In a world in which romantic stories take place on audiovisual platforms and in literature, little is said about the love that exists between a sailor and his partner. The tragedy of “Villa de Pitanxo” that hit our hearts last Tuesday was the confirmation of many things. One of them is the scarce marketing of a profession that is key in Galicia and whose workers are usually forgotten by the administrations. Another is the human part. The silence of permanent nostalgia, of that constant “see you later” that, in a dramatic way, can be the last goodbye to a partner, a father, a brother or a son.
Galicia has never been able to recognize its sailors. Possibly they do not look for tributes or constant applause either. But that does not mean that we know that there are hundreds of Galicians enrolled in a ship risking their lives. Beyond that melee with the sea, there is another toll. This last aspect has not been able to portray itself either. Yes indeed, In Vigo, one of the murals that make up the impressive open-air urban art museum in the Olívica city created a space last year to pay tribute to those sensations that are generated in a sailor’s family.
The work is located on the party wall of number 31 of Avenida de Balaídos. The mural can be seen if you come walking from Castrelos. A woman is the protagonist of creation. Taquen uses it to address the issue of wives of sailors who spend their lives “waiting”, caring for and raising their families alone for months while their partners are at sea. “Women who are in the shadows, but whose work within the family nucleus, often also working, is essential,” explains the author of the work. “A silent drama lived by women throughout the ages, without complaint or claim. A story of courage, patience and example”, concludes the artist.
Unfortunately, that wait of the wives of the sailors of the “Villa de Pitanxo”, except for the three survivors”, has ended in the hardest way. More dramatic. Now it only remains to remember the bodies that have been recovered and demand that the search for the sailors who remain missing be resumed.
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