Testimony of Juan Conejero, Interview with Jodi Eisenberg and Jessica Cordova; July 1, 2009
Contributor
University of California, San Diego Conejero, Juan Asociación de Ex-presos y Represaliados Políticos Asociación para la Recuperación de la Memoria Histórica Federación Estatal de Foros por la Memoria Cordova, Jessica Eisenberg, Jodi
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Conejero, Juan
Description
Juan Conejero was born in Arenas in 1926. Juan recounts that when the Civil War broke out, his family fled with thousands of people on the road to Almería. Juan recalls that when they reached Motriz, the Falange told people that if they had not killed anyone they could return home without fearing an attack. His father thought that his family would be safe and they returned to Arenas. Juan explains that upon returning, his father was arrested, trialed quickly without a lawyer, witnesses, or evidence, sentenced to death, and later was shot and thrown into a mass grave where the bodies were covered with quicklime. His mother became the head of the family, working picking olives and washing clothes. His family experienced hard times and usually did not have enough to eat. At age twenty, Juan went to work in the border region of France for three years. He then moved to Barcelona, where his sisters lived. He worked at a cosmetics factory in Barcelona for thirty-eight years. Juan details how he joined the union and was fired twice for union activity, but was rehired since he fought and won both of his trials. He describes helping found the union Comisiones Obreras (Labor Commissions) in Barcelona. Juan relates his current participation in the recuperation of historical memory and his views on the importance of unearthing mass graves Juan Conejero nació en Arenas en 1926. Juan recuenta que cuando estalló la Guerra Civil, su familia huyó con miles de personas en la carretera de Almería. Juan relata que cuando su familia llegó a Motriz, la Falange le dijo a la gente que si no habían matado a nadie podían regresar a sus casas sin represalias. Su padre pensó que estarían a salvo y volvieron a Arenas. Juan explica que al regresar, su padre fue arrestado, enjuiciado rápidamente sin abogado, testigos, o evidencia, sentenciado a muerte, y después le dispararon y lo tiraron en una fosa común donde cubrían los cuerpos con cal viva. Su madre se hizo cargo de la familia, trabajando recogiendo aceitunas y lavando ropa. Su familia vivió tiempos difíciles y generalmente no tenían suficiente para comer. A los veinte años, Juan se fue a trabajar en la frontera con Francia por tres años. Después se mudó a Barcelona, donde vivían sus hermanas. Trabajó en una fábrica de cosméticos en Barcelona por treinta y ocho años. Juan cuenta cómo se unió al sindicato y fue despedido dos veces por su actividad sindical, pero fue recontratado ya que defendió y ganó ambos juicios. Detalla cómo ayudó a fundar el sindicato Comisiones Obreras en Barcelona. Juan describe su participación actual en la recuperación de la memoria histórica y da su punto de vista sobre la importancia de abrir las fosas comunes. Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego, La Jolla, 92093-0175 (https://lib.ucsd.edu/sca) Juan Conejero's testimony was recorded in his home in Vélez-Málaga Testimony of the Spanish Civil War and the Francoist dictatorship Interviews in Spanish Conejero, Juan. Testimony of the Spanish Civil War and the Francoist Dictatorship. University of California, San Diego, 2009 Vélez-Málaga, Spain :, Spanish Civil War Memory Project, [year
Type
moving image
Format
4 video files : digital, sound, color
Identifier
ark:/20775/bb6417627k
Language
Spanish
Subject
Interviews Oral history Nonfiction films History Civil War (Spain : 1936-1939) Personal narratives-Spanish Confederación Sindical de Comisiones Obreras Barcelona (Spain) Spain France
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