The Council of Tenerife approved this week in the island Government Council a call for subsidies worth 145,000 euros, for carrying out projects to recover historical memory. These grants are intended for the Island’s Town Halls, which may receive a maximum of 10,000 euros per performance. The item increases by 45,000 euros compared to the previous year when it was launched for the first time.
The call, developed by the Insular Directorate for Coordination and Support for the President, held by Aarón Afonso, aims to “recover, know and recognize the truth of the events that occurred in Tenerife”, by virtue of Law 20/2022, on Democratic Memory, and the Law of Historical Memory of Canary Islandswhich include the right to moral reparation for the Tenerife victims of the civil war and the Franco dictatorship.
The acting island president, Peter Martin, assures that “it is very important not to forget the events that occurred on our Island and in our country during the forty years of the Franco dictatorship.” He delves into the idea: “That is what we want with this initiative, to train and offer information about the reality of history so that these events are never forgotten by society.”
Martín also explains that the call will include the development of research, study and dissemination actions; the withdrawal of Francoist symbols; the realization of educational programs for the young population; the implementation of initiatives for the recognition and commemoration of events and people, and the carrying out of awareness and dissemination campaigns.
All the Town Halls of the Island will be able to take advantage of these subsidies –individually as an institution or its dependent public entities–, excluding public companies and other municipal entities and associations. The maximum amount of these grants will be 10,000 euros per project and beneficiary.
The assessment of each application will reach a maximum of 20 points and the quality of the project, its viability, its impact on society and the population criteria will be taken into account. The beneficiary entities must execute the aid within a period of one year from the granting of the subsidy.
Interested town councils must submit their application within a maximum period of 30 working days, from the publication of the call in the Official Gazette of the Province, in the electronic register of the Cabildo de Tenerife in a telematic way.
Projects in 2022
Last year, a total of twelve municipalities benefited from these subsidies. Specifically, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, La Orotava, Candelaria, San Juan de la Rambla, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Los Silos, Vilaflor de Chasna, Buenavista del Norte, Fasnia, Tegueste, Puerto de la Cruz and La Matanza.
The projects to be developed included, among other aspects, various film workshops, documentary research on those subjected to reprisals and those shot, some archaeological interventions, ethnographic work, oral transmission and studies on different traditions.
