Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 20th February. (Europa Press) –
The deputy of New Canary Islands-Canarist Bloque (NC-BC), Natalia Santana, is set to propose a motion for historical justice during the Parliament’s Plenary session next week. This initiative aims to enable the Canary Islands to reconstruct their identity through their own narrative. The motion will advocate for the recognition and reparation of the historical injustices faced by the first Canarians, moving beyond a colonial and inclusive perspective.
The non-law proposition (NLP) aimed at acknowledging and repairing the historical memory of the first inhabitants of the Canary Islands was unveiled at a press briefing on Thursday, alongside the parliamentary spokesperson, Luis Campos. Santana emphasised the “necessity to honour the memory of the archipelago’s earliest people, who have been silenced and stripped of their history.”
The Canarist deputy lamented that the history of the archipelago is still portrayed “from an external perspective, resulting in a narrative that is partial, incomplete, and even obscure.” Furthermore, she condemned the ongoing tributes paid through streets, monuments, and symbols to those who “exterminated and enslaved our first ancestors,” whose memories are ” relegated to a footnote in history books.”
Santana also highlighted the importance of establishing a “genuine” narrative that acknowledges the ramifications of conquest and colonialism as a form of “maturity and democratic reparation.”
Citing the resurgence of historical memory movements globally, such as the removal of statues representing conquerors and slavers, as well as the restitution of human remains and sacred objects, Natalia Santana has called on society, educational institutions, media outlets, and cultural groups to engage in this initiative and adopt this debate as their own.
Several cultural associations, experts in Amazig History, advocates for Canariety, sociologists, psychologists, and academics have already taken steps in this direction, as outlined.
This initiative is set to be voted on during the plenary session next Wednesday and aims to foster “a profound transformation in the way the Canary Islands perceive and relay their history.” The objective is not to erase history or create divides, but to narrate it “in a complete and just manner.”
Santana has championed Canarian identity by framing the initiative as a safeguard for the history and culture of the Canary Islands, which she described as a matter of “survival” against the ideological and economic pressures from major powers.
Proposed Agreements
The parliamentary deputy asserted that the NLP “is not confined” to the removal of colonial artworks or symbols, such as those found within the Canarian Parliament. Together with other promoted proposals, she insisted that the initiative reflects a “genuine commitment to the memory of our people” and advocates for a “real transformation in the way the Canary Islands view themselves and their own history.”
Consequently, the initiative presents eight agreements for consideration. The first is to officially acknowledge the historical debt owed to the first Canarians, publicly declaring that the conquest was a brutal process that resulted in ethnocide, slavery, and cultural annihilation.
This is complemented by the second agreement, which calls for the removal of colonial monuments and remnants, and the third, which advocates for the renaming of streets and public buildings. The fourth proposal urges a re-evaluation of the Parliament’s iconography through the removal or recontextualisation of paintings and symbols that portray a “colonialist perspective” of the islands’ history.
The fifth and sixth provisions request the establishment of a Truth and Historical Memory commission, alongside the promotion of cultural and educational initiatives. The seventh measure encourages local councils to reassess their historical symbolism, while the eighth point demands the decolonisation of museums and the repatriation and reburial of human remains and sacred objects held outside of or in private possession.
“The memory of the first Canarians deserves respect, reparation, and dignity, as our existence did not commence with the Francoist dictatorship or under the guise of Spanish colonisation,” proclaimed the NC-BC parliamentarian.
