A passion –football– led a boy from Los Palacios (Seville) to dedicate his life to this sport from a very young age when he started playing for his town’s sports union and was later signed to the Sevilla Football Club’s youth team. Two passions -not one, but two (language and science)– led a young woman from Seville to focus her career on computational linguistics. In both cases, hard work and effort were key factors for the spark of their early years to ignite into careers filled with achievements, but also sacrifices.
The commitment that these children maintained with their vocations -the footballer Jesús Navas and the Director of Research Strategy in Artificial Intelligence (AI) at Google Research, Pilar Manchón- has earned them the highest distinction in their land, being appointed as Honorary Citizens of Andalusia on this 28th of February.
Both of them expressed their gratitude to Andalusia from the stage of the Teatro de la Maestranza in Seville, the venue that hosted the institutional event of the Junta on the 28th of February, the day of the autonomous community. The event, presided over by the President of the Junta, Juanma Moreno, and the President of the Parliament, Jesús Aguirre, once again paid homage to Andalusia, showing the world that it is a cradle of excellence both within and beyond its borders. Eva González returned once again as the host.
Alongside Jesús Navas and Pilar Manchón, the musical group Medina Azahara was recognized with the Manuel Clavero Arévalo Medal. The rest of the distinctions were awarded to the President of EY Spain, Federico Linares, and the musician Abel Moreno (Medals of Andalusia in Social Sciences and Letters); the singer Pablo Alborán, the singer and radio and television presenter María del Monte, and the singer and actress Karina (Medals of Andalusia in the Arts); the Paralympic swimmer Anastasiya Dmytriv (Medal of Andalusia in Sports); the Gypsy community (Medal of Andalusia in Solidarity and Concord); the President of the Confederation of Entrepreneurs of Andalusia, Javier González de Lara, and the distribution company Grupo El Jamón (Medals of Andalusia in Economy and Business); the founder of the Rare Diseases Foundation, María del Mar García Beltrán, and the Deputy Director of the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands, Casiana Muñoz (Medals of Andalusia in Research, Science, and Health); the Vice President of Amazon, Carmen Nestares, and the fashion company Scalpers (Medals for the Promotion of Andalusia); the researcher at the Marine Research Institute of the University of Cadiz Carmen Morales-Caselles (Medal of Andalusia for Environmental Merit) and the comedian and television presenter Manu Sánchez (Medal of Andalusia for Human Values).
A dream fulfilled
Gratitude to parents and grandparents, a heartfelt remembrance of their roots, the Andalusian feeling from afar, and the value of collective effort have been the common denominators expressed by the awardees in the introduction videos shown before receiving their respective medals.
The vast majority also recalled how perseverance shaped their dreams, turning the stage of the Teatro de la Maestranza into a meeting point for a group of children who, years later, have seen their dreams come true. «Since I was a little girl, I have had a goal and I want to make my inner child happy,» summarized Paralympic swimmer Anastasiya Dmytriv, the youngest of the awardees at just 16 years old.
Simplicity was another highlighted aspect of the awardees, such as Honorary Citizen Jesús Navas, who expressed his surprise at being appointed – «for me, it was unthinkable to be part of this lineup» – and wanted to pay a special tribute to values like «passion, respect, and humility» that guided his education. «That boy who fell in love with a ball never imagined that today he would be so happy,» he concluded.
Meanwhile, artificial intelligence researcher Pilar Manchón made a call to Andalusians to cultivate self-confidence -«sometimes we forget that what we need is right here»-, reaffirmed her commitment to Andalusia and its people, and encouraged her colleagues on stage to spread Andalusian culture «across the world.»
She also referred to the power of shared effort to move forward. «Someone very smart once said that we are the average of the people we surround ourselves with,» recalled the computational linguistics expert, currently residing in California but also with homes in Seville and Cadiz, cities she visits whenever possible.
«What would Andalusia be if we came together to remind ourselves with strength that together we are unstoppable?» she questioned during her speech.
Andalusia as a sensory experience
The talent of Andalusia was also evident in various performances that were part of the event, interspersed with the award presentations.
Thus, the Royal Symphony Orchestra of Seville and the Choir of the Teatro de la Maestranza performed the song ‘Andalucía’, by the prestigious German composer Hans Zimmer, winner of two Oscars and author of soundtracks for films such as ‘Gladiator’, ‘The Lion King’, and ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’. The composition played by the musician at the Seville venue not only provided the musical accompaniment but also its narrative in support of the Junta’s tourism promotion campaign ‘Surrender to the Andalusian Crush’, the second part of ‘Andalusian Crush’.
The audience at the theater thus shared the goal of this musical composition, a tribute to the cultural and heritage richness of Andalusia through a sensory journey capable of conveying emotions and preserving its essence.
Malaga singer Pablo Alborán, Medal of Andalusia in the Arts, was another voice that contributed to the soundtrack of the event. Alborán, accompanied by his musicians, performed live for the audience his song ‘Me quedo’, a song dedicated to Andalusia that will be part of his new album. «The art of knowing how to live comes from all your sources. I write your name on the shore and something shakes me, I seek your scent in the arms that cradle me. I stay where innocent loves come back to life, where my eyes are kissed at dawn. Forever, I stay where I keep more than one pending rhyme to return and see you again,» read the lyrics of the song.
Also heard at the Teatro de la Maestranza was the music of the Junta’s campaign for the 28th of February, titled ‘Andalucía Porvenir’, performed by its author, the pianist and composer from Jaén, ‘Chico’ Pérez. The young artist took to the stage at the age of six and is currently considered one of the most promising pianists in the current flamenco scene.
The musician Abel Moreno, Medal of Andalusia in Social Sciences and Letters, was another of the awardees who paid tribute to the community with his work. Considered the most prolific composer of processional marches in all of Spain, as well as the ‘father’ of numerous symphonic pieces, military marches, and pasodobles, Moreno led the Nuestra Señora de la Oliva de Salteras Philharmonic Society (Seville), with whom he performed part of the processional march ‘La Madrugá’, one of his most well-known compositions.
And, alongside the musical notes, a staunch defense of the Andalusian character in the words of comedian and television presenter Manu Sánchez, who received one of the longest ovations of the day. Awarded the Medal of Andalusia for Human Values, Sánchez took the floor by staunchly defending public health, which treated him for the cancer he suffered and helped him «be born again,» and called for it to be cherished and cared for.
He addressed the audience at the ceremony as a representative of all of Andalusia and pledged a «yes, I do» as a sign of his commitment to a region that he described as his «home» and his «cause.» He also appealed to «values and humanism as the perfect description of Andalusian identity,» after which he recalled the value of the Andalusian people. «There would be no 28th of February without the 4th of December, without Andalusia taking to the streets and speaking out,» he said.
The rhythm of ¾ time of the sevillanas also set the pace in a ceremony where another honored artist -singer and presenter María del Monte, Medal of the Arts- sang a medley of sevillanas dedicated to Andalusia, after which she performed her classic ‘Cuéntame’, and spontaneously danced on stage with the President of the Parliament, Jesús Aguirre.
A strong historical accent was present in the next musical performance, by the musical group Medina Azahara, a pioneering rock band from Córdoba, currently on their farewell tour. Their almost half a century of history earned them this year the Manuel Clavero Arévalo Medal of Andalusia. The band’s three current members -Manuel Martínez (vocals), Francisco Ventura (guitar), and Manuel Ibáñez (keyboards)- performed ‘Necesito respirar’, the band’s biggest hit that made Andalusia resonate in a country that was just embracing democracy.
As for the performances, singer Pablo Alborán closed the event with his rendition of the Andalusian Anthem, after which presenter Eva González led the traditional family photo on stage with the Presidents of the Junta and the Parliament alongside all the awardees.