Cadaqués recovers its oral memory through the memories of the elderly

Culture technician Mercè Donat leads an interview project to preserve life stories and vanished traditional trades.

Generic image of an elderly person reminiscing about the past through photographs.
IA

Generic image of an elderly person reminiscing about the past through photographs.

The Cadaqués Town Council is promoting a historical recovery project led by Mercè Donat, who conducts personal interviews with the oldest residents to safeguard the intangible heritage and collective memory of the village.

The initiative, which gained momentum in 2023 with the support of university students, seeks to document the experiences of people aged between 90 and 100. These testimonies offer a unique perspective on the Spanish Civil War, the post-war period, and extinct realities such as life in abandoned farmhouses.

"The elderly of Cadaqués are an example of strength. It is a lesson in how they accept their lives and a reality that has changed significantly."

Mercè Donat · Culture Technician at Cadaqués Town Council
The conversations, often held in the protagonists' homes or in significant locations like olive groves, help trace family trees and recall the old layout of streets and shops. All this material will be integrated into the local Historical Archive to prevent these valuable memories from being lost.