The ARA confronts fatalism with 'Enfoquem', two days of debate at the CCCB
The newspaper is promoting a meeting to reflect on the major social and political challenges of today.
BarcelonaAgainst fatalism, dialogue and thought. This is the guiding principle ofWe focus on: The solutions forum, debate sessions organized by the ARA that will feature speakers such as the former editorial director of Le MondeSylvie Kauffmann; CIDOB researcher Blanca Garcés; architect Maria Sisternas; and cardiologist Valentí Fuster. The sessions will be moderated and led by renowned contributors from ARA, such as Mònica Planas and Albert Om, and will also include other journalists like Laura Rosel and Roger Escapa. The first edition ofWe focus It will take place at the Centre for Contemporary Culture of Barcelona (CCCB) on January 23 and 24.
The new space for thought promoted by ARA arises as a response to a time of political fatigue, social disorientation, and a sense of stagnation. The aim is to stimulate debate and reflection in order to find concrete answers or solutions to major current challenges, such as the housing crisis and climate change. Tickets to attend the event can be purchased on the website. Enfoquemos.ara.catARA subscribers can reserve a ticket for free, and general admission has a symbolic cost of €2, which grants access to all presentations. Attendees will need to choose which session they wish to attend. Additionally, for those unable to attend the forum, ARA will offer the complete sessions via live stream, available on the newspaper's website.
Reflection, but also a bit of humor
The conference is structured around four main areas of interest: world order and democracy, climate change and energy, and housing and relations. In fact, the forum will begin on Friday afternoon at 6 p.m., focusing on international politics. The first talk will be given by the former editorial director of Le MondeSylvie Kauffmann will speak with Esther Vera, director of the ARA. Following her will be Mark Bray, author of the book Antifa and who has had to go into exile from the US due to threats from the Trumpist far right, who will speak with Carme Colomina, a researcher at CIDOB and columnist for ARA. Friday's session will conclude with a panel on Europe and the world order, featuring Cristina Gallach, Blanca Garcés, Xavier Vives, and Toni Roldán, and moderated by Francesc Millán, head of the International section of ARA.
The opening session on Saturday, January 24, will be led by journalist John Carlin, who will speak with fellow journalist Laura Rosel about the role of luck in people's lives and the course of events. This will be followed by two panels on climate change and energy. The first will feature young climate activist Francisco Javier Vera and science communicator Evelyn Segura. The discussion will be moderated by Elisenda Forés, a journalist specializing in the climate crisis. The second talk will feature Gemma Puig, a physicist and meteorologist from 3Cat; Andreu Escrivà, an environmental scientist; Daniel Pérez, an expert in ecological transition; and Mar Reguant, an economist specializing in energy and climate change. Elena Freixa, deputy director of ARA, will moderate. At 1:30 p.m., architect Maria Sisternas and Carme Trilla, president of the Habitat3 Foundation, will discuss housing with Albert Rigol, deputy head of Economics at ARA. At 2:00 p.m., cardiologist Valentí Fuster will talk with Mònica Planas about the role of science in today's society. At 5:00 p.m., Ada Colau, former mayor of Barcelona, and economist Miquel Puig will debate the housing crisis. The event will be moderated by journalist Eva Arderius, director of the Catalan News Agency.
The final panel of the day will be dedicated to relationships and will feature contributions from Liliana Arroyo, PhD in Sociology; Imane Raissali, psychologist and artist; Juan Burdeos, journalist; and Pau Serrasolsas, member of the Ginestà group. Albert Om will also be present.
Key figures in these sessions will be the rapporteurs, who will be responsible for gathering the solutions proposed during the various talks and conducting an analysis to share with the attendees. This role will be filled by Judit Carrera, director of the CCCB, and journalists Josep Ramoneda, Toni Pou, and Roger Escapa, the latter of whom will deliver the forum's final reflection on Saturday afternoon. The event will conclude with a monologue by comedian Oye Sherman, who will review some of the weekend's debates from a relaxed and humorous perspective.
All the reflections and conclusions from the forum will be compiled in a dossier to be published in the ARA on Sunday, January 25. This special issue will also include reports on the various talks and interviews with some of the main speakers, such as Sylvie Kauffmann.