We speak about Mar de foc at the Unesco Creative Cities Network in Katowice (Poland)

David Ibáñez, the artistic director of Fira Mediterrània Manresa, will speak about Mar de foc at a round-table debate: “Access to artistic and creative expressions: developing active culture”. Hosted in Katowice (Poland), on Saturday 16 June, this activity will take place within the framework of Unesco’s prestigious Creative Cities Network annual meeting.

Mar de foc is a production by Fira Mediterrània about the humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean. During the performance, a large-scale falla (a wooden construction that is set alight), built by the Bages-based artist Txema Rico, with the help of more than 200 local school children, was erected in Manresa’s main square. The falla was then burnt during a show that was written and directed by Sergi Ots. City groups also took part.

The Creative Cities Network is a UNESCO programme, established in 2004, to promote cooperative practices between cities that promote their development through creative industries. UNESCO classifies Creative Cities into 7 areas: literature, music, film, visual art, design, craftsmanship and traditional art, and gastronomy. Participating in the programme is both an honour and an opportunity to construct an image of the city based on the chosen form of creativity. More than this though, it is also a chance to create an official programme to revitalise local creative communities and promote exchange among cities worldwide. The yearly meeting, which takes place over the coming days at the same time as the Gardens of Sounds World Music Festival in Katowice, will attract 450 delegates from 200 cities around the world.

The participants of the round-table debate