Girls Anna and Olivia immortalized in Santa Cruz

Julio Nieto’s tears were the best summary of the act that took place yesterday in Santa Cruz, facing the sea, where the city received from the hands of the DIARIO DE AVISOS Foundation the sculpture that honors the memory of the girls Anna and Olivia who lost their lives a year and a half ago as victims of indirect violence.

Nieto, author of the sculpture that can now be visited next to the pitch of La Gesta, began his speech with dignity, but had to stop before the emotion that invaded his throat prevented him from continuing with his words. The sculptor explained how for the past six months, sculpting Anna and Olivia has been the only thing on his mind. “That’s sweet modeling,” he said before getting emotional. When he recovered, he was able to explain that “it’s a soft design that reminds us of Anna and Olivia, their happy life, that tender look between them, of complicity and trust.”

Nieto delved into his work to specify that the figures of Anna and Olivia reflect “childlike innocence,” that of “all children,” a sculpture that, precisely because it represents innocence, “we must protect each one of us.”

The mother of the little ones, Beatrice Zimmerman, had only words of gratitude, both for those who a year ago started looking for her little ones, allegedly killed and thrown into the sea by her ex-partner, and for the act experienced yesterday, in which the city recognized its daughters with the DIARIO DE AVISOS Foundation sculpture depicting them as their mother wanted them to be remembered, smiling and holding hands.

The act, simple and highly emotional, was attended by the Prime Minister Angel Victor Torres; the president of the Cabildo, Pedro Martín, and the mayor of Santa Cruz, José Manuel Bermúdez, among other authorities who with their presence supported an initiative that, as the president of the DIARIO DE AVISOS Foundation, Lucas Fernández, recalled, “It was one of the most difficult , which we face’.

Fernandez did not want to miss the opportunity to demand that the authorities do more to end the “scourge” of violence against women in all its aspects, such as secondary violence: “All violence cannot remain in the private sphere, when it is a public problem , which affects us all”.

A gauntlet that the authorities put away, as they put it after the act, through their social networks. President Torres, through his Twitter account, recalled that “the Canary Islands share the pain and anger of secondary violence. And then, and today, canaries and canaries continue to their family”. Torres added, referring to the girls, that “we will never forget them.”

The mayor of Santa Cruz, José Manuel Bermúdez, also expressed his gratitude at the end of the event to the Foundation of Santa Cruz for the donation of “a great work of Julio Nieto”. “A work that tenderly and sensitively reflects the representation of love between sisters, a tribute to the girls Anna and Olivia, separated from their mother by an act of secondary violence,” he added. Bermudez echoed the foundation’s president’s speech, pointing out that “this sculpture also serves as a resounding no to an unfortunate reality that we must eradicate from our society.”

The Minister of Equality of the Government of the Canary Islands, Noemi Santana, present at the event, expressed her commitment “for Beatrice, for Anna and Olivia, for so many”, adding that “there are no more words than this promise: we will continue to do everything possible to eradicate all sexist violence’.

The sculpture in memory of little Anna and Olivia was unveiled during a performance by the Santa Cruz City Hall’s White Voices Choir, which performed Leonard Cohen’s version of the Hallelujah theme. The same choir ended the emotional act with the song Cuídame by Pedro Guerra, which claims the right of children to be taught with respect, love and tenderness.

The DIARIO DE AVISOS Foundation launched the creation of a very special work of art a year ago, a beautiful sculpture that will serve to keep the memory of Anna and Olivia alive, turning it into a hymn of life and hope.
In the latest edition of the Taburiente Awards, the president of the foundation, Lucas Fernández, announced that the organization would take over the responsibility of the sculpture, with the supervision and approval of Beatrice Zimmerman throughout.

The Foundation fulfills the promise made a year ago to Beatrice

It was at the 2021 Taburiente Awards that Lucas Fernandez announced the project so that Anna and Olivia would have a sculpture to honor their memory in Santa Cruz. The Foundation then awarded the science vessel Ángeles Alvarinho for its valuable contribution that allowed little Olivia’s body to be found in an almost “miraculous” way, as her mother admitted yesterday.