The FILRD2014 recognizes Dedé Mirabal “in memoriam”

The FILRD2014 recognizes Dedé Mirabal “in memoriam”
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 04/29/2014

The event was held in the Plaza de la Cultura, where the Book Fair was taking place. Minerva Mirabal’s children and other relatives attended the event.

SANTO DOMINGO, April 27, 2014 -. The XVII International Book Fair 2014 presented the Mirabal and Tavárez families with a recognition “In Memoriam” to honor Bélgica Adela – Dedé – Mirabal, at an event where the Minister of Culture, José Antonio Rodríguez, opened the pavilion that pays tribute to the history and legacy of the honoree.

The event brought together various personalities of the political, cultural and social arenas, including friends and family of Dedé Mirabal who expressed their admiration for a woman who, for over half a century, managed to keep alive the memory of her sisters Minerva, Patria and María Teresa, hideously murdered by tyrant Rafael L. Trujillo in 1960.

“What I remember most about Dedé is her ability to love her country immensely”, explained Representative Minou Tavárez Mirabal, who was accompanied by relatives and friends, such as the Minister of the Environment, Bautista Rojas Gómez, and Manolo Tavárez Mirabal.

The town of Salcedo sees this woman as its “guardian butterfly”. In fact, they claim that in Ojo de Agua people should talk about before and after Dedé, and this was confirmed during the screening of a testimonial documentary that was presented during the course of the opening of the pavilion.

For his part, the Minister of Culture stated: “I am convinced that mothers are not forgotten as long as they have children that remember them”, referring to Jaime David, who could not hold back his tears at the sight of so many objects that reminded him of his mother.

In the pavilion that pays tribute to the “Fourth Butterfly”, the flora rewards visitors even before they cross the gate with a garden similar to the one Dedé had at her residence in Ojo de Agua, in her native Salcedo, located in the Hermanas Mirabal Province.

Once inside, the feeling of being in Dedé’s home is almost inevitable. Japanese Architect Capellán structured and built this building with the help and collaboration of people close to this iconic woman, all with the successfully achieved idea of imprinting every corner of it with the Mirabal legacy.

The collection of butterfly brooches that Dedé always wore to honor her sisters did not go unnoticed. The collection of items on display also included orchids, photographs and dozens of awards honoring Dedé, including a medal from Pope John Paul II and the National Award International Book Fair 2014.

Dedé was born on March 1st, 1925 and died on February 1st, 2014. She was almost 89 years old and still cared for her people as was the case during her younger years when she was the object of 27 raids and multiple prosecutions by the forces that did not want her to tell the truth about her family.