The programme of PhotOn 2013 (3rd International Photojournalism Festival) includes two exhibitions at La Nau Cultural Centre. Eloy Alonso’s works are presented at Oberta Hall, including pieces from the Civil War and the post-war period that remained in the memory of the families of those who suffered reprisals at the hands of Franco’s regime. Families that could not mourn the death of their children, spouses or siblings or even bury them, for they never knew whatever happened. Photographer Eloy Alonso is a witness to their sorrow and tireless search for those who went missing, for their stories not to fall into oblivion. Alonso does not forget either: his grandfather, Emilio Silva Faba, was the first Spanish civil war victim identified by DNA testing following exhumation from a communal grave.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been unable to remember my grandfather. I've never seen his face in a picture either. Last year, I found his fingerprint on his death sentence, in El Ferrol Military Archive, all hidden with more than 40,000 old and damp files. My mother doesn’t recall him being illiterate. Sometimes, those sentenced to death refused to sign the sentence in as a last sign of protest and so they were forced to stamp their print to prove they had been read the ruling.
