Hello to all:

In reply to Rachel's message, here's the translation of the text of petition and
of the manifesto:

"With the present message I declare my rejection to the situation of harassment
suffered by Francisco Cuesta in the exercise of his job, and at the same time I
express my support for the tasks that he is developing as director of the
Ethnographic Museum of Grandas de Salime and my appreciation for the works that
he has carried out for so many years in the protection of the Heritage of the
region of Asturias (Spain)."


MANIFESTO

CALL FOR SUPPORT OF FRANCISCO CUESTA, DIRECTOR OF THE ETHNOGRAPHIC MUSEUM OF
GRANDAS DE SALIME (ASTURIAS)

Last January the Management Consortium of the Ethnpographic Museum of GRandas de
Salime (Asturias) appointed the archaeologist Francisco Cuesta Toribio as new
director in place of Jose Naveiras Escanlar (AKA Pepe el Ferreiro), who had
iniciated the ethnographic collection and had been the founding director of the
museum up to that moment.

From the very moment that Francisco Cuesta started as director of the museum he
was subjected to an attempt of moral harassment by several groups of citizens
who organised demonstrations at the gates of the museum when the new director
was going in and out, while a so-called Comittee in Support of Pepe el Ferreiro
collected signatures to brign back the former director. This situation has
happened again and again since the appointment of Francisco Cuesta, who has
suffered all kind of humiliations, insults and mockery in his entrances in and
departures of the museum. The final aim of all this demonstrations is to force
the resign of Francisco Cuesta as director and to create an unfavourable
disposition towards him while the Comittee calls for the reappointment of the
former director. All these facts have had an impact in the regional press,
especially in La NUeva ESpaña [newspaper with rightist inclinations]. This
newspaper publishes any piece of news that can somehow discredit professionally
or personally the new director. See for instance the article that appeared in
the issue of 18th March which dedicated a full page to the hen eggs that Pepe
el Ferreiro installed in the museum and that the new director gave to the
social services of the town hall.

Faced with the stoic resistance of Francisco Cuesta to his daily penance and
with the firm opposition of the Regional Government of Asturias to replace him,
a part of the Asturian media opened a new front against the new director. IN
22nd April La NUeva España denounced the "finding" in a regrettable state of a
"small room" [the precise work, "zulo", is usually associated with small
cellars used for illegal activities] in the Museum of La Campa Torres in Gijon
which wa sfull with materials coming from the excavations that were carried out
in the castrum of La Campa Torres by Dr. Jose Luis Maya and Francisco Cuesta.
These works finished more than a decade ago, a bit earlier of the decease of
Dr. Maya in 2001, and they are collected in the first monograph ever published
on an Asturian castrum. The materials of the abovementioned excavations were
deposited by the directors (JLMG and FCT) in the MUseum of La Campa Torres,
which is managed by the Municipal Foundation for Culture of the MAjor of Gijon.
The media incided in the bad state of conservation of the materials in these
museum, even when the control of the situation is not in the hands of the
directors of the excavation (they don't have any position in this museum and
one of them is deceased). 
But this is not all. In Thursday 22nd April, when the media published this piece
of news about the materials of LA Campa Torres, Francisco Cuesta suffered a
brutal physical agression that kept him on medical leave until few days ago.
Just like in the Western movies, to the moral harassment with humiliations,
insults and mockery we must add a physical agression allegedly by an ironmonger
with which FRancisco Cuesta dealed as director of the museum. As described in
La NUeva España (24/04/2010, printed edition), the ironmonger hold and shakered
him from the lapels and kick him in the testicles while saying "You won't leave
Grandas alive". The attacker is now in court under consideration to be assigned
the correspondent penalty.       
Since his appointment until today, with the only exception of his medical leave,
Francisco Cuesta Toribio has been developing his tasks as director of the
museum with full dedication, with support of the Major and citizenship of
Grandas. since his arrival he has been working in the elaboration of the key
tool of any museum, which however did not exist before: the inventory and
catalogue of the ethnographic elements which are deposited there. He has also
started to list the funds of the library, has clarified the books of entries
and leaves and the financial accounts, he has put to work a safety plan (which
the museum lacked before), has reenacted the institutional relations of the
museum (which were lost or very deteriorated) has opened the gates to the
researchers and volunteers and has scheduled educative workshops for children
and diffusion activities for general public, like "Flour mills in the museum",
amongst others.  In pursuit of his tasks, Francisco Cuesta has hired a house in
Grandas, and he works daily in the museum, including many saturdays and sundays
and with the only exception of mondays (weekly day of closure), when he deals
with the Administration of Culture and Tourism. This means that in spite of all
attempts to make him to desist of his work, at all times Francisco Cuesta has
shown his profesionality, dignity and good deeds as director of the museum.
Since Tuesday 4th May, when he reentered the museum after his mediacal leave,
Francisco goes to work with an escort of the Guardia Civil [rural police force
in Spain], who also takes him home after his daily activity.
Due to all the above mentioned, we feel obliged to write this message to you so
that you have the information of some facts that affect an archaeologist and
prehistorian who is a worthy representant of his exercise, who had been working
until very recently in different positions related with Heritage and Education
in the Region of Asturias (Director of the Escuela-Taller La Campa de Torres
1995-1997; Director of the Historical Archive of ENSIDESA of the Major of
Aviles 2003-2008, Lecturer in High Schools of Asturias 2009). These facts also
affect a honorable archaeologist, prehistorian and university lecturer who is
now deceased: Dr. Jose Luis Maya Gonzalez, who had also sufferen an attempt of
moral harassment soon before his death.
We beg you to join you to this call and to leave proof of your support to
Francisco Cuesta Toriobio in this email address: [log in to unmask] , so that
it can be remited to the Administration for Culture and Tourism of the Region
of Asturias and to the general public. We suggest the following outline for
your message:

Subject: Joining support for Francisco Cuesta

Message: With the present message I declare my rejection to the situation of
harassment suffered by Francisco Cuesta in the exercise of his job, and at the
same time I express my support for the tasks that he is developing as director
of the Ethnographic Museum of Grandas de Salime and my appreciation for the
works that he has carried out for so many years in the protection of the
Heritage of the region of Asturias (Spain).

Signature: Full name, position, institution.

We would also tahnk you if you could spread this call to all people that you
think that can be interested in joining the support.
Many thanks for your time and collaboration.

Yours sincerely,

Silvia Albizuri Canadell, Arqueozoóloga, Universitat de Barcelona
J. Emili Aura Tortosa, Profesor Titular de Prehistoria, Universitat de València
Enrique Baquedano, Director, Museo Arqueológico Regional, Madrid
Fernando Díaz del Olmo, Catedrático de Geografía Física, Universidad de Sevilla
Francisco Giles Pacheco, Ex-Director del Museo Arqueológico de El Puerto de
Santa María
Julià Maroto Genover, Profesor Titular de Prehistoria, Universitat de Girona
Jesús F. Jordá Pardo, Profesor Contratado Doctor del Área de Prehistoria, UNED,
Madrid
Mario Menéndez, Profesor Titular de Prehistoria y Director del Centro Asociado
de Asturias de la UNED
Jordi Nadal Lorenzo, Profesor Titular de Prehistoria, Universitat de Barcelona
Sergio Ripoll López, Profesor Titular de Prehistoria, UNED, Madrid
Gonzalo Ruiz Zapatero, Catedrático de Prehistoria, Universidad Complutense de
Madrid
Manuel Santonja, Coordinador del Programa Arqueología Económica y Espacial,
Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana, Burgos
3

END OF MANIFESTO

Sorry about mistakes, English is not my first language!

As a side comment, I would like to add that I don't know anything about the
situation in GRandas de Salime and that specialists supported by regional
administrations are not necessarily the best, but this seems to be a case of
local (and possibly familiar) interests created around the institution of the
museum against a policy of centralization of culture resources. I usually don't
like centralization, but against this venality, I would say that the work of
Francisco Cuesta is worthwhile. Also, the signants of the manifesto are some of
the most reputed prehistorians and specialists of Spain. 

Cheers

Jose 


José C. Carvajal
Department of Archaeology
University of Sheffield
Northgate House
West Street
SHEFFIELD S1 4ET

Tel: +44 114 222 2903
Fax: +44 114 272 2563