Zaragoza
With a tribute to his grandfather and his ancestors from Bubierca, in the Comunidad de Calatayud region, the writer Sergio del Molino has received the gold medal of Santa Isabel de Portugal, the highest recognition awarded by the Provincial Council of Zaragoza. For his critical thinking and for opening the public debate on depopulation and the value of the rural environment in his essay La España Vacía.
And he did so with a dull expression inherited from his family and around which his speech has revolved, as an attitude of facing life as it comes. “You have to screw yourself” expresses a stoic attitude; it is a way of accepting life as it comes, it does not matter if it comes well or badly. Whether you are fired from work or you receive an award, you have to screw yourself. There is no other way. It may seem like a form of resignation, it even has its fatalistic side, but for me it has never been pessimistic or conservative, but rather a way of reaffirming oneself in the world, an ironic manifestation of Here I am and this is my life, no matter what happens and no matter what they say.”
And in contrast to these roots, there is the gaze of the outsider. “I am not interested in anyone’s secrets, I just want to put myself in their shoes, to know what it feels like to be someone else so that I can speak better and make myself better understood, and this is only possible from the position of the outsider, and that is why I have cultivated the gaze of the stranger” because “if we saw ourselves from outside we would see ourselves better.”
“Moderation” versus “tension”
A solemn act in which the president of the DPZ and provincial secretary of the PSOE called for political moderation in the face of tension, with an outstretched hand for consensus and coexistence. It is urgent, said Sánchez Quero, to “recover the centre” as a “space for meeting and agreement”. And insisting, on up to 3 occasions, on the Transition as “the heritage of all” and on the “unity of the State” to “guarantee civil, political and legal equality”.
In the face of current uncertainty, he pointed out the defence of democratic principles. He called for a “democratic revolution from below, from local politics” to be led by local councils and provincial governments, which “gives citizens an example of public service, avoiding exclusive recipes”. He asked other institutions such as the Government of Aragon to leave aside “opportunism and partisan interests” and “calm down the debate”.
Among the audience were the former president of the DPZ and regional secretary of the PSOE in Aragon, Javier Lambán, wearing a mask, and representatives of the Zaragoza City Council and the Government of Aragon, among other institutions.
40 years of Saint Elizabeth medals
As is tradition, the award ceremony for the medal of Saint Elizabeth of Portugal was held on July 4, the day of Saint Elizabeth, patron saint of the province of Zaragoza and the Provincial Council of Zaragoza. This award was created in 1984 under the presidency of Florencio Repollés Julve and is now 40 years old.
Sergio del Molino joins the list of writers and journalists who have received this award: Ignacio Martínez de Pisón, Jesús Moncada, Ildefonso Manuel Gil, José Luis Melero, Gervasio Sánchez, Alfonso Zapater, Miguel Mena… Among the personalities from the field of culture who have been awarded the medal are also names such as Joan Manuel Serrat, José Antonio Labordeta, Fernando Lázaro Carreter, Carlos Saura, Antonio Saura, Santiago Auserón, Guillermo Fatás, Agustín Sánchez Vidal and José Carlos Mainer.