Minister Cortes commented, “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”.