Formentera's Office of Culture wishes to announce that Domenica, a stage production originally scheduled for 8.30pm on Saturday, March 17, has been cancelled for reasons beyond the Council's control.

Taking its place is Escena Miriñaque's Algodón, a work of theatre for toddlers ages one to three. Given the production's reduced format, no more than thirty toddlers may be on the stage, each accompanied by an adult. With sixty spectators on stage to see the action up close, the remaining adults can follow the show from the stands.

Synopsis
When we leave home with our eyes to the ground, we miss the new skies up above.

Cotton landscapes, unique and ethereal, in constant transformation.

If we stop for a moment, we see Violeta, a high-flying, slender, peacock of a cloud. Or Gastón. He's a big one. Grey and chubby. Clouds like emotions in the cages of our hearts. Joyful things, yellow with sun, others running scared from the dark. Each has got a name, a colour, an emotion. Up above you'll find the inhabitants of Algodón.

The show starts at 5.30pm on Saturday, March 17 in the cinema (Sala de Cultura). Admission for adults and children is three euros.

Important: reservations must be made in advance by calling the Office of Culture at 971 32 12 75 or sending an email to cultura@conselldeformentera.cat

This weekend Formentera's Office of Culture and Festivities welcomes to the island Es Mijorals de Don Mariano, a work of family-friendly theatre selected to close out local observance of the Balearic Islands' yearly holiday, el Dia de les Illes Balears or “la Diada”.

Es Mijorals de Don Mariano is a comedy of manners about Mariano Llobet. In it, we see the country lifestyle of a family of mijorals on 1950s, post-war Eivissa. The décor appears torn from the pages of bygone rural Eivissa, with timely struggles and period jokes to boot. The ensemble faithfully recreates the difficulties of the day, when hard times forced many young people to search for a livelihood elsewhere. Typical song and folklore are in no short supply.

The figure of Don Mariano Llobet
Mariano Llobet Román (1927-2016) was a solicitor and Eivissa native known for his active defence of regional autonomy during the 1960s. Llobet was also a promotor of local tourism made noteworthy by his engagement in local island politics, economics and culture. He served as secretary for the Ajuntament d'Eivissa, a hard-line supporter of Eivissa and Formentera's political and administrative autonomy.

All his life Llobet maintained close ties to country living, which he identified as a driving force of island culture and identity. A patriarch of knowledge concerning traditionally island physiognomy, he held Eivissa and Formentera law, history and culture to be particularly important.

Part of L'Illa a Escena 2018, the production will take over the Formentera cinema on Saturday, March 10 at 8.30pm. The show lasts 70 minutes and there will be an intermission. Admission is free.

Today, for the region's yearly commemoration, el Dia de les Balearics, or simply “la Diada”, officials took the first step in an on going initiative by the Govern to honour collective memory. The steps followed a proposal from a special panel on the disappeared and unmarked graves that was commissioned by the Balearic ministry of culture, participation and sport.

Held this Thursday afternoon in the Sant Ferran cemetery, the gathering consisted consisted in the erection of a statue engraved with an etching by Sebastiano Rossi. The general design will be replicated across similar commemorative sites. A plaque with the names of five islanders —Jaume Ferrer Ferrer, Josep Ribas Marí, Joan Tur Mayans, Jaume Serra Juan and Vicent Cardona Colomar— who perished at the hands of pro-Franco forces, shot down behind the cemetery wall 81 years ago to, March 1, 1937.

Fanny Tur, the minister of culture in the Balearics; Susana Labrador, Tur's opposite number on the island; Artur Parrón of Fòrum per la Memòria Històrica d'Eivissa i Formentera; and numerous family members of the five victims congregated at an inaugurational ceremony. Councillor Labrador described it as “another step towards healing”, calling the monument “a place families can come to remember their loved ones and articulate suffering they should never have had to endure”.

According to Tur, “no community or people can celebrate their heritage as is due when many of their dead lie in unmarked graves”. She highlighted the symbolism inherent in unveiling the monolith —“the first of its kind”, she intimated— on a day that is at once the a commemorative holiday for the region and the 81st anniversary of the five islanders' murder.

Mr Parrón underscored the role of families in keeping the victims' memories alive. “The victims are the true protagonists. They are the symbols of this incomplete and imperfect democracy of ours. Forty years on, we have yet to find the remains of those that died setting this democracy —that of the second republic— in motion”.

A piece of legislation known as “Law 10/2016”, of June 13, concerning victims of the Spanish Civil War and pro-Franco violence (published in the Balearic Islands' official gazette on June 16) sets out protocol for protecting and honouring the sites of killings.

Historical background
In November 2017, an archaelogical dig took place at the Sant Ferran cemetery in a bid to locate the remains of five islanders murdered during the course of Spain's civil war. The action was approved on April 26, 2017 by a special commission on war victims and mass graves and was carried out by the Fòrum per la Memòria Històrica d'Eivissa I Formentera, an offshoot of the commission which received funding for the initiative.

The work of the archaelogical team, and specifically, their location of projectiles and shrapnel in the outer wall of the cemetery where the shooting occurred, made it possible for the team to establish exactly where the murder of the five Formentera natives took place. Fragments of a human skull perforated by shrapnel led the archaelogists to the conclusion that the individual they belonged to had met a violent end. The bone fragments are currently in a laboratory undergoing tests to determine the identity of the victim.

Formentera began local celebrations today of the Balearic Islands' official holiday with a fundraising event for Spain's association to stop cancer (AECC). At 11.00am this morning, runners set off on the fourth Cursa Solidària per a la Dona, a walk-run where 287 participants had the choice between a 5K or 10K circuit, both of which started and finished in Sant Francesc's central plaza.

At roughly 1.00pm, the plaça de la Constitució was also the scene of the Formentera Council's official celebration of the holiday known as “Day of the Balearic Islands” or simply, “la Diada”. Susana Labrador, vice-president of the local administration, addressed onlookers. This year's March 1 address centred on the things that make the four islands of Illes Balears different. According to Labrador, the differences that make the region stronger: “When every island has the ability to decide on which model it follows, which projects get priority in defending the interests of residents...when we can do that with the help of all islanders and the Govern, the region is stronger”.

After Labrador spoke, two traditional dance troupes —es Pastorells and es Xacoters— gave a demonstration of a valuable and intangible kind of heritage that survives today thanks to their effort and dedication.

Near 2.00pm, revellers headed toward the festival tent at sa Senieta car park for a paella to raise money for the AECC.

Festivities will continue at 8.30pm in la Mola's Casa del Poble. The evening's “Concert of the Balearic Islands” will include performances by Calipoe Trio and Bep Marquès.