“Children salute General Franco on a wall poster in Spain, during the Spanish Civil War.” Universal History Archive. 1937.
The end of the Spanish Civil War signified the beginning of the authoritarian Franco regime. During this postwar era (1936-1975), public displays of liberal political ideology, art forms such as literature and film, symbols of foreign and/or less conservative ideologies, and the use of languages other than Castilian Spanish were heavily oppressed and censored. In an attempt to gain international legitimacy the Spanish government utilized the propagandistic possibilities afforded by literature, film, theatre, radio, and journalism to paint the Franco regime in a positive light. The altered reality depicted through these means also served the purpose of distracting the population from the problems and corruption within the government.
“The memory of a country.” Museu d’història de Catalunya.
The pact of forgetting (pacto del olvido) was the Spanish governmental decision essentially to “turn the page of history” and avoid dealing with the lasting impact of Francoism after the dictator’s death. In the transition to democracy, Francoist officials were not prosecuted for the crimes or the suffering they caused during the period, and critical opinions about the country’s controversial past were silenced or repressed for the sake of “national reconciliation.” This phenomenon has led many citizens to forget or at least not fully confront their nation’s past and in many ways has led to a somewhat incomplete concept of Spanish national identity.
The concept of postmemory refers to the long-term effects on subsequent generations from living in close proximity to the pain, depression, and dissociation of persons who have witnessed and survived massive historical trauma. In other words, subsequent generations still feel the indirect effects of trauma that their parents and grandparents experienced. This phenomenon is especially relevant now, because although many of the individuals who were adults during the civil war are no longer alive, the trauma of the war still lives on in younger generations who continue to feel the pain of loss and the oppression of the postwar period.
“In memory of the victims of the bombing of Sant Felip Neri. 42 people died here, mostly children, for the actions of Franco’s aviation on January 30, 1938.”
Sites of memory (lieux de mémoire) refer to any place, object, or concept vested with historical significance in the popular collective memory. What historian Pierre Nora has termed lieux de mémoire can be material or nonmaterial in nature, such as a monument, museum, event, or symbol. Sites of memory are important because they create a bond to the past within the present reality, bringing the past, and emotions associated with the past, to the forefront of consciousness. The definition and significance of memory is in contrast to that of history. While memory is rooted in the present by the people, places, and things who maintain it, history is the reconstruction, always problematic and incomplete, of what is no longer; a mere representation of the past.
Photographs, drawings, and other works of art that capture the reality of the war and difficult past of the country play an especially important role in counteracting the denial and suppression of harsh truths. These images help make the “unimaginable” and “unthinkable” imaginable, counteract denial and forgetting, and provide a description and invoke emotion associated with an event when words fail. Analysis of these images helps bring trauma to the foreground to be seen, acknowledged, and accepted, putting and end to suppression and initiating a process of healing and growth.
Although the events of Spanish civil war were experienced by people 4,000 miles away nearly a century ago, the lessons we take from the conflict and the “Art Beneath the Bombs” do not cease to be relevant today. An estimated 90 percent of global conflict-related deaths since 1990 have been civilians, and 80 percent of these have been women and children. Art therapy has become a common practice for helping children cope with trauma, and youth who have experienced violence frequently represent their experiences in drawings, just as their unfortunate predecessors did during the Spanish Civil War.
“8-year-old boy drawing attack on village in Darfur.” 2004.
The main difference between the children’s drawings of the Spanish Civil War and the drawings proceeding from modern conflicts are that drawings today contain more blood, and the weapons depicted are more deadly. However, unfortunately the social impact of modern drawings has waned in comparison, as contemporary developed societies have become more accustomed and indifferent to the existence of bloody and unjust conflict.
“Child’s drawing depicting time spent in US Customs and Border Protection custody.” 2019.
The relatively stable and supportive structure of the school colonies during the Spanish Civil War can be used as an a model for effective and appropriate humanitarian intervention. It is important to foster the creation of productive mechanisms and resources to help children, such a secure sanctuary from war under the supervision of caring adults, access to education, and peer and spiritual support. If a child is exposed to a greater number of protective factors than risk factors during war, the child is more likely to exhibit well-being despite facing adversity and trauma.
