What is Spain? The question has always troubled Spaniards. Is it best understood as the land of Velázquez, Cervantes and Almodóvar, epitomized by the exuberant noise of Barça fans, the aching beauty of the Alhambra and by King Juan Carlos delivering democracy? Or is Spain defined by its darkness: the Inquisition, the slave trade, the cruelty of Cortés, Francoist fascism and King Juan Carlos taking bribes? Throughout their history, Giles Tremlett writes, the Spanish people have “struggled … to fuse together a fractured soul”.
When the Spanish national anthem is played at the World Cup, players simply hum; they do not sing. That’s because the song has no words. According to Tremlett, “Spaniards disagree so profoundly about their own history that they dare not put words to it.” The ability to ignore the past remains an important component in social harmony. Forgetting — olvidando — has occasionally been an official policy. Eyes are intentionally averted from bodies secretly buried.
