A better way to preserve Franco’s memory

by B. R. GOWANI

An artwork entitled “Always Franco” by Spanish artist Eugenio Merino, featuring a figure of Spain’s former dictator Francisco Franco inside a refrigerator. IMAGE/Reuters/Andrea Comas/Yahoo

There is a saying in Hindi/Urdu: “dil lagA gadhe [or gadhi] se toh pari kyA cheez hai.” That is, if your heart is set on a donkey [or jenny], then what is a fairy. Same could be rephrased for a tyrant too. So if people have a feeling of awe and respect for murderers and warmongers, what can you do, except help them in preserving the memories of their beloved bastards.

In February 2012, in an art exhibition at ARCO in Madrid, Spain, an artwork “Always Franco” by Spanish artist Eugenio Merino was on display. It showed General Francisco Franco (1892-1975), the dictator who ruled Spain from 1939 till his death, inside a fridge with a Coke logo. Merino’s reason for the sculpture:

“I put Franco in a fridge to express that it’s nearly 40 years after the dictatorship and he still lives in our society. Every month there is something in the press about Franco.“

“It represents the idea that in Spain people are keeping the image of Franco alive. We don’t stop talking about him, debating about him. A fridge is where things are kept alive and fresh.“

But Franco’s lovers were hurt to see their beloved squeezed inside a fridge. Jaime Alonso, the vice president of The National Francisco Franco Foundation (FNFF, which is headed by Franco’s daughter Maria del Carmen Franco Polo ) said:

“The work generates hate and confrontation.” “This is a serious offence against the former head of state. It is turning him into a caricature, a puppet. We can’t ignore this because otherwise we will have increasingly coarse and scatological provocations.”

Merino was sued and taken to court by the FNFF but the judge dismissed the case saying it didn’t damage Franco’s reputation. Now he has been sued again for another sculpture called “Punching Franco”, a punchball in the shape of Franco’s face.

In 2012, the FNFF celebrated “120 years after, Francisco Franco, present!” to pay tribute to Franco-a person who was responsible for the death of 200,000 people between 1939 to 1945. Tens of thousands of political prisoners died during his rule due to overwork, starvation, or execution. He was also responsible for the death of many Jews. The Nazi Germany had asked him to take back Jews of Spanish origin but he refused.

Now the memory of such a person should be preserved for a long time so that the future generations can know what kind of savages the twentieth century had produced. Merino is doing a good job but as they say, there is a room for improvement. Things in a fridge can only remain fresh for so many days. What Merino should do is to put Franco inside a freezer. Now this will preserve Franco and his memory forever. One other thing: avoid the Coke logo, it is not any better than Franco.

B. R. Gowani can be reached at brgowani@hotmail.com