The heritage of the 'family of families': the proclamation of the 75 years of Silence

From Paquita to Leo. From Elizabeth to Irene. Or from Loli to Vero. From Martyrdom to Miriam. And, of course, from Manuel Vicente to Gonzalo. That is the invisible thread that, from grandparents to grandchildren, sews tradition, heritage. And that is the material with which Manuel Vicente Barranco himself wove his proclamation for the 75th founding anniversary of the Brotherhood of Silence.

This is a justice chronicle (which is late, and it is also justice to admit it) of a proclamation that had a lot of revirá between Real and Gravina with 'Mektub' in the background. Or bullfighting, if you prefer. The fact is that no matter how many videos you watch, it's hard to get an idea of ​​the exact beauty of the moment. Ephemeral art is like that, and seeing a candle cry live is not comparable to anything. And so was the opening speech, according to those who were able to enjoy it at the Apolo Theater on the morning of the first Sunday of November 2021.

Manuel Vicente Barranco is a man of few words , but he does not even have to make the effort to calculate and measure what he says: it is his gift. He says what he has to say, when he has to say it. And how he has to say it. Without impossible compliments or literary pirouettes. And so was the proclamation.

75 years

The last great proclamation (due to its anniversary, content and form) was that of Antonio Salmerón on the 75th anniversary of the Students. The next, that of Manuel Vicente Barranco from 75 del Silencio. That fine thread that unites the two corporations was also there.

And what was also there, from the first bars of the act, was the sound of the horse-drawn carriage that brought the Virgen del Consuelo to Almería 75 years ago. It was brought by Javier Barranco, who was the one who introduced the town crier, putting the context of what was going to happen next: how that man of few words is a fundamental part of the history of the Brotherhood because he has made the Brotherhood a fundamental part of his own history , of his life, of his blood. The invisible thread of inheritance, once again.

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In fact, the fact that the presenter of the town crier was his own son is just one more nuance of the many that paint the poster of what Silence is today, a brotherhood that is a "family of families" and that can boast of having passed down generations.

Barranco's was his first proclamation. And in it he managed to speak for all the brothers and, above all, for all of them. It is difficult to imagine that someone left the Apolo disenchanted with those words of the man who was twice the elder brother of Silence and who was, neither more nor less, the history of Silence, carried "slowly but surely, as always" in a journey that it ended with hammer blows from the man who today is the foreman of "the delicacy made palio".

With specific anecdotes linked with a "How can I tell you, brother?" , Manuel Vicente Barranco narrated what many remember because some lived it. With references to the press, he drew the panorama of that 1946 in which he started everything. And by the hand he led his brothers through the years of reorganization, the first rehearsals, the years of free site ballot (compared to those of those other brotherhoods that charged 25 pesetas) , the darkness of the times of empty streets and silence absence tax...

And all this, with Consuelo very present. And some streets without which Silence is not understood. But, above all, some streets that would no longer be understood without Silence. Because "the neighborhood" (Potters continues to be 'the neighborhood' for those who inhabit it and those who live in it, which is not the same thing) is structured by Silence and its heritage.

"Your grandparents, your parents... that friend who brought you by the hand," recalled Barranco, in memory of those who have been forgotten for one reason or another. "For those who were, for those who are and for those who will be" , sewed as the last stitch the town crier of a brotherhood that, effectively, prints character. And that is just one of the jewels of the Silence heritage.