Celebrating the 140th anniversary of the birth of Blas Infante, founding father of the Andalucía region

"Blas Infante is one of the leading lights that have guided us to a deeper awareness of ourselves and of what we are as Andalusians." With these words the president of the Junta de Andalucía, Juanma Moreno, paid tribute on Monday to the founding father of the Andalusian homeland, Blas Infante, on the 140th anniversary of his birth. Moreno thanked the people of Casares for maintaining the spiritual, intellectual and material legacy "of the first of the Andalusians" in an event in which the sweltering heat did not prevent local residents from turning out in force throughout the day.

The event was also attended by many visiting dignitaries, including representatives from Andalucía's parliamentary groups (except for Vox) and other regional authorities, alongside regional councillors, the Spanish government's delegate for Andalucía (Pedro Fernández Peñalver) and Speaker for Andalucía's parliament (Jesús Aguirre). They were welcomed by the mayor of Casares, Juan Luis Villalón, and some of his councillors.

"From Casares we look at the world and Andalucía from a compassionate and human perspective, just as we Andalusians are. When we speak, we don't think of ourselves. We think about everyone and we want for Andalucía what we want for everyone else. It's a foundation made of solidarity, empathy and universality, and this is what Blas Infante taught us", said Juanma Moreno during his commemorative speech.

The Junta president concluded by stating that "we firmly defend what is fair for Andalucía and we cannot remain silent when some territories are privileged over others. We have an obligation to defend fair and equitable treatment for all Andalusians. The men and women of Andalucía today share that rebellious spirit that Blas Infante called for and that drives us to achieve a better Andalucía, one that is more just, more conscious, more equal, and happier."

For his part, Jesús Aguirre described Blas Infante as "a unique person who knew how to be ahead of his time, laying the groundwork to deliver an Andalucía that looked to the future with hope and offer a future full of opportunities without distinctions of any kind and, of course, without excluding anyone. And with values of peace, equality and freedom, with unconditional love for his land and endless work for social justice."

Javier Delmás Infante, grandson and president of the Blas Infante Foundation, said that his grandfather "was a leading light of a man with marked traits of service to others, to the most disadvantaged." He added: "His life and ideals have been silenced for a long time, there were even those who tried to justify his murder, but Blas Infante is very much loved in Casares, his town, which he never forgot."

Juan Luis Villalón, as the incumbent mayor of Casares, thanked the Andalusian parliament for holding this official, commemorative event, "in this square, in this setting where it all began, the first seeds of an Andalusian thought that continues to beat 140 years later, that calls us and drives us, a space from which all injustices were denounced and from which the seed of a human, cultural, ethical and political Andalusianism sprouted from the child who dreamed of a free, egalitarian and peaceful land with real justice between people and among peoples."

The mayor continued: "his cultural rather than political and, above all, human and ethical outlook enabled him to discover beauty in the midst of suffering, which makes him an exceptional thinker." The Plaza de España, the main square in Casares, which was packed with people and suppressed emotion, exploded when the tribute concluded with Pasión Vega performing the Andalusian anthem (Himno de Andalucía), whose lyrics were written by Blas Infante himself.

The house where Infante was born in Casares, which has been converted into a museum and is located at Calle Carrera 51, was also visited by the attending dignitaries. It will open to the public once remodelling work has been completed to return the building to its original layout and structure. The refurbishment has a budget of 700,000 euros and was criticised by Vox Malaga as an "ideological expense" and "a real absurdity."