News by our national chapter in Catalonia

Local government representatives from 20 Catalan cities and towns took part in a full-day meeting on this emerging subject for our network. The event was organized by the Mayors for Peace Catalan Chapter in cooperation with Santa Margarida i els Monjos and the Barcelona Province.

The event was held at the medieval castle of Castell de Penyafort; a captivating site located at the heart of Penedès region in the Barcelona Province. It welcomed contributions by key networks, civil society initiatives and regional representatives to explore emerging practices and co-create a shared action agenda on historical memory focused on the exchange of practices, advocacy and better communication.

The values and mission of the Mayors for Peace network were highlighted in this context.

The event stressed the importance of local governments’ commitment around democratic values, human rights and social cohesion. Historical memory policies are a key tool at local governments’ hands to advance this vision through intergenerational dialogues, participatory democracy, peace education and development cooperation projects.

The event welcomed contributions from:

• The European Observatory on Memories – EUROM
• Olesa de Montserrat and its “Audiència Memorial” initiative focused on participatory democracy and intergenerational dialogues
• Consell Comarcal del Priorat and Cornudella de Montsant initiatives to promote the battlefields of the Battle of Ebre (Spanish Civil War) and foster democratic participation and collaboration among present day generations.
• Caldes de Montbui initiatives to remember deported catalans to Nazi camps, to foster memorial activities in public spaces and community engagement
• Santa Coloma de Gramenet program on historical memory focused on developing the city’s identity, recognizing social rights advocates and consolidate the city’s democratic commitment.
• Pallejà and the Consell Comarcal del Baix Llobregat initiative to promote an ad hoc network of 35 metropolitan municipalities about historical memory
• The Historical Memory program of Barcelona Provincial Council
• The Mai Més network by Amical de Mauthausen to prevent fascism
• The Lleida 1936 Platform to promote memorial activities in the Lleida region
• The Fons Català de Cooperació addressing historical memory through municipal decentralized cooperation
• The CEDID Center by the UAB Universities focused on the study of dictatorship