Life hangs by a thread for too many people

One of the best bars in the Balearic Islands, like so many things, is in Ibiza. It's called Can Jordi. And it's one of the best because it's not just a bar. It's a cultural center, a meeting point, and a landmark, filled with authors, initiatives, concerts, and exhibitions like the one on display until December 1st: "They're Kicking Us Out." Using an original graphic design and hanging photographs of towels, it collects real testimonies from people who can't pay their rent and are kicked out by Ibiza. So, take it. Literally.

An exhibition that could of course also be held in Mallorca, and perhaps to a lesser extent, for now, in Menorca. Because housing expels people. From apartments and houses, from neighborhoods, from streets, from lives, from friendships, and forces them to change residence because the islands that host 18 million tourists each year are unable to accommodate those who want to live. Well, those who want to live and aren't rich.

I think we have to call things by their name, and right now the situation on the islands is simply obscene. While more luxury homes than ever are being built, while a handful of companies and professionals linked to the villas are making a fortune, while the big landowners enjoy staggering incomes, workers, young people, and even more complicated people with more complicated family or work circumstances are finding themselves on the streets. Throw them out.

It's the most far-reaching social problem the Balearic Islands have. And it's not new. We've sown an economy in which houses have gone from being homes to hosting tourists. Or hosting expats. To make a fortune. And several have made a fortune, while the vast majority are left out or their lives hang in the balance, like the photographs in the exhibition.