Espaciofoto gallery shows "Mennonites" by Miguel Bergasa, a photographic project that has taken 23 years to complete. The exhibition will be open until April 30, 2014. Miguel Bergasa traveled for the first time to the new Durango Mennonite colony in Paraguay in May 1988. The discovery of this community of European origin settled in an area far away from civilization, where lifestyle deletes the 21st century commodities, made Bergasa return again in 2003 and 2011, to check whether there had been a change in their concepts of life. The exhibition includes 28 images that show us the Mennonite community over the years. It's copies in black and white printing by Juan Manuel Castro Prieto.
On same day will screen the documentary "Mennonites. A World Apart" conducted by Miguel Bergasa and Enrique Urdanoz in 1988 (it screened in 1990 in Documentos TV program of Spanish Television) and a projection will be made with images of the project not included in the exhibition.
Nueva Durango's Mennonites.
If it were not because they do not step in pursuit of the promised land, nor seek a homeland in which settle definitely, would have many points in common with the Jews. Like them, they believe they are God's chosen people, but unlike the wandering Jewish, they do not proselytize their ideas; hardly know each other -communication between their colonies is small-, and carry an identical, austere existence similar to that one preached by the first followers of Menno Simons, -the ideologist of this religious community who was born after the reformation of Luther in 16th Century's Europe- from who they have taken their name.
Since then their settlements are provisional and its history is that of a long escape. Always leave the countries where they can not carry out their ideas or they feel under pressure. First they left from what today are the Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany, although they retain the ethnic features and language, a dialect of German. They went to Russia, which would abandon centuries later, to go to the United States and Canada. The religious spirit of the Mennonites collided head-on with the ideas emanating from the October revolution and many died. Since then--and despite a completely lack of political ideas-, has survived in them a fear for communism. Today, they are established in Mexico, Belize, Bolivia and Paraguay and live in small colonies, whose exact location rarely reflect the maps of the country; far from the big roads and the populated areas.
Text by.- Alicia Gómez Montano.
Venue.- Galería Espaciofoto. C/ Viriato, 53, Madrid. Spain.
Dates.- Lecture and screening, April 9, 2014. 19.30 h. Exhibition: from March 15 to April 30, 2014.
