An unforgettable trip
A group of children has made the dream of the republican teacher Antoni Benaiges come true to show the sea of Mont-roig del Camp to his students. The Escuela Benaiges association, through the Misión Antoni Benaiges project, has taken thirty children between the ages of eight and thirteen from the neighborhoods of La Cartuja de Granada and La Cañada Real de Madrid to Catalonia to share an unforgettable vacation and vindicate the figure of the teacher. For some, this was the first time they saw the sea, and for others, the longest journey of their lives. With this emotional pilgrimage, the organization has fulfilled Benaiges’ promise 88 years after his murder.
Benaiges, the teacher from Tarragona destined for Burgos
Antoni Benaiges, from Tarragona, was assigned to the rural school of Bañuelos de Bureba, in Burgos, in 1934, where he promoted an innovative pedagogical method and won the effect of children and families. In fact, the teacher promised his students to take them to see the sea and, for two years, the students were writing in a collective notebook what they imagined it would be like to touch the sand and the water of the sea. But just as he was about to fulfill his promise, the teacher was shot by Franco’s troops and buried in a mass grave in Briviesca.
Making the dream come true 88 years after his murder
Almost 90 years after Benaiges’ murder, the Escuela Benaiges association has finally fulfilled the master’s promise. The organization has organized visits to places of historical memory to pay tribute to the figure of the republican and inform the public about what happened during the Spanish Civil War. “If Antoni looked up today, he would see an example of what he wanted in the world. Our children met on Monday and have been living together ever since, no matter where they came from. The world sees these neighborhoods as something that they are not; they are very talented districts. I repeat, the children are treasures and I feel tremendously proud of them,” said Noelia Campaña, director of the Educadores María de Borja association, which has also been involved in the project.
Bring children who have never seen the sea to Mont-roig del Camp
A group of thirty children from the neighborhoods of La Cartuja in Granada and La Cañada Real in Madrid have been chosen to visit Mont-roig del Camp and fulfill the teacher’s dream. “There are still people from La Cañada Real who have not left their neighborhood and who, due to their socio-cultural conditions, cannot move. This is what the teacher saw in the students of Bañuelos, they were children who had not left the village “, said Javier González, a member of the Escuela Benaiges.
A unique experience
Although some of the participants had seen the sea on previous occasions, for others, this was the first time. Also, there have been children who have said that this has been the longest trip of their life. This is the case of the sisters Lola and María, from Granada, who, at most, had visited Malaga. “It’s a pleasure to fulfill your dream, even if you’ve seen the sea before, you’ve never been this far,” said Lola.