Torremolinos remembers 'Isabelichi' 36 years after her death

Torremolinos marked the 36th anniversary of the death of Isabel Manoja Serra on Sunday 19 May, one of the most outstanding women in the recent history of the town. The town hall, who said she was “a fighter in favour of autonomy with a special social involvement, a lover of culture and a defender of Torremolinos", placed a bouquet of flowers on the bronze sculpture of the town’s ‘favourite daughter’, which is located in the avenue which also bears her name.

The artist who produced the bust, Hamilton Reed Armstrong, maintained a life-long friendship with Manoja.

Manoja, a member of one of the most prominent families in Torremolinos, was named Hija Predilecta (favourite daughter) during a ceremony to mark the 35th anniversary of the self-government of the municipality last year, during which the town’s mayor, Margarita del Cid said she was a person with a “special social involvement in our municipality and very active regarding the cause of its autonomy”.

Isabel Manoja, or Isabelichi, as she was known by family and close friends, died just four months before her most cherished dream: the independence of Torremolinos, which happened on 27 September 1988.

In a message on social media, her family said, “Thank you Torremolinos on behalf of her daughter and the whole family.”