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Consell de Formentera and Ajuntament d'Eivissa team up to offer language pointers to government personnel

Formentera’s office of language normalisation has joined forces with the city government of Eivissa to launch ‘Apunts en net’, a resource designed to help employees of both administrations tackle the most common issues raised by drafting texts in Catalan.

The premise: every week, three Catalan language-related notes will go out to work email accounts. Each email will contain a brief text explaining a theoretical aspect of the language and offering examples. Features will touch on one of three subjects:

1. Spelling, syntax, grammar and vocabulary (pronouns, prepositions, specific lexicon, etc.)
2. Stylistic conventions (use of upper and lower case, abbreviations and symbols, etc.)
3. Catalan for administrative contexts (administrative terms, aspects related to drafting administrative texts, etc.)

The programme’s creators see ‘Apunts en net’ as a way to give staff additional support in their daily work. Content will be geared towards not just addressing frequently asked questions about vocabulary, writing tips and stylistic conventions, but also offering clearly worded insight about evolving rules and conventions, newly coined words and specific expressions that surface over time. The format likewise allows for discussion of place names and real-life words and expressions.

Content and design of the weekly updates will be overseen by the language advisory services of both islands. Agency staff can expect to find the first emails in their inbox starting in June.

12 June 2020
Department of Communications
Consell de Formentera

La Mola lighthouse reopens tomorrow, Friday 12 June

foto 2020 far la molaThe Formentera Department of Culture reports that the Far de la Mola cultural centre will reopen its doors tomorrow, Friday 12 June. Visiting hours are 10.00am to 2.00pm, Tuesday to Saturday, and from this year residents of the Balearic Islands get in at no charge. Department chief Susana Labrador pointed out that this year islanders across the archipelago would see entry fees waived in a bid to broaden the reach of Formentera’s maritime and cultural heritage amid the Covid-19 crisis. Formentera residents, visitors under 18 and the unemployed have enjoyed free admission to the lighthouse since last year; in 2020, the discount will extend to everyone in the Balearics. General admission is €4.50, and pensioners and students benefit from a €2 reduction.

Protocols in place at the newly reopened cultural centre aim to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Capacity has been set at 20, and visitors are required to observe a two-metre distance from one another. In an effort to ensure distancing measures are respected, visitors will be asked to queue outside until staff can clear them for entry, proceeding through the space on a one-way circuit and wearing a mask whenever maintaining the proper distance isn’t possible. Hand sanitiser will be available as well, with crews instructed to double down on hygiene and cleaning efforts.

A monument to civil engineering, La Mola's lighthouse was designed by Emili Pou Bonet and completed in 1861. Today the building houses a space which is devoted to culture and to showcasing Formentera's maritime heritage. It is divided into two clearly distinct exhibition spaces. The permanent exhibition explores its main focus—the sea—from a variety of angles: the marine environment, natural resources management, navigation and light signals. A second space is dedicated to temporary art exhibits.

11 June 2020
Department of Communications
Consell de Formentera

Ajuntament Vell welcomes selection of contemporary art from collection of Cati Verdera

cartell 2020 I. EsculturesOn Monday 15 June at 6.00pm, a new display will settle into the municipal gallery space. ‘Una col·lecció d'art contemporani: I. Escultures’ is the first in a series of shows from the collection of celebrated gallery owner and resident of La Mola, Cati Verdera, who in 2019 treated the island to a selection of works by Erwin Broner. The new show will be at the Ajuntament Vell until Saturday 27 June.

The exhibition contains 16 pieces from 9 artists: Manolo Paz, Xavier Laka, Florentino Díaz, Joaquim Camp, Mario de Ayguavives, Pamen Pereira, Laura Lio, Manu Muniategiandigoikoetxea and Carlos Pazos.

The sculpted work is varied in terms of both techniques showcased and materials employed: one piece is of sculpted granite, others are objects strewn together into visual poems, with artists turning alternately to wood, cardboard, rusted metal, steel, wire, rubber, glass and wax as well.

Produced by Trampolí Mecànic and curated by Manolo Oya, the show also benefitted from the collaboration of the Consell de Formentera. According to Oya, “Cati Verdera’s impulse is, first, to share Broner’s oeuvre with the world, and second, to share her own collection with the people of Formentera”. By Oya’s lights, the collection constitutes “a veritable store of human sensitivity”, adding, “The very decision to share it is an exercise in generosity and social activism”.

10 June 2020
Department of Communications
Consell de Formentera

Port de la Savina: operativity study unveiled

Foto Operativitat La SavinaIn a press conference today, Consell de Formentera premiere Alejandra Ferrer was joined by Joan Gual de Torrella, Marc Pons and Xavier Ramis, the chiefs of the Balearic port authority (APB), mobility ministry and office of air and sea transport, in unpacking a study on the operational capacity of Port de la Savina, as well as a suite of fresh proposals tuned to improving mobility in the harbour.

Ferrer explained that the APB-led study came in response to calls from the Consell de Formentera underscoring the need for more environmentally sustainable maritime connections between Formentera and Eivissa. She remarked that the ferry route cuts across Ses Salines reserve, and pointed to increasingly frequent crossings and a growing stream of visitors. “The aim is not to stop people from coming, rather to improve the service”, said Ferrer, highlighting proposed safety upgrades and changes to make the harbour “more sustainable in terms of the environment and economy”.

Marc Pons pointed out that up to 97 ferries make the journey every day in August, though on average they are only 30% full. The study’s authors, from the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, recommend reducing ferry frequency by 30% to 68 a day in the high season, along with guarantees for passages and scheduling.

Joan Gual de Torrella said the proposed changes had the buy-in of all the agencies directly concerned, and underscored the importance of collaboration from ferry companies in getting the changes off the ground this season. The study calls for modifying the departure times of regularly scheduled journeys in order to prevent overlap and minimise potential operational risks, not to mention increasing travel time from thirty to sixty minutes.

The officials sat down to discuss the proposal with transport company representatives in the run-up to the press conference. Formentera’s chief of mobility, Rafael González, was also on hand at the gathering.


10 June 2020
Department of Communications
Consell de Formentera

Monday 15 June, pre-enrolment begins for new pupils at Formentera’s Escola de Música i Dansa

cartell 2020 EMDFThe Formentera Department of Education reports that Monday 15 June is the first day that islanders still not enrolled at the school of music and dance can signal they wish to attend classes. Returning pupils have until 14 June to complete enrolment.

First-time students can register online on the OVAC or in person at the OAC (carrer Ramon Llull, nº 6, Sant Francesc; call 687 209 618 in advance to schedule an appointment). The Escola de Música i Dansa will contact aspiring pupils in September using the phone number they provided with their application. Pupils will then complete enrolment directly or take an entrance exam.

The school will be closed to in-person inquiries in light of the exceptional circumstances surrounding Covid-19, but islanders are encouraged to direct questions via email to escolamusica@conselldeformentera.cat or by calling 627 642 093, Monday to Friday between 11.00am and 1.00pm.

The following courses will be offered:

Music (accredited; 8 and up)
Instruments: transverse flute, guitar, piano, trumpet and clarinet.

Music (non-accredited; 8 and up)
Instruments: transverse flute, piccolo, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, French horn, trombone, bass saxhorn and tuba.

Traditional music workshop (4 and up)
Local folk instruments: tambour, castanets and flute. Four levels: Initiation I and II and Continuation I and II. Courses last all year.

Initiation to music (5-8 years old)
A first look at instruments and basic music theory through songs and games... designed for children aged 5 to 8.

Professional-track self-study
Based on student needs (students must submit proof of completion of elementary-level course from an accredited Spanish school or conservatory).

Folk Guitar Workshop
Learn how to use chords to accompany other musicians.

Percussion Workshop
Discover rhythms and a host of percussion instructments.

Formentera Polyphonic Choir
Free activity for all those interested in music regardless of previous schooling.

Music band
Primarily wind instruments. Course consists of one weekly group lesson by instrument, one weekly lesson of targeted music theory (unless coursework has been completed previously) and a one-hour band rehearsal.

Accredited studies in dance (8 and up)
Four-year elementary dance programmes centred on:
• Classical dance
• Danza española
• Music

Non-accredited studies in dance
Modern dance
Initiation to dance (3-8 years old)
Flamenco workshop

10 June 2019
Department of Communications
Consell de Formentera

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