What have we done to the island of Ibiza?
First of all, I want to express my immense and heartfelt gratitude for this medal you've awarded me, especially because there are many people from Vila who deserve it as much or more than I do.
I left Ibiza in 1971 to go study in Madrid and then in the US in 1982, 43 years ago, God willing! But I have never, not for a second, lost my Ibizan roots or culture, which, on the other hand, would be difficult. I come from the Francolins, a people who arrived in Ibiza very soon after the Catalan conquest of the island. During the 14th to 16th centuries, we were a notable family in Ibizan politics and civil society, and we had an important house in the town. Both my father and mother, may they rest in peace, were from Corona. I was born in the Plaza del Parque, in those years in the heart of Vila. Afterwards, I grew up on Mount Molins and, later, in an apartment on Paseo de Vara de Rey, above the Post Office, because my father worked as an administrator. In other words, you can't get much more Ibizan, even though I now have two passports: one Spanish and one from the United States. In fact, the only time in decades that I didn't spend summer months at my house on the outskirts of Santa Eulària, a wonderful town, was the summer of that year, which everyone remembers as unpleasant, 2020.
Returning every year to my home in a small, secluded valley in Venta de A, Ibizan, from the coast and sea in the north of the island, from walks through places as endearing as the red coast of Pozo del León or Dalt Vila, including a mandatory stop at the magnificent historic home of the Francolí family, now the Puget Museum; This annual refrain, as I said, is an essential and necessary part of my life and my mental and creative health, while I have had the good fortune and privilege of being able to pursue an international career as a symphonic composer and university professor.
I recognize that for a boy from Ibiza, who left Ibiza in 1971, at a time when, unlike now, there was practically no consistent opportunity for musical training on the island, this unlikely trajectory is somewhat inexplicable to me. I can only be grateful for the opportunities I have had in my life to develop this artistic and professional career, and for this and other recognitions I have received to do what I have always loved and been passionate about.
I now live in a country where the voters, in a self-destructive manner, have placed in political power a convicted criminal, corrupt, autocratic, racist, and lying, who is destroying the government, the bureaucracy, the economy, the educational and scientific systems, the universities, and the social fabric of the country. And let's not even talk about the damage it's doing to the world. But think for a moment: Is this self-destructive tendency so strange to Ibizans? What image do you think Ibiza has abroad? What face do you think my friends make when I tell them we're from Ibiza? There's an image of Ibiza out there that's practically synonymous with Sodom and Gomorrah combined, a kind of lawless island where anything is possible (where I hope we don't end up like those two biblical cities!). It's really boring having to give so many pedagogical explanations that Ibiza isn't just a Party Island unbridled, that there are many Ibizas, and that the island is a marvel of history, nature, welcoming and friendly people, and beauty everywhere. Today, if you allow me, I would like to speak to you as an Ibizan that we are, informed and committed.
What have we done to this island? What have the institutions that could have guided and regulated Ibiza's tourist, economic, and territorial model done, or what have they not done for decades? What beaches can we Ibizans go to now without the inconvenience of overcrowding, or the aggressive noise bombardment of the beach clubs, nor the presence of fecal matter, nor the green water caused by microalgae? How have we allowed the tourism that dominates the island to be nightlife, constant partying, excesses, and abuse? How have we allowed it to become a hotbed of drugs and drug traffickers, along with the mafias and criminals that accompany these scourges? How have we tolerated the fact that it's practically impossible to find affordable housing and that there are RVs and shanty towns everywhere? How have we allowed entire neighborhoods of residents to be unable to sleep, night after night, because of the unbearable murmur of open-air mega-discos or illegal parties in tourist accommodation? How have we allowed the island to be left with almost no water reserves, all the while continuing to be built as if the future doesn't exist, and water being lost by the ton in hotels, swimming pools, and lawns? How have we tolerated such a beneficial symbol of the island, our iconic lizards, being almost exterminated by such an avoidable but uncontrolled snake invasion? How have we allowed our roads to be clogged with excessive traffic for months every year? And I could go on.
Let's be clear: we all know what I'm saying is true. And when will the people of Ibiza react? Well, now it's too late. As in the US, the damage has already been done and will be very difficult to repair, the defeat. Even so, we cannot continue as we are, and if we do, we are talking about a clearly self-destructive and suicidal attitude, which is what we have had until now. What has happened in Ibiza is not an evolution, but a tragic involution promoted and permitted by the Ibizans themselves and controlled by the interests of big capital, both Ibizan and outside. And big capital, just like here in the US, doesn't care one iota about the well-being of the people or the preservation of the territory.
Why am I telling you all this on this joyful and celebratory occasion? Precisely because with this medal, along with the Gold Medal of the Consell de Eivissa and the Ramon Llull Prize, two honors I have previously received, you give me a voice. And, as an Ibizan who loves both the island and our city of Ibiza where I was born, I believe I can use my voice in no better way than by encouraging the Ibizan people and their representatives to take action and act decisively against the excessive and unsustainable exploitation of the island. There is still much we can preserve of our wonderful culture, language, territory, and natural environment, and we have a historic obligation to do so. Ibiza is already beyond a reasonable limit, and, for starters, it is urgent that we halt its growth.
Finally, I would like to repeat my deep gratitude to the City Council and the City of Ibiza for this award, without ever forgetting that sic transit gloria mundiThe glories of the world are fleeting. I think it's also a good time to announce that I've agreed with Fanny Tur Riera to donate the complete archives of my career to the Historical Archive of Ibiza and Formentera. And now I'll finally finish, wishing everyone good health and many happy years on this day of our Patron Saint.
Long live Ibiza, and together we all save what we can still save of our island. Thank you very much!
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Ibiza Gold Medal Acceptance Speech
