INSTITUTO Cervantes recently presented an exhibit to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the first cultural mission between Spain and the Philippines after the Treaty of Paris.
Dubbed as the Gerardo Diego and Julio Palacios in the Philippines: Chronicles of a Journey, the exhibit was copresented with the Embassy of Spain, Ayala Museum and Fundación Gerardo Diego.
Instituto Cervantes Director Dr. Carlos Madrid said the cultural mission of 1935 built bridges, bringing borders closer and, with them, the people, through dialogue and exchange of knowledge.
“Spain and the Philippines kept the spirit alive nowadays, like it happened before. This spirit encouraged the scientist and the poet to explore the islands, bringing the value of culture, and the desire of both places to reconnect and together walk along the path of harmony,” Madrid said.
In 1935 Spain’s poet Gerardo Diego and scientist Julio Palacios visited the Philippines. Sent by the government of Spain in a cultural mission, with the main purpose of delivering a series of master lectures at the University of the Philippines and the University of Santo Tomas as a sign of affection and friendship of Spain toward the Philippines.
“Professor Diego and Professor Palacios not only enjoyed but were part of the Manila vibrant cultural scene. They also witnessed that moment of great importance for the formation of the Filipino identity: the approval of the 1935 Constitution,” curator Ariana H. Valladares said.
The exihbit offered visitors the chance to embark on a journey to the Philippines through the 1930s, with the impressions of two Spanish masterminds reflected in a selection of documents, press clippings, audio recorded and photographs from Fundación Gerardo, along with other materials about Manila and the islands from different sources.
“The briefs of Gerardo Diego and Julio Palacios, together with the press of the time, described everything they saw, heard and experienced along the journey. These chronicles serve as our guide through the exhibition,” Valladares said.
In addition to the exhibition, Instituto Cervantes published a catalog with a prologue by the daughters of the main figures and texts written by renowned experts in their respective fields, including Universidad Complutense de Madrid’s Dr. Florentino Rodao, Universidad de Deusto’s Dr. Juan Manuel Diez de Guereñu and Real Academia Nacional de Medicina’s Dr. González de Posadas.