Two weeks after tragic death of Toni Espadas, his wife Irene Cordón still deals with the pain of his loss. “I’m still shocked. Two weeks have passed and the feeling is still that Toni will return from a trip“commented the Egyptologist from her home in Sabadell, near Barcelona.
The 54-year-old Spanish guide and photographer was murdered on May 20 in Ethiopia. A bullet took his life while he was driving a vehicle with the animators Francisco Saavedra and Jorge Zabaleta, who were recording the third season of Partners around the world for Channel 13.
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The tragic incident occurred while Toni was working as a guide with her Rift Valley agency. Irene, his partner for the last 12 years, expresses her gratitude to the Chileans who were with him in his last moments. “Toni met them last year in Uganda for a season of the show and it was wonderful“Irene recalled in conversation with LUN.
He asked Pancho Saavedra and Jorge Zabaleta to tell him everything
Upon hearing of the tragedy, Irene immediately flew to Ethiopia, arriving in the early hours of May 22. Mehari Messele, director of Rift Valley in Ethiopia and a close friend of Toni, met her at the airport along with Pancho, Jorge and the rest of her team. “I got off the plane and they were all there. Macarena (Cerda, producer of the program) She came and hugged me as if we had been lifelong friends. We started crying and talking, I could only thank them. They were there with how bad they had it, because they were there when Toni was killed, and I empathize with them,” he said.
At the airport, Toni Espadas’ widow asked the entertainers to tell her the truth about what happened. “That they did not skimp on any detail”, he indicated. Jorge explained the details to him at the airport, and the entire team was by his side.
Already at the hotel, Irene and Toni’s relatives had dinner with the Chileans, who did not want to be separated from them. “Pancho shook my hand and we cried. They knew Toni well, they saw how happy she was. They told me that the night before the tragedy was fantastic. When I had the last telephone conversation with him, he was elated, happy”, he expressed.
“They told me that they laughed and shared with him, and that was the best support I could find in those moments. The love they transmitted to me was part of the comfort. If angels exist, for me they are them”he added.
The Saavedra and Zabaleta team returned to Chile at dawn on May 27, the same day that Toni’s wake took place in Barcelona. Although they could not physically attend, they participated in a farewell ceremony in Ethiopia with Irene. “To this day they continue to write to me. I feel like they are here, even though we are geographically far away. Cristóbal, another member of the team, lives in Barcelona and came to represent the entire group,” he noted.
In addition, Toni’s widow did not rule out visiting Chile in the future. “I really want to go to Chile, I have never been and now for me it is synonymous with love, being with my friends, because that’s what I tell them. They were with my husband at the time and every time I find out they are going to Africa, I am going to take a plane to see them. They became very important to me, It was great for me to be able to talk to them and they will always be welcome in my house,” he said.
He will travel to Ethiopia and has no grudge against those responsible
The Egyptologist emphasized that she does not seek to blame the Mursi tribe or any other ethnic group for the incident: “What happened was an accident, a random bullet. The Mursi have a reputation for being bellicose, but many times I have been with them, playing with the children and women, and the entire team was delighted with them. The problem is weapons, there are Kalashnikovs in the houses. A young man may have been drunk or drugged, and you can’t give him a gun because he points and shoots, like what happened.”
“For me it is important to clear the name of the Mursi. I don’t know if the boy belonged to them, it doesn’t matter. I don’t hate him, but rather the world that allows them to have weapons, against countries that sell weapons. I’m not interested in getting caught, for me the underlying problem is more serious.. That morning Toni paid the Mursi with bags of food to be able to record. “This is how we pay, with food and tools so they can work the land,” he added.
Finally, Irene Cordón revealed that she wants to return to Ethiopia soon. “I cremated Toni because it was his will and I will take his ashes to Turmi, where he had loved ones. I owe it to the Hamer tribe and Ethiopia, the country I loved the most. I have told and tell everyone to never stop traveling or visiting those places. Life can be very short and you have to live it intensely. You have to travel and learn to respect other cultures, especially in Africa”, concludes Irene.
