"Trump is 80 years old and that doesn't give him any future perspective": the best moments of Enfoquem: the Solutions Forum

We've gathered the best moments from Focus: the Solutions Forum of the ARA newspaper, which held its first edition with a clear objective: to combat fatalism through dialogue and thought.

"I'm afraid of this possibility"

One of the most impactful moments of the day was the dialogue between Carme Colomina, journalist and columnist for ARA, and the American historian Mark Bray, author of the book AntifaBray, exiled from the United States due to threats from the Trumpist far right, has warned of an increasingly visible authoritarian drift. However, he emphasized the capacity for social resistance: "If change has already happened once, it can happen again." Donald Trump was the name most frequently mentioned in the conversation between the CIDOB researcher and the American historian. Bray noted that Trump's power is now "weak" and will only be maintained if he manages to "strengthen his position." In this regard, he warned that history shows that "leaders with dictatorial aspirations" often resort to extreme strategies to consolidate their power, such as "creating an internal crisis or starting a war." If he doesn't, "he will lose." "I fear that possibility," he admitted.

Catalans value good people

To kick off Saturday's events, one of the highlights was provided by journalist and writer John Carlin. He spoke about how chance shapes our lives and encouraged everyone to create a kinder world. In fact, he explained that if he could choose a place to be born, he would choose Spain over a "terrible" place like "Bangladesh or the United States." He emphasized that one of the things he likes most about Catalans is that what they value most "is being a good person." Furthermore, to illustrate how completely unexpected events have shaped the course of his life, Carlin shared his family history: "Some people had to die so that I could be born." The truth is, you can't go wrong.

You have a debate between Ada Colau and Miquel Puig

The former mayor of Barcelona and the economist engaged in a heated discussion about the country's housing problem, the factors that have led to this situation, and possible solutions. Puig, focused on building more housing and curbing "population growth" as solutions, argued that the current crisis is a recent development centered on migration. Colau, for her part, emphasized curbing speculation and regulating rental prices as the most urgent measures. Despite the tense moments, Puig acknowledged that Colau's administration in Barcelona did well in curbing tourism.

"Do we want what happens in the US to happen in our own country?"

One of the most anticipated events at Enfoquem was undoubtedly the opening of the day: a dialogue between Sylvie Kauffmann, former director of Le Monde, and Esther Vera, director of ARA. The French journalist painted a picture of a fragile international landscape, with multilateralism in decline and liberal democracy increasingly questioned, especially in Europe. However, Kauffmann quickly moved on to action, to the realm of proposals. Towards the end of the interview, the former director of Le Monde He addressed the audience directly and forcefully: "Do we want what's happening in the United States to happen in our own backyard? No, frankly, no!" he exclaimed. But what can be done in the face of this situation? What civic response can we offer? Kauffmann encouraged the audience to stand firm on our values. "We must mobilize at all levels, starting with schools and children," he insisted, to strengthen a more cohesive and effective Europe. Faced with growing disinterest in politics, he called for greater collective courage: "We must close ranks, help politicians defend democratic values, and convince everyone that what is at stake is essential."

You can retrieve it here The full interview with Sylvie Kauffmann

The cry of the youngest voice of Enfoquemos: "We have a crisis of hope"

Francisco Javier Vera is a 16-year-old Colombian-Catalan human rights defender and climate activist. He is the founder of Guardianas por la Vida (Guardians for Life), a network of over 1,400 children promoting environmental and climate education. This Sunday, he was the youngest voice to take the stage at Enfoquem: el Fórum de las Soluciones (Focus: The Solutions Forum), organized by ARA. His plea was both stark and insightful: "We have a crisis of hope, a crisis of the capacity to imagine. Trump, Putin, and Xi Jinping are now 80 years old, and that doesn't give them any perspective on the future. Young people, on the other hand, have their whole lives ahead of them and a more long-term concern about what's going to happen."

Playing sports and flirting

Don't miss the insights shared by researcher Liliana Arroyo, rapper Imane Raissali, singer Pau Serrasolsas, and journalist and cultural critic Joan Burdeus at the panel on relationships, moderated by Albert Om. In fact, discussing how we relate to each other now that technology is increasingly involved, Burdeus pointed out that "sex is an excuse to do other things." The clearest and most current example is the rise of Strava, an app where users track their fitness progress, which is now being used for dating. The goal itself isn't to have sex, but rather "to do other things that eventually lead us here," he reflects. That's why Tinder is losing popularity.

Valentí Fuster: "I'm a very positive mosquito"

“We are like mosquitoes in the vastness of the universe, and there is so much to discover,” said cardiologist Valentí Fuster at the end of his conversation this Saturday with journalist Mònica Planas on the program Enfoquem. “We’re not going to use that as a headline,” Planas assured him. They both laughed, as did the audience; and Fuster, president of the Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital in New York, added: “I’m a very positive mosquito.” Xavier Cervantes, head of the Culture section at ARA, wrote a chronicle of this conversation, which he titled, precisely, with the headline that wasn’t meant to be a headline. “It’s wrong to contradict Planas,” he apologizes at the beginning, “but journalists are like the scorpion in the fable of the frog: faced with the possibility of a headline, they can’t suppress their nature.”

"The problem doesn't come only from outside"

This phrase, uttered by the philosopher Blanca GarcésThis was just one of the many contributions heard at the roundtable on the Focus on Europe and the World Order, which also included Cristina Gallach, Xavier Vives and Toni Roldán. The four experts agreed on the need to strengthen European cooperation in a context dominated by the logic of force. "The problem isn't just Putin and Trump. We are facing more structural changes, which are not temporary. They are related to the crisis of democratic capitalism," Garcés emphasized. We highly recommend that This entire conversation, moderated by Carme Colomina, is now available., which has provided analysis but above all solutions.

"Having fun is for Spaniards"

To close this first edition of Enfoquem, comedian Oye Sherman brought a touch of seriousness to the proceedings as she read the program: "I really like it, because they seem like punk bands: political fatigue, social disorientation, a feeling of being stuck and cirrhosis," she joked. "Against fatalism, we take action. And how do we take action? By chatting!" Because if there was one way the newspaper was celebrating its 15th anniversary, it was by giving talks, and Sherman took the opportunity to elicit smiles from the audience: "They say Catalans don't know how to have fun. It's not that we don't know how, it's that we don't want to. On principle. Because having fun is a Spanish thing to do."

One last point about the need to focus

From this first day of Enfoquemos, we also take away the reflection of Josep Ramoneda about, precisely, the word focus and the purpose of the forum. "It's difficult, but we should have a certain inclination to make the effort to start looking for avenues of penetration. This is what we mean when we say 'Enfoquem' (Focus). We must concentrate on a focus. And, by extension, we must properly focus on the issue. It's the first step to being able to address it," the philosopher and journalist stated. Ramoneda championed Enfoquem as a tool to "open cracks in the growing pessimism" and place the debate in the always uncomfortable but necessary "what now?"