"The problem is not that we haven't been able to tell the story of the dictatorship well, but that we haven't been able to tell the story of freedom well."

At a time when democratic memory occupies a central place on the public agenda, the ARA (Ateneo de la Memoria, or Historical Memory) brought together three expert voices this Wednesday to analyze how Catalonia and Spain are confronting the discrimination that has permeated their history and still persists. In the Oriol Bohigas Room of the Ateneo Barcelonès, in the heart of Barcelona, ​​Lluís Rambla, social worker, professor of social work, and trustee of the LGTBIQ+ Foundation; Laia Gallego, historian and archaeologist; and Antumi Toasijé, historian, writer, and artist, agreed that without transparency, plurality, and a clear commitment to incorporating all silenced voices, "there cannot be a complete democratic narrative."

A memory that explains the past to transform the present

The debate established from the outset that democratic memory is a living and expandable tool: it must allow for the identification of structural discrimination based on gender, race, language, or LGBTQ+ rights, and integrate it into a shared narrative. And it must do so with full transparency: guaranteeing access to data, reviewing archives, and preventing public policies from perpetuating inequalities. "Democracy and rights are not a gift bestowed upon you by someone with more power," reminded moderator and ARA journalist Silvia Marimon.

Sexual and gender freedoms at the center

Lluís Rambla emphasized that, despite significant progress, discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community is not a thing of the past. He recalled that "during the dictatorship, everyone punished homosexuality" and pointed out that in Spain, the Law of Vagrants and Delinquents—modified in 1970 by the Law of Social Danger—was used to imprison gay people and "rehabilitate" them through torture. "The Catalan gay movement arose to combat this law, which was enacted not so long ago," he stressed.

He also warned of the perverse use that some political currents make today of defending the rights of the LGBTQ+ community: "Homophobia is condemned, but only when it attacks immigration. It's the excuse to say, 'Look what Muslims are doing, they don't respect gay rights.'" However, he celebrates the progress made: "Spain is one of the countries with the greatest acceptance of homosexuality, and that makes me proud because it gives meaning to our struggle."

Combating silence and avoiding catastrophism

Historian and archaeologist Laia Gallego emphasized the importance of unearthing what doesn't appear in official records: internment camps, invisible forms of violence, and groups that history has left out. "Democracy can be improved: it didn't end with the Transition," she pointed out, warning that discrimination neither began nor ended with Francoism. She also called for a nuanced view of the present: "There's an alarmist narrative that young people are fascists. We must carefully analyze the data and not fall into the trap of polarization." For Gallego, it's necessary to better explain how democracy works: "Perhaps the problem isn't that we haven't been able to explain the dictatorship well, but rather that we haven't explained democracy and, above all, freedom." Memory, she argued, must be collective and diverse. "We must be vigilant about where it's being promoted: the initiative must always be community-based." And he argues that the motto should be "never again, anywhere, against anyone."

Structural racism, an uncomfortable persistence

For his part, historian, writer, and artist Antumi Toasijé offered an incisive perspective on Afro-descendant memory: "Human beings have short memories. After three generations, there are things that are no longer remembered." He championed a long tradition of anti-racist struggle: from the Moriscos in the 17th century to the anti-slavery movement with a strong Black presence in the 19th century.

For Toasijé, racism still generates inequalities: "Modernity cannot be explained without racism. Whiteness has the privilege of plausibility: everyone believes it without having to make an effort." He also called for reparations and rights policies, warning that "it is not enough to be ideologically left-wing; it is necessary to be proactive."

He also pointed out that colonial memory is practically absent from democratic memory: "Europe has been built on colonial exploitation. Mass regularization is needed so that everyone has rights."

A memory oriented towards the future

In a concluding, largely collaborative discussion followed by a brief question-and-answer session, the three speakers agreed that narratives about the past shape the future and that the struggle for democratic memory remains ongoing. "The transition wasn't a rupture, but a mutual agreement, and the judiciary is what has best preserved itself," Rambla reminded the audience. For this reason, Toasijé closed the debate by calling for action and hope: "We cannot remain solely in the role of victim; we must build a political horizon where all lives matter."