SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE 7 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The president of the Cabildo of Tenerife has endorsed the corporation’s choice to promote the reinterpretation of the ‘monument to Franco’ amidst the initiation of the process for its designation as an Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC). He has simultaneously described the Santa Cruz de Tenerife City Council’s proposal to commence a citizen participation process as a “wonderful idea”.
Speaking to reporters, he acknowledged that the sculpture by Juan de Ávalos is a “municipal monument” but believes that this should not serve as “an obstacle” for the Cabildo, which is mandated by a court ruling to safeguard it, “to propose an absence of the exaltation of the military uprising or the figure of a dictator, and instead promote democratic values.”
He cited “notable examples” such as the Valley of the Fallen, where “there was a reinterpretation and a renaming,” elements that are addressed by the Historical Memory and Democratic Memory laws in the Canary Islands and Spain.
“Any institution, in this instance the Cabildo, can acknowledge the importance of these monuments by embracing values that unite us all today, such as harmony, peace, freedom, and democratic ideals that guide our institutions,” he conveyed.
He also remarked that the designation process as a BIC “may take years” as it ultimately relies on the Government of the Canary Islands “and there will be numerous reports submitted by various organisations, associations, universities, as well as heritage experts.”
Dávila, who has stated that he will meet with representatives of the City Council next Friday, does not view the council’s position of seeking agreement in the process as a “complaint” and emphasizes that in the capital “there is no space for remnants.”
Conversely, he contends that “within the darkest chapters” of Spain’s history “there is a place that celebrates the values of democracy,” and the Cabildo has opted to refer to it as ‘Monument to Concord’.
“This will be determined by the experts. Neither the president, nor the mayor, nor the president of the Government has the final say. This marks the commencement of a BIC initiation process, and the decision lies with the specialists. It is our responsibility “the political decision, and the Cabildo’s political decision, is that there be no remnants that evoke a military uprising or the figure of a dictator,” he underscored.
