“Exile, the uncertain path that opens up before those who have to move away from their country, leads to a traumatic and painful break. That is why, resisting the passage of time, the past is reluctant to depart and may end up being a heavy burden. According to Imre Kertész, the only way to free ourselves from this burden is through memory. And it is the path of memory that this museum seeks to follow.”
So begins the introduction to the Museu Memorial de l’Exili. And it has continued to pursue this objective since its inauguration in 2007. The MUME is a project promoted by the Town Council of La Jonquera with the support of the European Union (ERDF-INTERREG III-A programme), the Government of Catalonia and the Diputació de Girona. The final impulse for the creation of the Museum, since 2004, has been due to the work of Memorial Democràtic. It is a new museum, but reflects old wisdom, the memory and suffering of humanity in forced displacements.
All exiles that have taken place over time, including that of the Republicans, constitute an extremely important historical issue. Millions and millions of people have had to go into exile and there are those who are still exiled or who are still suffering from the consequences of being exiled. Confining ourselves to the Republican exile, the Museum’s objective is to dignify the victims and explain our past and the historical and human cost of the struggle for democracy to new generations, so that the horrors of the past are not repeated.
The MUME, in addition to its permanent exhibition, periodically organises temporary exhibitions. In a society that has suffered such a degree of political exile as was unleashed by the outcome of the Spanish Civil War and whose members have so often throughout its history had to emigrate for economic and social reasons, and one that has also had to welcome to its territory people of very diverse origin, there is a special sensitivity to these issues.
LiberPress Catalonia Award 2012
The Museu Memorial de l’Exili has obtained the LiberPress Catalonia Award 2012 because it is an idea, an institution, an almost perfect project that defends the rights of man, and because it has researched and denounced one of the most painful episodes in human history: the path of exile, displaced people, refugee camps, the suffering of those who have to leave their country, with special reference to the retreat of Spanish republicans abroad and their exile. This Museum is a great pride for Catalonia and for humanity and should be better known and recognised.