The former prison La Model in Barcelona will host a special performance of “Chistes contra Franco” on 1 October 2025. This theatrical project revives the clandestine humor of the dictatorship and the Transition as a form of anti-fascist resistance in the framework of the 50th anniversary of Francisco Franco’s death. The event is organized by EUROM with the support of the Barcelona City Council.
The theatrical piece, created by Eugenio Merino together with comedian Darío Adanti and the satirical magazine Mongolia, features journalist and actress Ana Alonso, who contextualizes the jokes with texts and documents from the period that reveal the violence of the Francoist regime. The project has also involved collaboration with historians and specialists such as Paul Preston, Miguel Ángel del Arco, civil war archaeologist Alfredo González-Ruibal, the president of the Association for the Recovery of Historical Memory Emilio Silva, and human rights journalist Olga Rodríguez.
The performance will be followed by a conversation on historical memory, politically engaged humor, and the rise of denialist discourses today with Merino, Adanti, Alonso, and the historians Matilde Eiroa and Manel Risques.
Admission is free, but prior registration is required via this link.
Beyond reviving this dissident humor, the project sparks debate on the legacies of Spain’s National-Catholic dictatorship. It is complemented by a book published by Revista Mongolia, funded through a successful crowdfunding campaign.
About the artists
The initiative is part of the creators’ broader work: Revista Mongolia, co-edited by Darío Adanti, is known for its critical stance against the far right; Eugenio Merino has produced politically charged works like Always Franco; and Ana Alonso combines her journalism career with theater, performing in productions including La Abducción de Luis Guzmán, 40 años de paz, and El tratamiento.