Activites and Events
The Association is involved both with the recuperation of historic memory and with providing a cultural and social programme for Members.
Here we will let you know about: events with which we are involved, or which may be of interest to you
- forthcoming and recent events,
- exhibitions,
- commemorative plaques,
- cultural and social events
- Past activities and events (2004-2007)
.
Forthcoming events
19 July IBMT Memorial Day
monument in Jubilee Gardens at 1 pm .Lunch at Travel Inn. Social in evening at “Paper Moon”, 24 Blackfriars Road, London SE1 8NY. Tube: Waterloo, Southwark.
monument in Jubilee Gardens at 1 pm .Lunch at Travel Inn. Social in evening at “Paper Moon”, 24 Blackfriars Road, London SE1 8NY. Tube: Waterloo, Southwark.
12 Oct Unveiling of a blue plaque in Montrose, Scotland.
Recent Events
21 June Talk by Professor Michael Alpert:
“The Blockade of Bilbao” at the Marx Memorial Library See transcript in Articles page.
8 March International Brigade Memorial Trust Day
Imperial War Museum. Tube: Elephant and Castle, Waterloo. Showing of “The Guernica Children” at 11 am, followed by selected readings from “Beyond the Barricades” by John Langdon Davies.Len Crome Memorial Lecture at 2.30 pm by Dr Angel Viñas: “Old Wine in New Bottles – Resilience and resurgence of old myths about the Spanish Civil War.”
26 April ¡Viva la República!
Fiesta from 3-11.30 pm with poetry, dance, film, music etc to remember and celebrate the Spanish Republic. Spanish meal and bar. At the Ya Asantewaa Centre, 1 Chippenham Mews, London W9. Bus: 18 or 36, stops Harrow Road and Sutherland Avenue. Tube: Royal Oak, Warwick Avenue or Westbourne Park.
25 May Niños’ Lunch.
The Guernica Children goes nationwide!
Following on from the successful screenings of The Guernica Children through the Summer and Autumn, the film is now set to go nationwide via the British Federation of Film Societies.
At the beginning of December the film’s director Steve Bowles and Association stalwart Herminio Martinez made their way to Sheffield for the launch of The Guernica Children at the BFFS annual conference. Herminio gave a brief account of his own experience as one of the Basque children and Steve told how excited he was that the film would get such a wide airing. The film was very well received and scored one of the highest ratings ever for a BFFS screening.
The BFFS operates a scheme for screening films via film clubs and societies in the UK. There are currently more than 250 such organizations around the country.
The Association will collaborate closely with the BFFS with showings of The Guernica Children and where possible will send a representative to present the film.
Perhaps you are a member of a BFFS-affiliated film society? If so, you could request a screening of The Guernica Children in your area!
See www.bffs.org.uk for more information.
31 January 2008 Guernica Children
Another chance to see The Guernica Children on the TV.10.00pm on BBC. Order the full feature-length version of the film from the web-site!!
24th Jan - 6th Feb 2008 Art Exhibition.
Works by Herminio Martínez, Koke Martínez and Dalia Guzmán at the Centro Social de Mayores, 52 Camden Square, London NW1 9XB. Open Tuesday to Saturday 2-6 pm. Tube: Camden Town.
Los Niños - The extraordinary story remembered and retold in a week of live performance, film and exhibition. 10th -13th October 2007
The Point, Eastleigh commorated the events of 1937 with a week of new arts commissions, collaborations with Basque artists, discussion and exhibitions. Steve Bowles presented his film 'The Guernica Children' and Natalia Benjamin put the week in context on the 10th October. There was a performance by The Point Young People’s Theatre of a specially commissioned piece Javier Maria and Me. The play, funded by The Heritage Lottery Fund will tour local schools telling the children's story and deal with current refugee themes and will feature with the premier of a new dance collaboration. One of the associate companies of The Point, Lila Dance, will work with the Basque choreographer Jon Maya Sein of Kukai Dance Company to produce a new dance collaboration with specially composed music. Michael Portillo, himself the son of a Basque refugee gave an ‘Audience with’ evening before introducing the performance from Basque region’s Kukai Dance/Tanttaka theatre company for their performance of 1937: Along the paths of memory on the 12th.
There was also a symposium; Exploring the Experience of Exile, organised by The University of Southampton and the Basque Children of '37 Association UK on Saturday the 13th October as well as an exhibition throughout the week in collaboration with the Association and the Red Cross.
70th Anniversary celebrations
On the 70th anniversary of their arrival – on Saturday 26 May 2007– hundreds of the Basque ‘children’ and their families gathered in Southampton to commemorate this extraordinary episode in history. For a report, photographs, copies of the speeches and links to press reports go here.
Exhibitions
The Association now has a collection of 29 display panels mostly dedicated to different colonies, with photographs of the niños and newspaper reports, as well as tickets, posters and other material.
To see where the exhibition has been shown go here
Commemorative Plaques
A major endeavour with which we have become involved is the erection of Blue Plaques to mark the sites of previous colonies and to acknowledge the care and support of the local people. It involves contacting and liaising with local councils, historical societies, and local papers. It often unearths surprising new facts, details, memories and occasionally a new niño or niña is found, so these can be a very emotional event all round! These popular events are always well supported locally , and, together with the publicity they produce, have become a valuable way of educating the public and attracting new members to our Association.
We recently erected a a plaque to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the arrival of the niños at Southampton, outside the Southampton City Library.
The following is a list of the Blue Plaques that have been erected by the Association at the sites of previous colonies:
- Worthing (May 2007)
- Hull (November 2006)
- Cambridge (May 2005)
- Caerleon, South Wales (October 2004)
- Aston, Oxfordshire (July 2003)
Further details will be found in the relevant newsletter.
Cultural Events
Our Association has been involved in organising several talks, which have been given to our members and interested others, mainly in London and Oxford: