On April 2, Festa Intercultural turns 15

rsz foto presentacio festa interculturalThe Formentera Council's Office of Social Welfare unveiled plans for the 15th Festa Intercultural. At the presentation were social welfare councillor Vanessa Parellada, festival organiser Maribel Jiménez and, chair of the island's Associació Intercultural, Serena Amaduzzi.

Sunday, April 2, Sant Francesc's Mestre Lluís Andreu primary school will play host to a gala showcasing the diverse countries and Spanish regions represented on Formentera. “The event,” said Councillor Parellada, “is about experiencing—living and loving—the other cultures that enrich our island.”

Children's games
The cost of admission, four euros, is waived for children under 12. Doors open at 12.30pm and from 1.00pm kids activities include a mask-making workshop, Twister, can toss, a recycling workshop, a lesson writing their name in Arabic or the chance to decorate a bookmark. The children's corner of the festival will also feature bouncy castles and other activities until 5.30pm.

Musical theatre
New this year is the festival's musical theatre segment at 1.00pm. The Formentera band, with students from the school of music, and s'Esglai theatre troupe, have partnered to present “el Viatge Músic,” a production Jiménez called “a very special combination of music, theatre and dance”.

Fine dining
From 2.00 to 3.30pm, locals will have their chance to taste all the fine-dining flavour of Formentera's immigrant communities. Moroccan couscous, Ecuadorian meat sauté, Indonesian nasi goreng are just some of the dishes food fest attendees will be able to sample. “A show for the senses,” promised Jiménez.

In the words of Festa Intercultural's organiser, the day's roster of culinary ombudsmen—Cuba, Chile, Bolivia, Dominican Republic, Argentina, Colombia, Indonesia, Brazil, Italy, Equator, Morocco, Germany, Paraguay, Andalucía, Galicia, València, Catalunya and Formentera—“will give us a backdoor into the kitchens of a good part of the world”.

Performances
The day's entertainment will entail music and other performances from communities there taking part. Festivalgoers will hear the sounds of the traditional Galician gaita, see dancers do hometown dance steps (ball pagès) and bump to the beat of everything from Cuban salsa to Brazilian music and Dominican bachata. Supercumbia y la Liga de la Alegría headline the day's musical programme. Communiqués were issued to all the day's participating associations and who pledged to shun songs with lyrics disparaging to women and other disadvantaged groups.

Commitment to the environment
Organisers of this year's culture fest wanted to spotlight environmental awareness. Amaduzzi reminded everyone to bring reusable plates and glasses from home and announced that recycling bins, as well as ashtrays, would be set up around the event to keep litter and cigarette butts from turning up on the school's playground.

Councillor Parellada gave special thanks to the one hundred volunteers making this year's Festa Intercultural possible.