Navarra launches program on shared dictatorship memories

The Department of Memory and Coexistence, Foreign Action, and Basque in Navarra has launched a program titled ‘Navarra-Argentina in Dictatorship, 1936-1976-2026. Shared Memories’. The initiative commemorates two significant historical milestones: the 90th anniversary of the Francoist coup in Spain and the 50th anniversary of the Videla military coup in Argentina.

The program highlights the historical links between Navarra and Argentina, noting that the latter became a major destination for the Navarrese diaspora during the 20th century. This migration was driven by both economic necessity and political exile following the triumph of Francoism.

In Navarra, the 1936 coup led to a three-year war and nearly half a century of dictatorship, resulting in 3,500 deaths within the region alone, many of whom remain unidentified. The program aims to preserve the memory of both the repression and the social resistance experienced during these periods.