Ποιειν Και Πραττειν - create and do

Living in the shadow of Guernica

 The story of Manuel Gonzales' father

There were evacuated from Guernica over 32 000 children after the bombardment in 1937. One has to imagine the human pain caused by children being seperated from their parents and relatives. They were taken first to France and from there 200 children were taken to Ghent.

Children from Guernica after arrival in Ghent

Manuel Gonzales' father was one of the children to arrive in Ghent, if only to be seperated after arrival from his brother although the parents had told them never to let the other out of sight. The two brothers lived in close proximity to each other but without knowing the whereabouts of the other. Their respective Adoptiv-parents never told them about the other brother out of fear they would express the wish to live together. Only two years they met only by coincidence in the streets and discovered they were living but a few streets over from each other. The father of Manuel Gonzales never overcame this trauma of seperation for the rest of his life.

They started to document this journey of the children.

 

By the time they started to do this invaluable memory work, many had died and only few were around for interviews.

One of the former children, now an adult              2010

Now and then - a man who had been one of the 200 children shows a picture of him when he was evacuated from Guernica and brought to Ghent in 1937

About five to six years ago Manuel Gonzales started with others the memory work. They interviewed those children now adults and who were still alive at that time.

Altogether it means even for Manuel Gonzales to live in the 'shadow of Guernica'. Already he had come to Picasso's Atelier to tell this story about his father and what happened to Guernica in 1937.

Manuel Gonzales in Picasso's atelier in Paris

At first, Manuel Gonzales started to work for the Police of Ghent as translator; later on, he joined the force and became an officier. He now jokes that either he is making famous the police force with his story or else he is becoming a famous police officier.

When San Sebastian was preparing to do a mural in 2011 as part of their bid for the title of European Capital of Culture for 2016, Manuel Gonzales joined the children and told them again the same story about his father. The children were so much touched by his story that they decided as topic for their mural would  be the question; "what would they do if they had lost everything?" San Sebastian is but 50 Km away from Guernica.

 

 

 

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