Testimony of Progreso Marín, interview with Elize Mazadiego and Andrea Davis, July 17, 2009
Part 1
Summary
Progreso Marín was born in Toulouse to a family of Spanish exiles. Progreso recounts his mother's militancy in the anarchist union Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (National Labor Confederation) during the Civil War. He explains that his mother had to flee to France twice. The first time she was forced to return to Spain because her husband had not left with her and married women were not allowed to remain in France alone. The second time she received help from Pau Casals and was finally able to settle in Toulouse. Progreso relates his childhood in Toulouse, commenting on the nature and culture of the exile community as well as on the treatment of Spaniards in France. He details his parents' continued participation in the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo in Toulouse and the difficulties of political activity due to the presence of Francoist spies in the city. Progreso discusses historical misconceptions of the exile community and describes his participation in the recuperation of historical memory