At 5.00pm, Friday 3 March, in the Sant Ferran Seniors' Centre (Centre de Majors), Felip Cirer, a graduate in Hispanic philology and professor of Catalan language and literature, will present the third instalment of UOM-Formentera under the title 'Eivissa and Formentera one hundred years ago'. Formentera's Open University for Older Adults (UOM) series consists of seven lectures, until 28 April, and is for local over-50s.

28 February 2023
Office of Communication
Consell de Formentera

The Office of Culture of the Consell de Formentera reports that the Beni Trutmann Photo Competition is now accepting submissions. Participants have until 12 April to hand or send in their snapshots.

Formentera's banner photographic event turns twenty this year, and to commemorate it, Vanessa Parellada, culture councillor, encouraged both islanders and participants from the previous two decades to attend the awards ceremony and exhibition opening on 2 May – a day she cast as "milestone event for lovers of local photography."

This competition pays tribute to Beni Trutmann, an extraordinary Swiss photographer who loved Formentera. He called the island home for 44 years, leaving more than 30,000 photographs that speak to Trutmann's love for the island and its nature. Urging islanders and visitors alike to participate, Councillor Parellada explained that "to spotlight a commitment to preservation, this contest pushes the many faces of Formentera –treasures of natural beauty, wildlife, vegetation, culture, heritage and human interaction– to the fore."

Colour, black and white and social justice
In the categories of colour, black and white and now familiar social justice, or foto denúncia, participants may submit up to three photographs. Prints may be square, digital, classic format or panoramic and will be eligible for the first, second and third prizes (€500, €300 and €200, respectively) in each category.

Submissions in these first three categories will be accepted in person at the Citizen Information Office (OAC) or by certified and/or administrative mail addressed to the Consell Insular de Formentera (Plaça de la Constitució, 1, 07860 Sant Francesc, Formentera) until 12 April 2023.

Junior category
This popular category is for young people between the ages of 12 and 18, who can participate via e-mail (concursfoto@conselldeformentera.cat), sending a maximum of three images, until 12 April. The first prize winner in this category will receive a compact digital camera, the second a digital instant camera and the third a sports camera.

The winning photographs will be incorporated into the Formentera Image and Sound Archive (Arxiu d'Imatge i So) and remain in possession of the Consell Insular de Formentera, which may use them for non-profit purposes in any form it deems appropriate (posters, graphics, Internet, etc.).

History
In twenty years, the competition has amassed a photographic treasure trove, with approximately 1,300 photographs in the archives and some 350 photographers participating. As the contest has grown, submissions have flowed in from various corners of mainland Spain and even other European countries.

Exhibition and awards ceremony
The contest will culminate with an exhibition of selected photographs that will be displayed in the Sala d'Exposicions "Ajuntament Vell" from Tuesday 2 May, when winners will receive their prizes. The exhibition will be on view until 13 May. For more information, consult the contest rules on the Consell de Formentera website.

28 February 2023
Office of Communication
Consell de Formentera

·Three weeks of cultural, leisure and educational activities, including Intercultural Festival on 2 April

Today Ana Juan, president of the Consell de Formentera; Rafael Ramírez, social welfare councillor; Noelia González, director of the immigration service, and Manolo Oya presented Formentera Intercultural 2023, an initiative encompassing the day-long Festa Intercultural, which this year turns 18 on 2 April.

Said President Juan, "in recent decades our island has become a different, more plural and diverse society, with people from other backgrounds, cultures and customs. Sixty-six different nationalities live together on Formentera and with this plurality comes a duty and responsibility –on the part of society at large, social entities and public authorities– to spearhead measures and actions around mutual understanding and promote coexistence." As President Juan put it, "this is the motivation behind Intercultural Formentera, which marks an impulse towards a more mature, supportive and welcoming community."

A space for reflection
For his part, Councillor Ramírez offered that "Formentera Intercultural is about providing islanders with a space to reflect on migration, inequalities, integration and coexistence with a varied programme for a diverse public." The councillor additionally asserted that "one of the main goals was to bring certain realities to the educational community, particularly young people, with direct witnesses, to speak to multiple paradigms, among them racial discrimination."

Formentera Intercultural "is also about offering a space worthy of our current migratory drama, and emphasising our commonalities, which draw us closer", said Ramírez.

The programme –the product of months-long preparation by the Immigration Service, with collaboration from Manolo Oya– includes cultural, recreational educational activities. The image of Formentera Intercultural is the work of artist Sean Mackaoui. Related actions will run from 20 March and 5 April.

Programming
Monday 20 March. Exhibition: Migrants on Formentera. Monday 20 March to Saturday 1 April at Sala d'Exposicions "Ajuntament Vell". Exhibition on the Formentera of emigrants in the past, the welcoming Formentera of today and a place of passage for migrations to Europe.

Friday 24 March. Radio talk show. Ràdio Illa Tertùlia: Venc de fora i som formenterenc, first-hand experiences.

Tuesday 28 March to Friday 31 March. World cuisines workshop. Gastronomic afternoons with workshops where participants learn how to prepare dishes from Morocco, Romania, China and Colombia. At IES Marc Ferrer.

22, 25 and 29 March. Film Forum at the Casal de Joves + Holi party Cinema. Forum on anti-racism, cooperation and coexistence + Holi party.

Thursday and Friday, 30-31 March, talks by Moha Gerehou, expert in anti-racist outreach. Thursday 30 March at 8.00pm in Casa del Poble (La Mola) [for general public] and Friday 31 March at 11.00am in the Sala de Cultura (Cinema) [for pupils, years five and six].

Sunday 2 April. Festa Intercultural, 12.30pm to 7.00pm, at Plaça d'Europa (Es Pujols). A popular celebration with gastronomic samplings from various countries and Spanish autonomous communities, performances by local dance groups, concert by Latino jazz band Timba Tumbet, and a concert by singer Lia Kali to round off the festival.

Tuesday 4 April. Presentation of "Tres días en la arena", Ibrahim Bah's book chronicling his migratory journey, at 8.00pm in Casa del Poble (La Mola). Attendees will also screen a video of a performance by Bah.

Wednesday 5 April. Theatre: "El Rei del Gurugú" and closing colloquium with the participation of Ibrahim Bah at Sala de Cultura-Cinema. 11.00am (for pupils at IES Marc Ferrer) and 8.00pm (for general public).

27 February 2023
Office of Communication
Consell de Formentera

The Office of Culture of the Consell de Formentera is pleased to report that next Monday, 6 March, a children's painting workshop and tribute to Maria Moliner will mark the first Libraries of Formentera activity commemorating International Women's Day. The event will take place at 5.00pm at the Sant Ferran Reading Spot (Punt de Lectura) and be led by local artist Fran Lucas.

Workshop participants will use various painting techniques to create a mural in homage to Maria Moliner. To start, they will be treated to a simple and entertaining introduction to this grand figure in the field of literature. Moliner was an important archivist, philologist and lexicographer who single-handedly wrote the best Spanish dictionary ever used in education. An eminent voice on the literary scene, she dedicated her life to education, culture and reading at a time when females in those fields were woefully undervalued.

The main objective of this workshop is for children to discover Maria Moliner and the values she stood for. Participants' creativity will flourish as they work in the larger, mural format, with a free space to create upon previously etched images.

Lecture and presentation of poetry books
The second activity is geared toward adult audiences. «Una tarde con Rocio Madrid» is a compendium of talks and poetry book presentations by writer, photographer, feminist and LGTBIQ+ activist Rocio Madrid. This event will be held at Marià Villangómez Library, Thursday 16 March, at 7.30pm.

27 February 2023
Office of Communication
Consell de Formentera