No, I'm not talking about the heat haze a few days ago and the many political escandalazos besetting us. Really speak of hell, the fire and brimstone, that too know a lot after more than thirty years of rule by the derechona, so much so that it turns out that our City can not think of anything else to circumvent the Law of Historical Memory which to save the "Monument to Franco" foist a facelift name by "Fallen Angel." Although very little religious one, knows that the Fallen Angel is one of the names of Lucifer being cast out of heaven. True, they have put a name to evil tribute to a great demon who ruled the English state for 40 years, but one never ceases to marvel at our munícipes occurrences. When you look at our City website (to see how justified this "brilliant" idea) you can understand something, of course!, is that the smart ass of the day the monument used to publicize a photo with a close-angel sculpture, without which, incidentally, be seen to be above our friend There is an enormous winged man, with sword in hand and flag around his neck, he wants to cut fly heads of "red." That being the only city in the world that pays homage to the "devil" in one of his main arteries is no less striking. I really might not be the best critic of art, but I can not understand the name calling. I do not see the image of the winged being no horns or tail (God forbid) and if you look at the statue no one will understand that paint shields Islands allegorical and even less who it is that is riding on top if the bottom is Lucifer God?, Adam? "Zerolo? A man who passed through there. " Yet, if the renaming would coincide with the abrupt departure of Angel Llanos municipal government until he could see a certain grace to the invention. The reality is that anyone who has lived some time in Santa Cruz knows that this is the "Monument to Franco," a collective memory is also supported by its own municipal records of the time, explaining very clearly the origin and meaning thereof. That is the historical, political and artistic the monument, there is no more. In this case we clearly have a municipality that uses a trick to keep a tribute to the dictator, ignoring the law itself and especially the memory of the thousands killed, detained, harassed and retaliated Canary simply think differently, because Left. no mistake, move the monument to a dictator to a museum is not an artistic or aesthetic question of revenge, is an exercise in collective ethics in the Canary Islands has unfortunately missed baskets. Even the modest monument to the thousands of Tenerife who were imprisoned in Fyffes had to be borne by a school in the city, offering a clear image of little or no political will on the groups present at the session. We have a city full of memories and praising the Franco regime, as if the dictator was still resting in his bed Pardo. Thousands of plates with the yoke and arrows adorn the entrances of many other blocks of subsidized housing throughout the city. At some points are also accompanied by large wakes with the same symbol and the vertical union Franco, those of John XXIII and José Antonio neighborhood (named after the founder of the Falange) are good examples. But we can go much further. A few meters from the statue of the dictator we have a public school that has happened the name of one of her confessors, the Bishop Fray Albino, one of the main ideologists of the "crusade" rabid defender of the shootings as purification and convinced anti-Semite, a school that until recently was also chaired by a huge shield preconstitucional . But that's nothing, in the heart of Toscal another public school dedicated to the founder of the JONS, Redondo Onesimus, who along with phalanx formed the main party of the fascist regime and up to the Salamanca district have the CEIP José Antonio, mismito that of the neighborhood. So popular sculpture "Chicharro" is on the square "Interim Lieutenant" cuerpo paramilitar de estudiantes creado en septiembre de 1936 por los golpistas. Nadie nos ha preguntado en Santa Cruz por los símbolos que queremos que nos representen o a quienes debemos mantener en esa memoria colectiva que son nuestras calles, colegios y plazas. Los cambios se hacen como si la ciudadanía fuese un elemento molesto, a la que jamás se puede consultar. Todo se ha hecho por decreto, a oscuras, lejos de la gente que vive aquí. Mientras, a todas estas, aún tenemos al último alcalde republicano electo de Santa Cruz olvidado en alguna fosa, esa es la mejor imagen que nos puede quedar sobre el ejercicio de la ética en nuestra ciudad de los infiernos. Foto: José Mesa
reproduce below some interesting statements Aziz Fall responsible for international criminal case to clarify the assassination of Thomas Sankara . Most likely neither previous names tell you nothing is normal, the first is a respected lawyer and the second a president assassinated, two Africans, two anonymous people, without relevance to the Western media portray only a prefabricated images continent plundered by rich countries. Thomas Sankara was for four years as president of Burkina Faso, until his assassination at the hands of a coup in the pay of the U.S., France and African partners. In the few years Sankara initiated a revolutionary process to combat corruption, illiteracy, poverty, discrimination against women that has made him get the nickname "Che Guevara black." His short government, mired in ongoing internal and external attacks of the last gasps of the Cold War, so hot in Africa, marked a period of hope and transformation. One of his first measures was highly significant, even now curious to Canary changed the fleet of official vehicles by modest Mercedes Renault 5, the cheapest car you could get into the country. His literacy campaigns, the prohibition of female genital mutilation, your international calls warning of the danger of AIDS, birth control efforts, child health campaigns were greatly decrease mortality, massive reforestation, a powerful agrarian reform deal land among the peasants ... all with openly anti-imperialist foreign policy and complaint against Third World debt, as in Addis Ababa (also reproduce below) earned him a death sentence in the form of coup d'etat . once said: "Call provocation to the truths we proclaim, while the lies they have become absolute truths. Our struggle for independence and wellbeing of our people is labeled as insubordination, and they do the looting of our wealth is called civilizing work. So they write history, and so it learns most of humanity. So I prefer to sit next to me Che before any of them. " His work and thought cost him his life, yet is further evidence, along with Lumumba, Mandela, Ben Bella, Nkrumah, Amilcar Cabral among others that it is possible to hope, however difficult the conditions. Just Kwame Nkrumah said in his book "Africa must unite" "If the outside world denies us their sympathy and understanding, we, the hands, the right to ask to be left alone to till our destinies in a way that seems better suited to our circumstances and resources, both human and material . Anyway, we are determined to overcome the destructive forces that oppose us in Africa and to forge a nation ... " hope these words become reality one day, that metals get batteries for our cell phones or precious stones a good price for the wealthy first world does not become the downfall of a good president or president, the death of more humans. Read the interview and draw their own conclusions. Interview: Fall Aziz, a political scientist from Senegal and Egypt, leads the group of lawyers handling the case Sankara, the struggle against impunity in Africa, whose persistence is, in his view, the fundamental problem in the continent . Fall should be protected, as he is chased and threatened by the world. In this interview, he tells his struggle. the early 80's, Thomas Sankara initiated a democratic and popular revolution in Burkina Faso. After coming to power through a coup, abolished the privileges of the tribal chiefs, gave rights to women, promoted health education and public and hard fought corruption and imperialism. Shortly after, his top aide, Blaise Campoare, current president of the country, killed him with his most loyal followers. Sankara already guessed its end. "The revolutionaries, like individuals, can be killed, but never can kill ideas," he said shortly before. A decade later, scores of lawyers from several countries started the process Sankara trying to figure out what exactly happened, who killed the captain Burkina Faso and, above all, to repair the damage done to his family. The coordinator of this group is the political scientist from Senegal and Egyptian Aziz Fall, who attended last week at a symposium held at the Southern Festival Agüimes (Gran Canaria). In the program, contained his identity after a mysterious "intervener whose identity has not unveiled until the day of the symposium." Fall is beating care, his speech raised many blisters. GuinguinBali had occasion to talk to him. "Sankara's case is a classic example of impunity, murder financed by imperialism and its leaders. Therefore, our struggle is against impunity, "said Fall. After exhausting all possible avenues in Burkina Faso, the case has come to the United Nations who has been accepted for processing in its Human Rights Commission. However, this "victory" is really "pyrrhic" says Fall. In fact, there is no pressure will Campoare Blaise and his government to clarify the circumstances of the death of Sankara, assassinated along with thirteen others. "This is an international conspiracy that goes beyond itself and Burkina Faso are involved U.S., France and some African countries. The former president of Liberia, Charles Taylor, is a criminal who escaped from a U.S. federal prison, where he had gone to steal the box by the Student Association of Liberia. How can you escape from a U.S. federal prison? That is impossible. Then he was seen in Libya as a CIA agent, "said Fall. According to political scientist, there are witnesses to the friendship that Taylor then locked the rebel leader of Sierra Leone and Burkina Faso Fodé Sanko Campoare Blaise. Between them they agreed to eliminate Sankara and, in turn, help to Taylor so he could come to power in Liberia by force. That's exactly what happened next. "After Campoare coup and the assassination of Sankara, Taylor started the civil war in Liberia and Sierra Leone and begins stealing diamonds to finance both countries. Of course, Campoare received his share of the spoils and that Burkina Faso, not diamonds, sold on the international market. " "Backed by France and the diamonds that arrived from Liberia and Sierra Leone, could corrupt Campoare entire sectors of American society, to buy part of the political opposition and kill people who opposed him. That ability is what has become a pyromaniac firefighter, a mediator in conflicts in the region, a role that the president of Burkina Faso has taken Francafrique agent, "he said.
a thorn Sankara's case is a thorn in Burkina Faso. "While there is an investigation into conditions there is no reconciliation possible. It is not a question of money, the family of Thomas not accept it. The Government of Burkina has made many means to try to stop our actions. At twenty lawyers working on the case and do not charge for it they tried to corrupt and intimidate, but this case will not stop. The fundamental problem in Africa is the persistence of impunity for state crimes. A few weeks ago, the family of Patrice Lumumba has filed a lawsuit in Belgium. We dare to hope that something is changing in international law and we are honored to contribute to this change, "said Fall. One of the paradoxes of the Sankara case is that France welcomed and gave protection to the widow of Thomas Sankara and his family after his death. "It merely sets out clear how France works, one hand does one thing and another, quite another," he adds. Fall nothing appears optimistic about the political process to live in Africa. "The international division of labor has been allocated to Africa the role of supplier of raw materials, African leaders will do what they want is not opposed to this, whatever they do. The novelty in Africa is that in the same state have emerged within the criminal organizations that looted the state, we have seen in Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Guinea. In these destabilized areas appear multinationals also exploit the absence of the rule for pillaging and plundering. " "Either the State waives its own resources and privatization, following the prescriptions of structural adjustment of the major international organizations, or there is looting. In any case, you lose. Real democratization processes have no support. Moreover, initiatives in the West are called good governance are not only the economic adjustment policies imposed on African economies. It is encouraging the emergence of an African technocrats manages resources, but without a project of society, with civil society in the hands of private sector interests. In that scenario, democracy, alternation is not real, "he says. However, in this scenario, Fall choose not to sit idle. "We are witnessing the spread of cancer. Africa resists, but the model of globalization exacerbates the crisis. If we did not believe that this can change, not fight. We who have fought against apartheid, no system is invincible. And there is no political system in Africa that is more sophisticated than was the apartheid in South Africa. If corrupt African governments lose the Western support and one-tenth of what cooperation will be to sustain our struggle, we could do it. " To Fall, "the war in Spain is not over, neoliberalism is a soft fascism. And Africa is the link that softer fascism. Now Francafrique and its allies are worried by the arrival of useful spaces of the continent of India, Brazil or China. In this globalization interested in Africa without the Africans Source: guinguinbali or Aziz Fall
