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Port of Call |
LAST UPDATE September 18, 2007
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| site design imagesparkle.com |
| July 20, 2007 |
Bilbao, Spain – Remembering Gernika: A City Scarred by War, Founded on Peace |
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| The warning bells of Santa Maria church could not prepare residents for the unprecedented indiscriminate killing of civilians. |
When the bells of Santa Maria church rang out on April 26, 1937, everyone quickly realised it was not a call to prayer. The sinister chiming was a warning to locals who craned their necks towards the skies, knowing the enemy was coming their way. What the residents of Gernika could not have known that afternoon was that they were about to suffer the first attempt to wipe out an entire town and its people. Seventy years later, Peace Boat participants made their way from the port of Bilbao to find out why Gernika is now recognised as a UNESCO City for Peace and what it is doing today to help continue this culture. |
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| Luis Iriondo uses his own testimony to educate more people about the horror of war |
After being welcomed by Mayor Gorroño in the heart of the small market city, participants heard the vivid memories of the bombing as they met with survivors. In just four hours, unmarked planes destroyed more than three-quarters of the town, exploding buildings, igniting powerful fires through incendiary bombs, and shooting at innocent civilians. Nothing like this sort of indiscriminate attack had ever been seen before. Yet as the Spanish Civil War intensified and the then- fascist nations of Germany and Italy began to support the overthrow of the Spanish government, it was Gernika that paid the price. “I could see the whole town in flames” remembers Luis Iriondo, just 14 years old at the time. Despite the pain of his experience, Mr. Iriondo wants to use it for peace. “If we let people know the consequences of war, we can stop it from happening in the first place” he said with conviction. |
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| Akira Ikeda (left) and Pedro Baliño shared their experiences as survivors |
The need for survivors to speak out was fuelled under General Franco’s dictatorship as he took Spain by force. Through the oppression of his regime, the appalling truth about Gernika was not only buried but grossly distorted—Franco attributed the city’s destruction to the people of the city themselves. One Peace Boat participant also felt he could not tell his story as a survivor of the Nagasaki atomic bomb, due to the pain and upset it caused. But hearing the testimonies that had been given, Akira Ikeda was inspired to talk for the very first time. Many in the close gathering were moved to tears as he spoke of the horror and hardship the attack wreaked on the people of his hometown. “I have tried to hide this in my heart” he said, “but our experience as survivors is very important in helping to promote peace. I decided to speak out so that the younger people around me can use my story in the future”. |
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| Locals are proud to show participants the work for peace and reconciliation around Gernika |
Brought together by their belief in promoting peace, the Japanese participants and local hosts visited Gernika Gogoratuz - the town’s own Peace Research Center. At the core of the city’s work to foster peace are the center’s efforts to use the power of these personal accounts. For the past ten years they have collected the memories of 85 survivors to keep a collective record of what happened from those who witnessed it firsthand. By sharing these stories internationally, Gernika’s history is helping to make others aware of the consequences of war and encouraging reconciliation between once warring sides. After hearing of the devastation of Gernika through this work, one German councillor was even moved to make a touching apology to the city and ask for a pardon for his country’s part in the attack. |
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| The Gernika oak tree is a symbol of freedom and peace for its inhabitants and beyond |
Proud of their city’s heritage, the Gernikans then led the participants out on foot to show them where their peaceful philosophy stems from. In the middle of the House of Assembly, participants learnt of the famed Gernika oak tree – a sign of unity, freedom and peace, not only in the city, but for the whole Basque area of northern Spain, of which Gernika is the symbolic center. For centuries the Basque people have gathered around this oak tree to discuss matters across the region and make community decisions together. Everyone could admire this early form of democracy that continues to instill a cooperative and peaceful attitude. |
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| Everyone gathers around the famous oak tree, celebrating the ongoing efforts towards peace |
And still today, the people of Gernika take an active part in its mission for peace, through the work of its civil groups and non-governmental organizations. While the Peace Research Center, Gernika Gogoratuz, continues international dialogue, programs of peace education and mediation, other local NGOs such as Gesto por la Paz (Actions for Peace) are focussing on creating peace closer to home, as it tries to find a long-term solution to the violence of ETA – the Basque group that some say started off as a admirable independence movement but degenerated into a terrorist organization. Survivors such as Pedro Baliño also carry on working to spread the story of Gernika’s bombing even further, making a film “to show the world the truth”, as he says. What could have been a story of hatred and revenge as the city– and the whole of Spain – was conquered by fascism, turned into a determination to spread peace. As they left to rejoin the Peace Boat, the words of one resident stuck in the minds of the participants: “History is not always written by the victors” he reminded all. “And the future is built by the actions of people”, which thankfully leaves Gernika facing a future of peace.
Read more about the work of Gernika’s Peace Research Center at: www.gernikagogoratuz.org |
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