The Soutomaior City Council commemorated this Sunday, November 8, the institutional event «A Rúa da Dignidade» (The Street of Dignity), a tribute to Alexandre Bóveda and the historic decision made in 1979 by the municipal government, led by then-mayor Fernando Pereira, to dedicate a street to the prominent Galicianist. This initiative made Soutomaior the first municipality in the world to name a street after Alexandre Bóveda, a gesture that, almost five decades later, continues to be a symbol of memory, commitment, and dignity.
The event, part of the III Historical Memory Forum of Soutomaior, featured the participation of the Councilor for Historical Memory, Silvia Cernadas; the mayor, Manu Lourenzo; and Amalia Bóveda, daughter of Alexandre Bóveda and honorary president of the Alexandre Bóveda Foundation. The day began with an institutional act at the town hall, including the placement of a stone plaque with the Galicianist's name, and later moved to the Casa da Cultura Rexina Míguez Noval.
During her speech, Silvia Cernadas emphasized the importance of also recovering the memory of those who made that decision possible, particularly the figure of Fernando Pereira, the first mayor of democracy in Soutomaior. «All tributes fall short to recognize Pereira's work. He was a person who opened paths and brought progressive ideas from Montevideo, also in the field of education,» stated the councilor, recalling other initiatives from that period, such as the creation of the municipal library, named after Luís Seoane, or the Lois Peña Novo Award.
“"Every time I arrive in Soutomaior and look at Alexandre Bóveda street, I am on the true Street of Dignity."
Amalia Bóveda thanked the City Council for keeping her father's memory alive and highlighted the significance of that gesture in 1979. She explained that, for a family that endured forty years of silence, Soutomaior holds «a sacred place in our hearts». She emphasized the Council's courage in making that decision in the early days of democracy, stating that «this Council showed enormous bravery. When a council names a street after Alexandre Bóveda, it is making a commitment: to defend that honesty and rigor are not negotiable».
Another moving moment was the reading of Alexandre Bóveda's farewell letter, by the writer and narrator Celso Fernández Sanmartín, «Celsiño». Mayor Manu Lourenzo concluded the event by championing the figure of Fernando Pereira and his importance in shaping Galicianism and nationalism. Lourenzo stressed that historical memory should serve to understand the present and avoid past mistakes, highlighting the value of Alexandre Bóveda's last words in confronting barbarism.
The event is part of the III Historical Memory Forum, which also includes a round table on the Galicianist's legacy and a contemporary dance performance. The City Council thus seeks to keep the debate alive regarding memory, identity, and the defense of democratic values.
