The Centre Cultural la Beneficència houses the Valencian Museum of Ethnology, known as L’ETNO, was established in 1982 with a mission to collect, study, and showcase elements, information, and exhibitions connected to the traditional culture of Valencia. The museum seeks to draw universal insights from the region’s unique cultural characteristics. The museum serves a social and educational purpose, dedicated to preserving cultural heritage, and traditions, and encouraging reflection on Valencia’s past, making it an ideal destination for those who want to explore the rich history of the region in the upcoming months. Discover more about the exhibitions and activities L’ETNO has to offer in October and November below.

EXHIBITIONS

Abans del Jardí (Before the Garden)- Ends on 31st of December 2023

 The Turia Gardens stand as a testament to urban, social, and heritage significance, evolving alongside the city’s history. Yet, the full awareness of this value remains a work in progress. While historical narratives often focus on catastrophic floods, they overlook the complex economic, social, and emotional ties between the city and its river. Starting in 1982, the transformation of the river into a green oasis expanded the perception of the river’s prior identity as a barren, disconnected wasteland. This exhibition, fuelled by photographic and documentary research, uncovers a more multifaceted reality. It’s divided into three sections: “Living on the River,” highlighting the riverbed as a living space; “Living from the River,” revealing diverse resource uses linked to water; and “Living the River,” showcasing its evolution from a social space to a garden, thanks to community engagement.

 https://letno.dival.es/en/exposicion/temporary-exhibition/garden

Les Fosses del Franquisme (The Graves of Francosim) – Ends on 28th of April 2024

 This project is a vital initiative with a public service mission, dedicated to preserving democratic memory. It is our collective moral responsibility to remember in order to prevent the recurrence of the darkest chapters in our history. This multidisciplinary effort integrates archaeology, anthropology, and historical memory. The exhibitions include ‘Archaeology of Memory: The Graves of Paterna,’ organized by the Museum of Prehistory of Valencia, and ‘2238 Paterna: A place of perpetration and memory,’ organized by L’ETNO, Museu Valencià d’Etnologia. These exhibitions serve to cultivate critical awareness regarding events that must never be allowed to happen again.

https://letno.dival.es/en/exposicion/temporary-exhibition/graves-francoism

No és fàcil ser Valencià/na (It is not easy to be Valencian) – Permanent exhibition

In all cultures, Valencians are grappling with an undefined identity and engage in an ongoing debate between an increasingly homogeneous cultural world and the desire to maintain customs and practices they consider their own, rooted in their territory and society. This L’ETNO’s permanent exhibition aims to reflect on these issues, using Valencian society as a reference, from the end of the pre-industrial era to the present day. The exhibition is organized into three areas, each addressing a specific theme: the City, focusing on the tension between the global and the local; les Hortes and les Marjals, addressing stereotypes surrounding Valencian culture; and Secà i la Muntanyas, referencing lesser-known aspects of the Valencian inland areas.

https://letno.dival.es/en/exposicion/permanent-exhibition/not-easy-be-valencian

ACTIVITIES

 Les Fosses del Franquisme:

20th of October (7.00 pm – 9.00 pm) – Screening of the documentaries ‘Donde el trigo crece más alto’ (Where the Wheat Grows Tallest) and ‘La presó de les dones. La repressió franquista’ (The Women’s Prison. Franco’s Repression) and subsequent discussion between the two directors.

15th of November (6.30 pm – 8.00 pm) – Technical restoration conference on the collections of the Paterna graves.

19th of November (7.00 pm – 9.00 pm) – ‘The Voice of Memory’ concert by singer-songwriter Lucía Sócam, whose lyrics recount the stories of those persecuted or killed by Franco’s regime over the years.

23rd of November (7.00 pm – 8.30 pm) – Conference  ‘Your Silence Will Not Save You. What We Do with What is Absent’, by Isabel Cadenas Cañón, a Spanish journalist, writer and sound documentary maker, who specializes in issues regarding historical memory with a focus on human rights and gender perspective.

26th of November (7.00 pm – 9.00 pm) – A play ‘Los que comen tierra’ (Those who eat soil) with a mission to amplify the silenced voices of those who suffered under the Franco regime, paying homage to the thousands executed and left in unmarked graves. It is also a tribute to the families who continue their battle for justice and the memory of their ancestors.

To learn more about the programme and find out about family activities in the museum, see the official website of the facility: https://letno.dival.es/en

L’ETNO

C/ de la Corona, 36,

46003 València (Valencia)

Phone:963 88 35 65

https://letno.dival.es/en/whats-on

Report by Konrad Leśniak

Article copyright ’24/7 Valencia’