Fermín Cabanillas I Constantina (Seville), (EFE).- As of today, the Seville town of Constantina has a statue dedicated to “those of us with different abilities”, as defined by its monumental protagonist, Antonio Manuel González Gallardo, who in his Everybody knows him as “Antoñito”, and he is an example that being born with Down syndrome does not imply a disability, but different opportunities to go through life.
For this reason, it is not surprising that hundreds of residents of this municipality in Seville’s Sierra Morena with just over 5,000 inhabitants have gathered today in a central square to discover together a sculptural work that is not just a monument, but represents the first in Europe dedicated to a person with down.
It is not a monument dedicated to a person, but to a whole group, so its base can be read: “For everyone, for them, respect, acceptance, inclusion, normality”, a statue that “my neighbors dedicate to me, who They love me very much, and I love them too,” as this man, who at 48 years of age, has one of his passions as helping as much as he can in his town and wearing something verdiblanco whenever he gets the chance.
A benchmark in Europe
Of course, in his speech, “so that no one gets angry”, he has made it clear that he has many Sevilla friends, but the colors of his love have been reflected, for example, in the shirt with his name and the number 17 that he has given him. The president of the Real Betis Foundation, Rafael Gordillo, presented an elastic that also bears the signature of all the players of the Betic first team.
The bullfighters Dávila Miura and Juan Antonio Ruiz ‘Espartaco’ have also been present at the inauguration of a statue that “is dedicated to all boys and men with Down syndrome”, so that when people see it, they think that “we are not different, we are the same, and that we have different capacities,” the honoree explained to his neighbors.
For the mayor, Rubén Rivera, the monument represents “inclusion, diversity, different abilities and respect”, without forgetting that “it is a pride for our city to be pioneers and a benchmark at the European level”, in addition to “Antonio Manuel González Gallardo represents the aforementioned values like no one else”.
The mayor believes that this February 13 “will go down in the annals of Constantine for being a benchmark in inclusion and solidarity”, while the president of the Board, Juanma Moreno, assured in his speech that “he had never experienced an act with symbolism and the heat of it.”
A world of possibilities
“Imagine what a girl or boy with Down syndrome feels when they see themselves represented by this monument. They see a world of possibilities”, said the Andalusian president, who thanked “Antoñito” for his monumental example, since “thanks to people like you, this society has come a long way”.
The inauguration closes the cycle of a project that was intended to be completed in March 2020, but which has had to be delayed due to the pandemic and the death of the tribute’s ideologue, José Luis Ortiz, so that, upon his death, the project He was rescued by his widow, Estrella Ortega, and it has been possible to finish a bronze statue 1.65 meters high and 300 kilos in weight, the work of the sculptor Daniel Jurado, which has been placed in the Plaza de la Diputación of the Seville municipality.
To carry out the monument, the help of individuals and various entities has been received, up to the total amount of 42,754.14 euros, and it has been possible to finish it to honor who, without a doubt, is the most illustrious neighbor in this corner of the north of the province of Seville. EFE