Testimony of Agustí Barrera, Interview with Andrea Davis; July 2, 2010
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Asociación de Ex-presos y Represaliados Políticos Asociación para la Recuperación de la Memoria Histórica Federación Estatal de Foros por la Memoria Davis, Andrea University of California, San Diego Barrera, Agustí, 1941-
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Barrera, Agustí, 1941-
Description
Barrera nació en 1941 en Cataluña. Estudió química e historia. Señala cómo su padre, un separatista catalán irascible y militante, se vio obligado a someterse por miedo a las represalias bajo la dictadura de Franco. Barrera vivió lo que él describe como la "represión negra" durante los años 1939-1959. El período estuvo marcado por el racionamiento de alimentos, lo que obligó a sus padres (con siete hijos) a comprar víveres en el mercado negro. También vio problemas de salud en otros debido a la desnutrición. Los días de trabajo generalmente duraban de 10 a 11 horas. Los espeluznantes recuerdos de escuchar ametralladoras durante las ejecuciones y ver u oír sacar cadáveres también marcaron este período. Habla de la creación en 1940 del Frente Nacional de Cataluña. Para la década de 1960, la situación comenzó a abrirse, con algunos exiliados que regresaban de México trayendo libros publicados por exiliados españoles en el extranjero. Describe la formación de una conciencia política y el activismo político de los estudiantes universitarios de clase media durante este período. En la década de 1970 hubo una mayor ruptura de las fronteras en el flujo de ideas, con turistas que traían libros y viajes ocasionales a Francia por parte de españoles. En la era posfranquista, los partidos políticos antiimperialistas estaban incorporando ideas marxistas en sus plataformas. Otros temas abordados por Barrera incluyen: el papel de la mujer en la lucha política contra el fascismo, la lucha actual por la independencia de Cataluña, que contextualiza como una lucha por la autodeterminación democrática contra el viejo colonialismo inherente al estado español, y un comentario general sobre actualidad política y económica en España y Cataluña. Barrera was born in 1941 in Catalonia. He studied chemistry and history. He points out that his father, though an irascible and militant Catalan separatist, was forced into submission by fear of reprisals under the Franco dictatorship. Barrera lived through what he describes as the "represión negra" during the years 1939- 1959. The period was marked by food rationing, which forced his parents (with seven children) to buy groceries on the black market. He also saw health problems in others due to malnutrition. Work days generally lasted 10-11 hours. Grisly memories of hearing machine guns during executions, and seeing or hearing of cadavers taken out, also marked this period. He discusses the establishment in 1940 of the Front Nacional de Catalunya. By the 1960s the situation began to open up, with some exiles returning from Mexico bringing in books published by Spanish exiles abroad. He describes the formation of a political consciousness and the political activism of middle class university students during this period. By the 1970s there was a further breaking down of boundaries in the flow of ideas, with tourists bringing books, and occasional travel to France by Spaniards. In the post-Franco era, anti- imperialist political parties were incorporating Marxist ideas in their platforms. Other topics touched upon by Barrera include: the role of woman in the political struggle against fascism, the current fight for Catalonian independence, which he contextualizes as a struggle for democratic self determination against the old colonialism inherent in the Spansih state, and general commentary on current political and economic issues in Spain and Catalonia Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego, La Jolla, 92093-0175 (https://lib.ucsd.edu/sca) Interviews in Spanish Barrera's testimony was recorded in Spain Testimony of the Spanish Civil War and the Francoist dictatorship Barrera, Agustí. Testimony of the Spanish Civil War and the Francoist Dictatorship. University of California, San Diego, 2010 Barcelona, Spain :, Spanish Civil War Memory Project, 2010
Type
moving image
Format
3 video files : digital, sound, color
Identifier
ark:/20775/bb6008063d
Language
Spanish
Subject
Interviews Civil War (Spain : 1936-1939) Exiles Oral history Personal narratives-Spanish Nonfiction films History Front Nacional de Catalunya France Catalonia (Spain) Spain
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