Ten years since the lighting of the Torres monument, which aims to make "the Mediterranean a point of life and not of death"

The tenth annual Lighting of Towers, Watchtowers, and Talayots for Human Rights in the Mediterranean will take place on January 31, 2026, with the aim of making this sea "a place of life, not death," explained Maribel Arnau, the Island Director of Heritage for the Consell de Mallorca. The objective is to reaffirm the collective commitment to defending human rights and welcoming refugees, and "to highlight our heritage to remind us that these historical sites can also symbolize values we share as a society," she added.

Last year, 95 towers and watchtowers around the Mediterranean were illuminated, a 15% increase compared to 2024. "This year we hope to reach 100 locations, because every lit watchtower, tower, or marker is a reminder that dignity and human rights must always be at the center," she stated. She also denounced the flagrant human rights violations in Palestine.

Josep Lluís Pol, a member of the Encesa volunteer steering group, celebrated the fact that almost all of Mallorca's municipalities are now participating in the initiative. He emphasized that, in addition to associations and institutions, individuals are also lighting windmills and other structures. In fact, he stressed that "the foundation that has made Encesa work, year after year, is the involvement of all the citizens of Mallorca." Finally, Carlos Martín, a member of Amnesty International, concluded that "this initiative is a benchmark, as it has expanded to include other areas of the country year after year and has been replicated in the Basque Country, Andalusia, and even the Canary Islands, among others."

The Encesa project began in Mallorca in 2016, driven by a group of teachers from the IES Marratxí high school who wanted to restore the visual connection between the old defensive towers. That first year, unbeknownst to them, coincided with the 400th anniversary of the death of Juan Bautista Binimelis, mathematician and creator of the historical smoke and fire signaling system.

With the support of the Balearic Mathematical Society SBM-XEIX, the initiative began as a historical reenactment. However, over time, and in light of the migratory realities of the Mediterranean, Encesa has also become a gesture of reflection and humanitarian commitment: imagining that the light rising from each watchtower points the way to a safe harbor for all those seeking protection.

Anyone who wants to participate must register on the event website, where they can also request information or download the map of points that will be lit up.