Madrid, Spain – A woman named Alazne has shared her deeply personal story, shedding light on the restrictive naming policies enforced during General Francisco Franco's dictatorship in Spain. Alazne recounted how her Basque name was deemed illegal at the time of her birth, forcing her father to register her with the Spanish name 'Milagros'. "It was prohibited to use Alazne because it was a Basque name," Alazne stated in her video, expressing the profound impact of this decree on her identity. She explained that she was born in 1973, two years before Franco's death in 1975, when such cultural suppression was still prevalent. It was only after the transition to democracy, several years following Franco's demise, that Alazne was finally able to legally reclaim her birth name. "After Franco died, after a few years, I was able to change my name and call myself Alazne," she affirmed. She noted that despite the official registration, she was always informally known as Alazne by those around her. Her story serves as a poignant reminder of the historical efforts to suppress regional cultures and languages in Spain under the authoritarian regime, and the enduring personal struggles faced by individuals seeking to preserve their heritage.
Han sido varias las ocasiones en las que, en las últimas semanas, la presidenta de la Comunidad de Madrid ha cargado contra las lenguas cooficiales
Cuenta las dificultades que tuvieron sus padres para ponerle un nombre en euskera porque estaba prohibido
