The island's Office of Culture presents the month-long calendar of activities marking this year's Sant Jordi holiday. CiF culture secretary Susana Labrador said the 2018 programme is about “making sure islanders of all stripes —adults, teens and young children— can enjoy a tradition- and culture-packed event”.

First on the bill, on Tuesday, April 3, is a chat led by Isidor Marí about the newest generation of Formentera residents (formenterers, in Catalan). Organised by the local chapter of Obra Cultural Balear (OCB), the event kicks off at 8.00pm in Biblioteca Marià Villangómez.

Activities for kids and teens
Sunday, April 15, the youth-friendly portion of the programme gets under way with El viatge d'en Filo Cordafil, a production by Minorcan theatre troupe s'Espai de Circ. Recommended for children six and up, the 5.30pm show takes place in the cinema (Sala de Cultura).

Friday, April 20, local youngsters get an updated take on an old tradition when the Casal de Joves hosts a henna workshop on crafting Sant Jordi roses in henna.

Thursday, April 24, the Marià Villangómez library welcomes Àngels Martínez Corderas for a storytelling session and post-op workshop entitled Contes i Llegendes de Formentera.

Book talks
Monday, April 16, is islanders' chance to learn about “feminism for beginners”. That is the title of a discussion led by gender-violence expert, journalist and professor of law and social sciences Núria Varela. The work represents Varela's effort to take feminism to mainstream audiences by articulating the story and spirit the movement offers society. The event, including a presentation from 8.00pm and discussion to follow, takes place in the Marià Villangómez library with support from IBDona and Espai Dones.

Tuesday, April 17, organisers are teeing up an event to mark the re-edition of a collection of Formentera's most traditional recipes. Artur Portes and Vicent Ferrer are not only La cuina de Formentera's authors; they are also the hosts of the evening. The event takes place in the Marià Villangómez library at 8.00pm.

On Wednesday, April 18, locals have another launch to look forward to. Días Oscuros, a comic book based on an eponymous novel by Ibizan author Lluís Ferrer, tells of true events on Eivissa during World War II.

On Wednesday, April 25, OCB is staging yet another book presentation. Terra endins, mar enllà was written by Marià Torres. The evening, hosted by Maria Teresa Ferrer and Ramon Mayol, takes place at Biblioteca Marià Villangómez at 8.00pm.

Thursday, April 26, Formentera's youngest get the skinny on a compilation of hometown nursery rhymes. Pere Morell's Rondalles de Formentera will be presented by Maria Teresa Ferrer at 8.00pm in Biblioteca Marià Villangómez.

The last of the book talks comes Monday, April 30, as the library presents Randa magazine's 79th issue, dedicated to Formentera. Among the event's presenters are Esperança Marí and Isidor Torres.

Some of the featured publications receive support from the Formentera Council, part of the administration's commitment to local history and culture.

Concerts
At 8.00pm on Saturday, April 7 in Centre Gabrielet, the OCB underwrites a concert by singer-composer Cecilia Giménez. The artists presents her latest effort, Romeo, a varied collection that spans generations and traditions, buttressed by an assortment of language and style, and the profoundness of the feeling it embodies.

The centrepiece Sant Jordi concert kicks off at 5.30pm on Saturday, April 21, when onlookers at Sant Francesc's plaça de la Constitució are treated to a performance by the youth bands of Eivissa, Sant Marcel·lí de València and Formentera parishes.

Then, at 8.00pm, the crowd at jardí de ses Eres will see Majorcan singer-songwriter and former Antònia Font composer Joan Miquel Oliver present Atlantis, a continuation of the exploratory jaunt through estètica electrònica the artist began on his last effort, Pegasus.

Then on Friday, April 27, Espai Frumentària presents Voiciello. Singer Carme Garí and cellist/composer Gabriel Fiol's joint production of Una veu, un violoncel, un món de sensacions, is part show part journey across a musical universe dominated by classical melodies. The 8.30pm performance happens in la Mola's Casa del Poble.

Sant Jordi day
The morning of the big day, Monday, April 23, book lovers in Sant Francesc's plaça de la Constitució will get the chance to browse books either retired from the shelves of the island's libraries or donated by other cultural groups on Formentera. Trades of second-hand books will also be accepted.

At 5.30pm in the cinema (Sala de Cultura), winners will be announced in two contests that turn 19 this year: the Antoni Tur “Gabrielet” bookmark contest and the young writers' competition in honour of Robert Lewis Baldon. The contests, said Secretary Labrador, aim to encourage Formentera's young people to read and write. In view of the designation of 2018 as European Year of Cultural Heritage, this year's participants were asked to write about “Formentera and its cultural heritage”. Entertainment at the awards show will be handled by Impro Ibiza.

Blai Bonet
On Friday, April 13, at 8.00pm, the Council's cultural arm presents “El teatre de Blai Bonet”, an evening devoted to the writer/poet/playwright from Mallorca. The conference will be moderated by Joan Tomàs Martínez, a professor at ESADIB and Doctor of Performing Arts at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.

Saturday the 14th is a day for the all-ages theatre of Oficis al carrer. In this exploration of the dramaturgical, artistic side of Blai Bonet, troupe Tshock Cultural Emocional reassemble the original cast of actors for whom the playwright penned the work forty years ago. Immediately after, attendees see a screening of the documentary biopic El teatre de Blai Bonet. At the end of the evening, spectators will receive a DVD, compliments of the Govern balear.

'Caminada popular'
On Saturday, April 28, Sant Jordi celebrations come to a close, with an OCB-run community walk with Andreu Ferrer and Santi Colomar. The start is at 10.00am in Sant Francesc's plaça de la Constitució.

The preceding activities are organised by the CiF culture department and local libraries, the school of music and dance and the island's youth centre, el Casal de Joves. Formentera's early-learning and primary schools are also closely involved, as well as other groups like the OCB's Formentera branch, Espai F_, Ràdio Illa and the Institut d'Estudis Baleàrics. Their support is greatly appreciated.

The Formentera Council's Office of Culture and Education reports that the Marià Villangómez library will observe special operating hours during Easter holiday next week.

The following timetable will be in effect:

-March 26-28: Afternoons only (4.00pm to 8.00pm).

-April 3-6: Mornings from 9.00am to 12 noon and afternoons from 4.00pm to 8.00pm. The computer lab will be open, but tech support will be unavailable.

The Formentera Council's Office of Culture reports that now to April 13, submissions will be accepted to the Beni Trutmann photo competition. Entering into its sixteenth year, the contest has become a fixture on the island.

The photo contest is a tribute to Beni Trutmann, a prodigious Swiss photographer who fell in love with Formentera on a visit and went on to spend 44 years on the island, during which time he took upwards of thirty thousand photos, each a demonstration of his love for the island and its natural spaces...which explains why Beni Trutmann the photo contest is all about nature—landscapes, fauna and humans interacting in the outdoors—not to mention a commitment to defending our environment, and spreading Trutmann's legacy to generations of youth.

Colour / Black & White
In the colour and black & white categories, participants can submit up to three prints (analog or digital) in square, digital, classic and panorama format. Contestants must also state which prize—first, second or third, with cash prizes of €500, €300 and €200, respectively—they wish to compete for.

Political engagement
This year, organisers have added a new category—fotodenúncia—for photography that is political in nature, seeking to denounce injustices, demand change or encourage reflection on a particular environmental issue. Cash prizes for the first-, second- and third-place winners are €500, €300 and €200, respectively.

Smart shots
Tuned for youth aged 12 to 18, another category that has become increasingly established with time is for photos snapped with smartphones. These submissions can be emailed to concursfoto@conselldeformentera.cat. Contestants are asked to include no more than three photos taken with their smartphone.

Submissions
Photos should be submitted to the Formentera Council together with a blank envelope with the contestant's full name, physical and email address and a telephone number written inside.

Envelopes will only be opened in the event of a winning submission. Organisers will ensure the anonymity of participating photographers by assigning each a registration with number at the time of submission. The number will be included on the blank envelope, the back of each submitted photo and the proof of registration so that contestants can retrieve them later.

The pair of envelopes should be sent via certified mail to the Formentera Council, plaça de la Constitució, 1, 07860 Sant Francesc Xavier, Formentera. One of the envelopes must contain another sealed envelope identification of the contestant.

Jury
A panel of judges will be made up of a spokesperson from the local chapter of the Balearic association for birdwatching and the defence of nature; one representative of the local chapter of Obra Cultural Balear; three individuals renowned for their work in the visual arts; plus a chairperson and secretary.

Winning submissions will be included in Formentera's image and sound archive, the AISF, and become property of the Council, which reserves the right to reproduce them as it deems fit (on posters, signs, internet-based campaigns, etc), though not for profit.

History
In its 16 years, the competition has amassed a valuable archive of roughly 1,200 photos from 300 participants. No better proof of the contest's growth can be found than the participation of photographers from as far away as mainland Spain and other countries in Europe.

Exhibition and awards ceremony
To crown the contest's sixteenth edition, from Monday, April 30, a selection of some fifty photos will be displayed in the municipal gallery, the Sala d'Exposicions, and during a special ceremony selected photographers will receive their prizes. The exhibition will continue through May 12.

For more information and to see submission conditions, visit the Formentera Council website: https://goo.gl/8VNLMW

Formentera Council president Jaume Ferrer and Espai Frumentària chief Miquel Costa met today to sign a deal to promote and spread culture in 2018.

The Council commits €6,000 as part of the partnership, which aims to bolster Formentera's cultural programming in 2018 and drives initiatives like “El 7 a les 6”, la Filmoteca, concerts, exhibitions, theatre classes and a space for playwrighting and stage productions.

Founded in 2009, Espai Frumentària didn't assume its current form until 2013, when it began promoting playwrighting and stage productions and spreading artistic and cultural activities. The group also coordinates workshops, training programmes and other learning initiatives.