A discussion under the horns of Franco's regime

Wednesday night's current affairs discussion The night in 24 hours Xabier Fortes's program traveled to a highly symbolic location to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Franco's death and the transition to democracy. They broadcast the program from the lobby of the famous Pazo de Meirás, the dictator's summer residence and the site where cabinet meetings were held during July and August. The estate was rebuilt by the novelist and essayist Emilia Pardo Bazán, one of the pioneering intellectuals of feminism in Spain. But the authorities and local political bosses of Galicia legitimized its plundering so that the manor It became the personal property of Franco and his family. In 2020, the courts returned it to public ownership, declaring the donation and sale null and void. Since there are still pending lawsuits with the dictator's heirs, the idea of filming the program from there was all the more unsettling.

Xabier Fortes, surrounded by the panelists, commented that from where they were standing they could see the bust of Franco that stood at the top of the steps leading to the estate's outbuildings.It seems to be watching us."He commented. Franco's bust wasn't visible in the frame of the discussion, but the production team showed it to emphasize the dictator's menacing presence. The dimness of the room, the reverberation of the sound, and the coldness of the place transformed the setting into a horror movie set. Deer and dozens of roe deer heads hung on the walls. Not all the participants felt very comfortable in that environment."The manor house is beautiful. But thinking about everything that happened here gives me a bit of a chill and bad vibes, to be honest.". Fuertes joked: "Didn't you hear some voices?Jesús Maraña also admitted that he would never dare spend the night there. And journalist Lourdes Pérez shared the unease, highlighting the symbolic value and the exercise of power represented by the decor that was thrust upon them.

provoked ambivalence. A space that maintains Francoist iconography intact conditions the narrative. Historian Julián Casanova was very pleased to be in a "historical place." We have normalized the privileges of Francoism. That environment was blatant proof of an incomplete and poorly executed transition, which left the spaces, symbols, and imagery of fascist ideology untouched. The night in 24 hours It demonstrated how the remnants of the dictatorship and the concessions to the Franco family are still part of the cultural and institutional landscape.