The future Catalan patronage law completes one of its major steps. This Monday, the PSC, Junts, and ERC registered in Parliament the first bill to promote patronage in the country, an initiative that had been in institutional paralysis for a decade and had been widely requested by the different actors that make up the cultural sector. This Tuesday, the announcement has been made official.

—If we buy the prepared calçots, the essence is lost”, I said to the group chat of the gang a few days before our traditional annual calçotada.

Our national blue monday is on September 12, 1714. According to chronicles, Barcelona opened its gates to the Franco-Spanish troops and the Duke of Berwick was surprised to see that the Barcelonians were working in the shops and workshops as if it were any other day: a moving example of tenacity. For me, the saddest day of the year is usually the day after Sant Jordi, when the aroma of roses and the bustle of writers and readers fade away, when the banners are folded and put away, and language and culture retreat again after a brilliant day of prominence. On April 24th, we realize that Sant Jordi is a mirage while the dragon continues to wag its tail. This year, despite everything, I have the feeling that something is stirring. Perhaps because of the success of Correllengua, perhaps because Òscar Andreu has conquered the podium with his Manual for the Defense of Catalan, or perhaps because believing is wanting to believe, but I detect a progressive linguistic awareness around me. It is a feeling that exudes anxiety, but also conviction. The emergency situation that Catalan is experiencing has contributed to visualizing the risks of an economic, political, and cultural model that, gradually but constantly, uproots us, dilutes us, and impoverishes us as a community. And it is not only Catalan speakers who notice this, but also many newcomers who, regardless of their linguistic choice, love the country and want it to continue being what it is. We must be smart enough to discern, among the enemies, these possible allies. And be inflexible with the rest. Òscar Andreu says: “Social bilingualism is a trap by those who demand that you be bilingual so that they can continue to be monolingual.”Language must be the battle of our lives. My parents' generation had the challenge of recovering democracy and autonomy, and they succeeded. My generation doubled down with the independence process, and did not have the same success. And the fight for language will be the great challenge for new batches of citizens. A titanic challenge steeped in history, because Catalan has been spoken in this country for a millennium, and it has been language that has forged us as a territory and as a country. The conservation –and expansion– of Catalan is a challenge as difficult as, or more difficult than, the preceding political struggles, because it implies a personal, daily, tenacious commitment. Not only from those who maintain Catalan, but from those who, sooner or later, will have to join it. Everything depends on the firmness of some, the empathy of others, and on policies as demanding with the native language as they are in all the countries of our environment.

There are people who buy a book for Sant Jordi to give to someone who never reads any books, which is like me being given a ticket to go see Formula 1. There are people who lament that there are people who buy books for Sant Jordi who then don't read them. But how many of us don't have books from previous years piling up that we haven't opened yet? There are people who want the celebration to be perfect. But perfection is a theoretical concept.

In the midst of the streaming era and omnipresent screens, a growing segment of youth is looking back. Vinyl records, cassettes, film cameras, or VHS tapes, formats that just a few years ago seemed doomed to disappear, are circulating again among young people as objects of cultural consumption and symbols of identity. Far from being a fleeting trend, the phenomenon reflects an increasingly complex relationship between the digital generation and the technology that dominates their daily lives.

The Art Explora Festival opened its doors this Wednesday at the Barcelona dock, in Port Vell, on its first stop in Catalonia. The event, which runs until April 6, offers free admission – with prior reservation to access the museum ship – and can be visited daily from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM, with the last entry at 7:45 PM.

The Art Explora Festival opened its doors this Wednesday at the Barcelona dock, in Port Vell, for its first stop in Catalonia. The event, which will run until April 6, offers free admission – with prior reservation to access the museum ship – and can be visited daily from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM, with the last entry at 7:45 PM.

Antoni Gorgues was still living at home with his parents when he decided to make a radical change in his life. He was 24 years old and had been working as an accountant for a company in Lleida for some time when, in 1996, he decided to leave it all behind to dedicate himself to his great passion: music. Exactly thirty years ago, from his teenage bedroom, he founded Guerssen, an exclusive label now known for reissuing psychedelic rarities. "It all started with few resources, simply with a lot of enthusiasm and little knowledge," recalls Gorgues himself, who is now immersed in the commemorative events, which have kicked off with the release of a collection of fifteen limited and numbered singles, featuring garage, psychedelic, and other sounds and bands. freakbeat and hard rock, mainly from the sixties, with some surprises from the eighties such as the two singles featuring the earliest demos by Los Negativos, never before released on vinyl. On March 28th, the Morera Museum in Lleida will host a talk about the history of Guerssen, featuring Antoni Gorgues himself along with some of his collaborators: Álex Carretero, Marc Argenter (the label's designer), and journalist Àlex Oró. Following the talk, the documentary will be screened. The Negatives: Graduated from Underground (Víctor Carrey, 2024) on the history of the group. Also at the Museu Morera, a small exhibition on the history of Guerssen will be on display, featuring records and memorabilia. Finally, the Café del Teatro will host a performance by Los Negativos with a lineup that includes two founding members of the band, Carles Estrada and Robert Grima, along with a string section, performing the entire album. Kaleidoscopic Piknik as never before.

Deep, guttural vocalizations. Loud, thunderous screams. Lamentable sounds in the purest Cro-Magnon style. Facial expressions of extreme torment. A whole testosterone-fueled menagerie that the free weight rooms and machine rooms shelter day in and day out. It's also true that this type of user isn't the only one found in gyms. The diverse range of people who share these spaces fosters a biodiversity that, at the very least, is healthy.

The story of the Urgell Canal, one of the most crucial hydraulic infrastructures for the development of contemporary Catalonia, will once again be brought to life through music and theater with the return ofOpera in the veinsA stage and musical production will arrive next April at two emblematic venues. The show will premiere again on April 19 at the Teatre de la Lonja in Lleida, and the following day, April 20, it will move to the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona, ​​in a double performance that will conclude the tour begun last year.

A museum is not a church or a cemetery, nor is it a franchise of a luxury establishment or one duty free Like an airport, it's the place where the collection meets the visitor, and the visitor meets legacies and memory. Thus, the newly arrived visitor leaving the museum can return to the present in a less fragmented, less lifeless and automated way—much more vibrant, more knowledgeable, more indebted, and more collective. When cultural manager András Szántó came to the MNAC last January to talk about the future of museums, he said that they had changed more in two decades than in the previous hundred years. Surely the same has happened with all cultural institutions. His focus was on the shift from museums oriented toward objects to museums directed toward people, with all that this implies: thinking of them as living, social spaces, buildings and stories that explain themselves and become transparent, understandable, and rewarding by using technology, design, and education. In other words, the move from cultural institutions based on exhibition (large exhibitions, festivals, etc.) to institutions based on relationships, knowledge, and experience.

At the end of a sweltering May in 2025, a group of us were invited to one of the open rehearsals of the new show for all audiences at the Lleida-based company La Baldufa's venue. "It's a production that revolves around the Spanish Civil War," they told us. A soaring thermometer advised us to come prepared with fans. We were right! However, some of us thought we knew what to expect. Nothing could have been further from the truth!

They are not served drinksbut drinks. It does not have kitchenbut of food. Customers will be able to enjoy good music, not of musicand they'll find good vibes instead of vibesWith this declaration of intent, the new Soul is being announced on social media. This establishment, which opened its doors last Saturday near Girona's Barri Vell (Old Quarter), aims to differentiate itself from the numerous Anglophile establishments catering to the city's cycling community that have recently sprung up, despite its name and the fact that it's run by an Irishman, Steve Rigney. And it's precisely these local customers that Soul hopes to attract. The establishment is full of nods to these customers: a large lithograph of Saint George slaying the dragon on the wall, figurines of caganers (traditional Catalan defecators) hanging above the restroom door, locally sourced craft beers, sandwiches made with products bought from the butcher shop across the street, and a sign in Catalan inviting customers in: "Come on in."

Culture has ceased to be a mere complement and has become a structural necessity for our society. In a context of accelerated change like the one we are experiencing, marked by uncertainty and the fragility of life trajectories, what education and healthcare have done for decades—guaranteeing opportunities, security, and shared progress—is now insufficient if it is not accompanied by elements that make us feel connected, that give meaning to those who give meaning to things. And it is in this context that culture, with its resources and activities, can significantly help us. This function of giving meaning and articulating unfolds in different spheres. In education, the digital revolution and the breakdown of traditional frameworks mean that schools can no longer limit themselves to transmitting standardized knowledge; they must contribute to forming individuals capable of adapting, working with others, embracing diversity, and critically interpreting the reality that surrounds them. The ability to imagine, create, and combine languages ​​and experiences is as relevant today as mastery of academic content, and it is here that culture—in the form of arts, youth practices, and digital languages—ceases to be peripheral and becomes central. The same is true in health, where urban studies show consistent correlations between educational level, cultural participation, and indicators of well-being and life expectancy. Culture also provides narratives, symbols, and shared spaces in experiences of inclusion and community, allowing people to recognize themselves as part of a "we," beyond the divisions of class, origin, or age.

Throughout his life, Jordi Chicletol, stage name of Jordi Gómez, has been a cultural activist, event organizer, DJ and presenter (until last season he was at the helm ofRoom 910(Betevé's pop music program). All these experiences are now compiled in the book I almost died (and other hits)Published by Dashbook, in which he discusses his addiction and mental health struggles and his healing process.

A musician from Lleida and, above all, a fighter. Joan Mesegué He's now 55, lives with his partner by the Utxesa reservoir, and is starting a new life. Since his twenties, he's teetered between life and death, art and madness, the deepest depressions and the most creative bursts of clarity, traveling all over Europe and returning home in frustration… Diagnosed with bipolar disorder and recently brought under control with medication, he's embarking on a tour of pubs and record labels, performing some of his new songs.

Perplexity. Unease. Indignation. These are some of the moods that frequently appear in our daily lives amidst an international landscape filled with uncertainty. Is the world falling apart? Answering this question may seem like a daunting task. However, there are many committed voices that give us a push to digest these and other doubts, and extend a hand to help us move forward.

From its inception, the Abertis Foundation has placed culture and heritage at the heart of its activities, promoting projects that connect artistic expression with the communities in the countries where the group operates. This commitment takes shape in cultural outreach programs, international exhibitions, and institutional partnerships that make the Abertis Foundation a key player in promoting art beyond borders. The Castellet Castle is one of its heritage assets of exceptional interest, which the Foundation makes available to the public. In addition to being its headquarters, the site houses the International Centre for Mediterranean Biosphere Reserves (UNESCOMED), following the declaration adopted on April 5, 2014, at the UNESCO General Conference in Paris. Castellet has thus become a benchmark in the field of Mediterranean cultural and natural heritage, open to the public and highlighting the Foundation's commitment to culture in the broadest sense of the word.

It's not easy to escape the clutches of rampant consumerism. Especially with Christmas just around the corner! Doors that, year after year, open far too early. Some of us try not to participate, attempting to be more active in how we consume products, services, and goods. The idea is to go beyond this "armchair activism" and take action by cultivating responsible consumption. Out of conviction!