Post-War Intellectuals
As was evident during the transatlantic slave trade, wealthy, well-connected institutions have a large impact on shaping the fortunes of people around the world. With a global reach made more immediate by the internet, today's institutions potentially have an even greater responsibility than previous ones in educating the public on justice and narrative, and in providing opportunities for marginalized voices to be heard.
Between 1945–1955, Francisco Franco managed to remake his image abroad. No longer an ally of the WWII Axis, he repackaged himself as a stalwart anti-communist, ruling over a strategic country at the crossroads of Africa and Europe. Although considered an illegitimate ruler by FDR, he became a crucial partner for Presidents Truman and Eisenhower. In exchange, the US built Cold War military bases in Spain.
MACBA & CCCB
These museums often host speaker events, exhibitions, and debates featuring people from the African diaspora. Recent guests have included Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, NoViolet Bulawayo, Angela Davis, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, Lilian Thuram, and Colson Whitehead.
Richard Wright
Richard Wright (1908–1960) drove into Spain from France in 1954. After passing through the Catalan countryside, he arrived in Barcelona, was taken to the cathedral, and stayed in a pension in "the center of the city." As he wrote in Pagan Spain (1957), the "aspect of early-morning Barcelona that impressed me most next day was the strident quality of its noise."
Wright is believed to have interacted with various locals, including writers, in Raval. He also spent time on La Rambla and attended a bullfight at Monumental. His portrayal of Spain analyzed Franco as "more of a symptom than a cause. The problem, in his view, is spiritual: the Spanish people are deeply irrational, hierarchical, communalistic, and superstitious."
James Baldwin
James Baldwin (1924–1987) traveled to Spain for the first time in 1953. During that trip, he met poet Jaime Gil de Biedma and stayed in his basement on Carrer Muntaner, which he called "blacker than my reputation." They spent seven days together moving around the city, including the picnic areas on Montjuïc.
On subsequent trips in the early 1960s, Baldwin became acquainted with important members of the Barcelona literary scene, such as publishers Carlos Barral and Jaime Salinas, critic Josep Maria Castellet, and poet Gabriel Ferrater, who also translated Nobody Knows My Name.
End: Universitat de Barcelona
Toni Morrison (1931–2019) was an American novelist, editor, and Nobel Prize recipient. Born seven years after James Baldwin, the two first met in the 1970s and became friends who read each other's work. Before his death, Baldwin stated "Toni's my ally... Her gift is in allegory." After Baldwin's passing, Morrison thanked him "for three gifts: his language, his courage, and his tenderness."
The university's Lletra de Dona archives hosts work by her. It is also believed that she lectured here in 1991.
Morrison & Baldwin photo from Buala. All others from Wikipedia Commons.