A true city of the dead, five million bodies lie buried in Madrid’s Our Lady of the Almudena Cemetery. And bar the towering cypresses, it’s a monochrome landscape of powerful granite tombs and austere crucifixes. Winding through the graves, half lost, I finally glimpsed a flash of colour. Red, yellow and purple - the flag of the Spanish Republic. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Second Spanish Republic. A short lived affair, running from 1931 to 1939, the Republic was ring-fenced by dictators. And for many left-wing Spaniards it represents an oasis of progressive secular government - women’s rights, civil marriage and divorce, clear Church and state separation - before … [Read more...] about Spain’s buried past
Archives for June 2011
Betis are back after a trip to hell
Two summers ago, long before the indignados and 15-M, there was Yo voy Betis and 15-J. Following the relegation of Real Betis, and amid growing anger at the alleged pilfering of millions of euros by club owner Manuel Ruiz de Lopera, over 60,000 angry green-and-white clad supporters marched in protest through Seville’s city centre. The evening culminated in a mass rally, where former Spain and Betis left-back Rafael Gordillo demanded Lopera’s departure to cheers from a jam-packed Plaza Nueva. Similar to the 15-M movement’s calls for politicians to reform themselves and banks to play fair, the initial practical impact of “15-J” was difficult to spot. The club’s 2009/10 campaign was … [Read more...] about Betis are back after a trip to hell
Madrid’s new river
Unlike the great rivers of Europe - the Rhine, the Danube or the Seine, so often evoked in art and so historically significant as trade routes or the frontiers of empire, Madrid’s Manzanares is more likely to induce a shrug. Or, as is tradition amongst Madrilenians, a one-liner. In parts completely dry during summer, in other parts a series of large puddles, it’s often not much more than a riverbed with a stream running through it. Or, as one Spanish writer suggested, a trail of saliva. Descending from the Sierra de Guadarrama to the north of the city before - 87 kilometres later - giving up the ghost and dumping into the River Jarama to the south, it skirts Madrid’s western edge as … [Read more...] about Madrid’s new river
The king of the ring returns, but can he save bullfighting?
For some, he epitomizes the courage and dignity of the great matadors. For others, he is an artless brute, whose thirst for blood helps keep an absurd tradition alive. José Tomás divides opinion with the same drama with which he kills bulls. His skill and apparently reckless willingness to put his own life on the line make him the most talked-about torero in the world. Tomás has been away from bullfighting for over a year. He was severely gored in the leg at Aguascalientes, Mexico, in April of last year and as he was carried to the infirmary, leaving a trail of blood in his wake, many feared for his life. After a forced layoff, Tomás will return to the ring this summer, to the delight of … [Read more...] about The king of the ring returns, but can he save bullfighting?
Malcontents in search of democracy
It is a voice of alarm that brings together the feelings of several generations, nationalities, political colors and economic classes. It is probable that we are witnessing in these gatherings an exercise in real and participatory democracy. Others, however, consider that the protestors are living in a utopia outside of the reality imposed by the market economy. Nonetheless, there are some who foresee a new phase in Spanish democracy. For that reason, the protests that took place on Sunday, June 19 are a breath of fresh air in a society threatened by the economic crisis, unemployment and the indifference of the justice system to cases of corruption in certain political circles. Putting to … [Read more...] about Malcontents in search of democracy
From Spain to the US for child basketball prodigy
Ricky Rubio officially announced he will play in the NBA next season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, ending all speculation about when he would make the leap to the NBA. Rubio will be the tenth Spanish-born player to play in the NBA since Fernando Martín joined the Portland Trail Blazers in 1986. On June 17 Rubio explained in the Camp Nou press room that the time for a change had come and that the decision was even easier after having won the ACB playoffs. “Even though I was sure about going, it’s been a difficult decision. After winning the ACB title, the one I still didn’t have, the time has come,” he said. Rubio has won all a player could hope to win in Europe: the Under-16 … [Read more...] about From Spain to the US for child basketball prodigy
Mission: Impossible, the Valley of the Fallen
Here’s a question: is the Valley of the Fallen (Valle de los Caídos) a religious shrine: a Benedictine monastery and Roman Catholic basilica that includes a memorial to the dead in the Spanish Civil War, along with the tomb of General Francisco Franco? Or is it a grotesque monument to hate, an enduring reminder, built by its victims, of a military dictatorship that murdered and imprisoned hundreds of thousands of people whose only crime was to have defended democracy? Coming up with an answer will be the task of a newly appointed 13-member commission. It’s been given five months to decide, once and for all, what to do with the Valley of the Fallen. (What do you think should be … [Read more...] about Mission: Impossible, the Valley of the Fallen
Valley of the Fallen: “A symbol of the Franco dictatorship or a religious site?”
Rajoy approaches the big job with his head down
As rumours that next year’s general election will be brought forward to the autumn intensify, so does the realisation that by the end of the year, Mariano Rajoy could be prime minister. The strange thing is, judging by his party’s recent behaviour, this doesn’t seem to have dawned on him. If he had fully grasped the reality of his situation, you would think he would tone down the talk of Spain being an economic basket case. But his opposition Popular Party (PP) is determined to hint, suggest, or just plain decry, that the country is in real trouble. Since last year, the PP has been openly wondering whether Spain deserves to be in the same bracket as Greece, Portugal and Ireland. In … [Read more...] about Rajoy approaches the big job with his head down
Real Madrid’s ‘señor’ status at play as Mourinho takes control
Spanish football is a peculiar beast when placed under a microscope, rather like a petri dish teeming with all the bacteria Fifa is currently trying to scrape from its gilded Zurich halls. There is no fit-and-proper-persons test in La Liga, as Racing Santander is currently being left to rue. Match-fixing was made a criminal offence just six months ago. Clubs are traditionally controlled by wildly unreliable clans like the Gil family at Atlético Madrid and the Ruiz-Mateos' at Rayo Vallecano – currently busily covering their own backsides as their Nueva Rumasa congolmerate goes under for the second time, leaving thousands of investors, and Rayo's players, on the bread line. If your club … [Read more...] about Real Madrid’s ‘señor’ status at play as Mourinho takes control