PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

Carmen: Hi guys, I’m Carmen and today I’m with my partner Belén. We are going to talk about a very important woman in the history of Pontevedra, her name is Josefina Arruti Viaño. She was born the 28th of april 1906 in the “Peregrina square” of Pontevedra.

Belén: Well, I know she was married in 1929 with the first republican mayor of Pontevedra, Bibiano Fernández Osorio-Tafall and they had kids but I also heard that she had a difficult life, is it true?

Carmen: Yes, her mother died when she was 6 years and her father when she was 13, so, she went to live with her maternal family in Pontevedra, the place where she was born. Years later after the wedding her life changed radically, why did this happen?

Belén: This happened because her husband was a very important person in politics, so when she came back to Pontevedra with her children from Madrid, the civil war started and they never saw each other again, she went to jail and he emigrated to México. She was a prisoner for 18 month in a cell with other women for something she hadn't done. Her husband married another woman and they had a child.

Carmen: Oh, poor Josefina, she was very strong!

Belén: Yes, she was a wonderful woman because she was under house arrest for two years, so they couldn't leave the house and they made continuous searches of her home to incriminate them.

Carmen: She had a disaster of a life but nowadays we remember her with an avenue in her name, a panel with some information about her life and a comic book in honor of Josefina and her children. The comic book title is Os berros da motocicleta.

Belén: In 1990, Bibiano died in México but he wanted his ashes to be in Galicia. Although her husband abandoned her and rebuilt his life in Mexico, she continued bringing flowers to his grave.

Carmen: I have also heard that she did everything possible to get more war victims buried there.

Belén: Yes, that’s true. Thirteen years later, she died in october, 2003 and she was buried next to her husband.

Carmen: Well, I think Josefina is a very strong woman and it’s important to remember her because she had a very hard life and no right to be free. What do you think?

Belén: I think you’re right, also, despite everything she suffered, she never stopped helping others and treating them with kindness

Carmen: What would you ask her if you had the chance?

Belén: I would definitely ask her how she felt at the time she was in prison and how she faced the whole situation without knowing why she was there. What do you think you have in common with Josefina?

Carmen: I think we have in common that even though we may be going through bad times, we should always try to be there for other people who need it.

Belén: This is all for today, we hope you like it!

Carmen: We see you in the next podcast!