Getafe: Capital of the Gran Sur

Abstract

In contrast to Noisy-le-Grand, although a post-suburban space imposed by the central state, from an early point in this process, local institutions and more importantly significant individuals such as the local mayor have been able to construct Getafe as a distinct post-suburban place — a place with distinctive social and political concerns from which to enlarge their spaces of engagement within the wider metropolitan area. The stanza from Benedetti’s poem above is one that the mayor of Getafe himself has been fond of quoting and indicates something of the agency that has seen Getafe emerge as an invented space from the disadvantaged south to challenge Madrid.

There are men and women who know what to cling to Taking full advantage of the sun and the lunar eclipses too casting aside the useless but making full use of what is valuable Thanks to their ancient faith the South has its existence.

Translated from Mario Benedetti, ‘El sur también existe’,Preguntas al Azar