La+Movida+Madrileña


 * La Movida**

Franco's rule brought with it socially restricting political structures that censored the public voice and controlled expression of the media. La Movida Madrileña was an urban-based counter-cultural movement that started during the last years of the Franco regime and exploded with the lift of censorship. In 1977, Spain voted democratically for the first time since Franco and a year later, its current constitution was signed. The liberated population of Spain then found itself in the middle of a sudden upheaval of traditional society (²). Previously repressed lifestyles and social activities were abruptly not just OK, but encouraged. Pornography boomed and prostitution was suddenly prominent. Gays and Lesbians were finally accepted. Additionally, recreational drug-use among Spain's youth became visibly widespread. This was all highly advocated, of course, by artists of this era. Music, film, photography and graffiti alike helped break the mold of traditional censorship (¹). What's more, Enrique Tierno Galván, the mayor of Madrid, was behind La Movida! As a student, Galván was kicked out of Spain's university system for leading anti-authoritarian protests. He believed that La Movida was important for the progress of post-Francoist society (²).

-Nicholas Ekblad HOME Sources: (¹) [] (²) []