Protest speech of Fades at the Palma Book Fair: "Culture is not protected as a right"

PalmaThe Mallorcan urban music group Fades inaugurated this Friday the 44th edition of the Palma Book Fair with a markedly vindictive opening speech in defense of the Catalan language, local culture, and the role of young creators. The trio, formed by Àngel Exojo, Ferran Pi, and Vicenç Calafell, took advantage of the inaugural event to demand more institutional support for culture made in Catalan and to denounce policies that, in their opinion, contribute to weakening its public presence.

The members of Fades, who met while studying Catalan Philology at the University of the Balearic Islands, claimed the historical links between literature and music and defended the transformative power of the word. "Literature and music have a very close relationship," they pointed out during a speech that combined cultural references, reflections on the situation of Catalan, and political criticisms.

One of the central ideas of the opening speech was the need to live the language with normality and without complexes. In this regard, they encouraged young creators to write, sing, communicate, and experiment in Catalan, and warned that "it is at the moment when we stop feeling the Catalan language as our own that it begins to die." They also called for new cultural references in Catalan and defended that the language is suitable for any register and artistic expression.

The speech took on an especially critical tone when the group referred to public institutions. Fades denounced what it considered a lack of commitment to Catalan culture and lamented that many Mallorcan creators have to develop their careers outside the island. According to them, Mallorca has talent and a vibrant cultural fabric, but it does not find the necessary support to consolidate.

"Culture is not protected as a right, but disseminated as a luxury," they stated during one of the most applauded interventions of the event. The group maintained that administrations do not generate enough spaces or platforms to promote culture in Catalan and warned that this situation ends up favoring the flight of talent to other territories.

The musicians also criticized the cultural model that, according to their defense, is promoted by certain institutions and public media. In this sense, they warned of the risk of reducing Mallorcan identity to a folkloric and stereotyped image, far from the island's diverse and contemporary reality. "Culture cannot be a fossil in a glass display case. Culture must be alive and go out into the streets," they argued.

Despite the critical tone, the opening speech ended with a message of hope and cultural resistance. Fades vindicated the work of booksellers, entities, and creators who keep the island's cultural ecosystem alive and assured that the defense of language and culture is also a defense of Mallorca's memory and future. The speech concluded with a symbolic request addressed to political leaders: "May the authorities read in Catalan; and, above all, may they read."

The 44th edition of the Palma Book Fair is being held until June 7th in Plaça d'Espanya, where it brings together 16 bookstores and more than forty activities including presentations, workshops, recitals, concerts, and family-oriented events. This year's program particularly emphasizes local and emerging talent, with the participation of authors from Mallorca and guests from Catalan-speaking territories.