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🇪🇸 Spain /Culture & Society

‘Salvados’ comes of age by revisiting Rita Barberá

From La Vanguardia · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

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  • La Sexta’s ‘Salvados’ begins its 18th season with a two-part examination of Rita Barberá, Valencia’s mayor for 24 years and a major figure in the history of Spain’s People’s Party.
  • The programme will also profile comedian Joaquín Reyes, 82-year-old rocker Miguel Ríos, athlete Almudena Cid and people affected by ETA and other difficult episodes in Spain’s recent history.
  • Presenter Gonzo says the season will explore how political loyalty can turn into rejection when a once-powerful figure becomes a liability.

‘Salvados’ marks its 18th season by returning to Rita Barberá, a political figure who moved from indispensable to uncomfortable for her own party. The programme’s opening episode will examine the former mayor of Valencia, who led the city for 24 years and became a prominent figure in the People’s Party’s recent history.

The two-part opening will reconstruct Barberá’s career through people who knew her closely, including former colleagues and friends, political opponents, journalists and representatives of Valencian civil society. Those interviewed include former Generalitat Valenciana president Francisco Camps, former People’s Party minister José Manuel García-Margallo and Beatriz Garrote of the July 3 Metro Victims Association.

What I like most about this programme is the portrait of how ugly politics can become, but also human relationships.

· GonzoThe presenter explains the focus of the Barberá programme.

The programme will look beyond Barberá as an individual and examine what happens when someone who once appeared untouchable loses that status. Gonzo says the story captures how people can turn a successful political figure into “a god” when that success benefits them, then treat the same person as a problem when circumstances change.

When you see someone whose success can feed you and benefit you, you turn that person into a god. But if that person becomes a problem, you turn them into the opposite.

· GonzoGonzo describes how political allies’ attitudes toward Barberá changed.

“The same people who would say for one day, ‘you are the best, there is no one like you’, shortly afterward would not answer her calls, defend her or even tell her to leave,” Gonzo says. He describes the show’s central interest as the ugliness of politics, but also the complexity of human relationships.

The rest of the season moves beyond politics. Gonzo follows comedian Joaquín Reyes on a road trip from his native Albacete to the Murcia coast, where Reyes usually spends the summer. Other stories will feature rocker Miguel Ríos, athletes whose medals have not guaranteed a dignified retirement, and two men whose lives were permanently linked by an ETA attack.

The same people who would say for one day, ‘you are the best, there is no one like you’, shortly afterward would not answer her calls, defend her or even tell her to leave.

· GonzoHe illustrates the rapid shift from praise to abandonment around Barberá.
About this summary

Originally published by La Vanguardia in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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