Ocas Grasses, Morad, Pep Guardiola, Bad Gyal: this is what the big concert for Palestine at the Palau Sant Jordi will be like

BarcelonaCatalonia will host its major concert in solidarity with the Palestinian people as part of the international Act for Palestine campaign, following similar events in London, Paris, and Los Angeles. On January 29th, at the Palau Sant Jordi, some of the most popular names in Catalan, Spanish, and Palestinian music will perform, including Oques Grasses, Morad, Guillem Gisbert, Bad Gyal, Mushkaa, Amaya, Fermin Muguruza, Xavi Sarrià, La Zowi, Yerai Cortés, and Lluís Llaz. Organizers have announced that some additional acts will be revealed soon. Tickets will go on sale soon. for sale This Friday, December 19th at 10:00 AM, with prices between €25 and €45. The concert can be viewed online and on 3Cat. The expected capacity is between 12,000 and 15,000 people.

The concert will also feature two choirs, including the Al-Balad (Heart of the People) choir, created especially for the event. between the Catalan and Palestinian national teamsAnd the heart of the Ovidi Cor Gran, in which the Ovidi 4 quartet will sing accompanied by Anna Mira, Feliu Ventura, Ginestà, Maria, Pinan 450f, Sandra Monfort, Sergi Carbonell, and Svetlana. There will also be international artists such as Tinariwen, arriving from Mali, and singer-songwriter Zaho de Sagazan, coming from France. The presence of very popular Palestinian voices, such as Zeyne and Lina Makoul, is noteworthy. The organizers have sought to create an intergenerational lineup and assure that the artists have been enthusiastic about the manifesto-concert.

"Some things will happen during the television breaks and starting two hours before the concert," says Marcel Solé, co-artistic director of the event. The concert is expected to include stage performances, such as those by La Fura dels Baus and actor Eduard Fernández, and will feature videos produced directly on location in Palestine. The teams that have attended, for example, have been able to film the funeral of a murdered child. City manager Pep Guardiola also appears on the poster and will take to the stage, as he has done before. at the charity concert for the Fight Against AIDS Foundation in 2012But it hasn't been explained exactly what he's going to do.

In defense of culture

Act x Palestine is a global mobilization campaign driven by leading Palestinian human rights, cultural, and humanitarian aid organizations. Barcelona has been one of its headquarters. To date, around one hundred concerts have been held for the cause. The Palau Sant Jordi concert was organized by Catalan volunteers and activists along with the NGOs Novact and Casa Nostra Casa Vostra. He already promoted the concert in favor of refugees at the Palau Sant Jordi in 2017They have done so in collaboration with the Primavera Sound Foundation and Abacus, which has also published the charity book. A cry for the children of Gaza (Now Books). All artists and professionals work for free on the concert.

The proceeds will support Palestinian cultural projects through the Palestinian Performing Arts Network (PPAN) and other independent cultural centers in Gaza and the West Bank. The organizers guarantee that the donation process will be audited. "Faced with apartheid and employment policies, sustained violence, and systems of cultural control and destruction implemented by the State of Israel, the defense, support, and promotion of culture become essential tools of resistance," the organizers assert. The concert was presented this Thursday at a press conference in Sala Apolo.

Act x Palestine spokesperson and researcher Nora Miralles outlined the campaign's two main objectives. First, a cultural and sporting boycott: "If states don't impose sanctions, it's up to the people to pressure them to do so," she pointed out. Second, "pressure for states to embargo military equipment in Israel, because demilitarization is a necessary precondition for peace." The activist stated that the concert will connect Barcelona and Palestine through their cultural struggles, because they are already connected by Israeli entities and companies that profit from the war by buying apartment blocks in the city, thus "connecting both territories by profiting from death and extermination," she noted.

"The genocide continues," Miralles affirmed. "Since the false flag attack, 300 people have died in Gaza, adding to the 72,000 who had already perished," laments Luca Gervasoni, founder of Novact, who denounces that, conversely, this movement has diminished international attention to the conflict. "In Palestine, we are gambling with the future of humanity," he declared.