News

Return of autumn and winter learning for Formentera adults

Thursday, 12 September 2019 12:49

cursos-cultura-2019-20201 The Consell de Formentera presents the autumn and winter 2019 offering of workshops and courses for adults, an initiative designed to satisfy the wide-ranging educational and leisure demands of islanders.

The catalogue is divided as follows:

Art & Creation

For years, the Consell has endeavoured to put forward a selection of art-centred workshops. Take, for example, Teresa Matilla's twice weekly exploration of creation and painting (Mondays and Wednesdays from 7.30pm to 9.30pm; Col·legi Mestre Lluís Andreu), Aaron Keydar's initiation into wood-working, also bi-weekly (Tuesdays and Fridays from 6.00pm to 8.00pm; Centre Antoni Tur “Gabrielet”), or the pottery classes scheduled at Gabrielet as well (schedule TBD). These classes start in November, conclude in March, and cost between €180 and €220.

Still riding the coattails of last year's success, a crash course in creative painting with water colours will return this year. Led by Fran Lucas, classes start 9 October and finish 6 November (Wednesday mornings; €90).

Photography

Two more breakout hits from last year's lineup were Jose Antonio Arribas' courses on digital and smartphone photography. Scheduled to return this November, the 16-hour digital photography course is part theory-based and part hands on, and will accompany photo fans as they learn to snap shots in the classroom and out. The €90 course is designed for photographers looking to get the most out of their digital single-lens reflex (SLR) camera or to go deep with other areas of photography. The smartphone photo course, meanwhile, is intensive, and includes four hours of instruction spread out over two days (18 and 20 November; €25).

Training

The twice-yearly course on social and cultural integration organised by the Department of Social Welfare will take place in November and March. Signups for the free course can be completed at the social welfare office.

Body and mind

For years, the Consell has also coordinated yoga classes with teacher Susanne Laier. Classes run from November to mid-December and mid-February to late March and will be held in the municipal cinema (Sala de Cultura; schedule TBA; €160).

Language courses

This year islanders once again have the chance to brush up on Catalan, Italian and English. Offered at the A2, B1, B2, C1 and C2 levels, the free Catalan courses are organised by the Consell de Formentera's Language Advisory Service. Enrolment opens 23 September and goes till 11 October. Classes start 14 October, though the end of lessons will depend on scheduling of the official round of exams currently set for January 2020.

English will be offered by Nancy Mc Conachie and Italian by Rodolfo Taccheo. Mc Conachie's afternoon classes in elementary- and advanced-level begin in January. The timetable of the Italian classes remains to be determined, though the course will start in January and will include one basic and one advanced option. Each course costs €180.

Traditional activities workshop

In 2019, the Sant Ferran retirees' club strikes out with its own catalogue of courses and workshops geared towards continuing the legacy of traditional activities. Students learn to sew, repair chairs, make baskets or spin wool. Cooking lessons will also be offered, not to mention a hands-on deep-drive into traditional dress aimed mainly at enthusiasts of traditional dance.

Courses at Sant Ferran's Club de Jubilats get started in November. Islanders keen to participate should enquire directly at the Club de Jubilats.

Early enrolment

The “pre-enrolment” (preinscripció) process gets under way Monday 16 September at the Citizen's Information Office (OAC), or can be done online across the OVAC. Discounts are available for youth and retirees.

Registration opens on 20 October for workshops, including pottery, painting, wood-working, yoga and photography. Lessons start in November. English and Italian classes start in January and registration continues until 15 December.

12 September 2019
Department of Communication
Consell de Formentera

Consell de Formentera helps publish look at life experiences of local seniors

Thursday, 12 September 2019 12:43

llibre-2- The Department of Patrimony and the Consell de Formentera are backing the publication of De qui venim (“Who We Come From”), an exploration of the life experiences of elderly Formentera residents directed and coordinated by Dr Josep Maria Garcia-Borés i Espí. Garcia-Borés is a full professor at the psychology department of University of Barcelona, and the study was awarded the Consell de Formentera research grant in 2012.

De qui venim is the first in a collection titled Formentera en estudi (“Studies of Formentera”). The collection was devised as a showcase for recipients of the Consell's grant as well as, pointed out department head Raquel Guasch, other important projects and research probes. Councillor Guasch added that the studies and publications seek to “dig deeper into our understanding of local history and heritage, and leave behind a written trace that won't fade with time”.

De qui venim is being put out by the Josep Massot i Muntaner-directed Abadia de Montserrat publishing house—a big name in science-related publications concerning humanities in Catalan-speaking territories.

Written by Garcia-Borés i Espí and Hermínia Gil i Canales with help from Rita Cardona Ribas and Raquel Gonzàlez Cardona, De qui venim is a “psychocultural study” of traditional Formentera. The project's engineers enlist oral history as they seek to hear elderly islanders talk about lifestyle, community and identity in Formentera before the arrival of tourism. The study touches on questions like subjects' emotional health, intergenerational rifts and efforts to protect culture, identity and language.

Five hundred copies will be produced in a €4,800 publishing effort that included design, layout and printing.

12 September 2019
Department of Communication
Consell de Formentera

This weekend, Formentera Guitars Festival returns to heat up the Sant Ferran night

Wednesday, 11 September 2019 10:46

festival-guitarres-de-formente1 The Department of Culture of the Consell de Formentera reports that the Formentera Guitars Festival will run from Friday to Sunday, 13-15 September. As has become customary, musical performances will take place from 10.00pm to 4.00am Friday and Saturday night in the church-front square in Sant Ferran. Performers include Cesar Crespo, Kelly & The Jam Factory, Glassford & The Providence, Litus, Chimichurri, Alex Schultz & los Peligrosos Gentelmen, Bobby Alexander and Monsters of Palma.

As ever, each evening will conclude with a jam session with the festival's attending musicians. On Sunday 15 September, a 9.30pm jam session at the restaurant Sa Panxa will mark the end of the festival's eleventh year.

A mixture of blues, jazz and rock, Formentera Guitars Festival has evolved into a crucial part of music lovers' September programme. The idea for the on-stage happening hit Formentera Guitars' director, Ekkehard Hoffmann, in 2008, as a way to celebrate the eponymous association's 20-year anniversary. In the words of culture and festivities councillor Susana Labrador, the Consell-backed event is “a not-to-be-missed signpost on Formentera's calendar of cultural events that will strike a chord with tourists and islanders alike”.

11 September 2019
Department of Communication
Consell de Formentera

Escola de Música puts call out for piano teacher during incoming course

Wednesday, 11 September 2019 13:30

The human resources department of the Consell de Formentera reports that an opening has gone up on the regional job seekers' office for a music teacher specialised in piano. Applications will be accepted until 17 September, and candidates must possess the required superior level accreditation to teach piano.

Formentera extremely cautious ahead of rain and wind prevsions

Tuesday, 10 September 2019 13:48

The Departments of Interior and Island Services of the Consell de Formentera report that emergency safety measures have been activated in the run-up to the expected landfall of a rain- and windstorm that Spain's Directorate General for Emergencies has ranked level one on its severity index.

The Consell fire brigade is now on “pre-alert”, with four officers and reinforcements standing by. Local law enforcement have called in extra shifts in the coming days based on the weather forecast.

Clearing sewage lines
The highway brigade has been overseeing efforts to clear storm-water drains, sewage pipes and roadside ditches. Should they become necessary, water pumps are also on hand.

Aemet said the island could see hourly precipitation of 50 litres per square metre—up to one hundred in the space of 12 hours— and pointed to gusts of 80km/hour and waves up to 3 metres high. Formentera is expected to be on orange alert until Wednesday at midnight.

Outdoor cultural programming for the day, like Cinema a la fresca, is on standby pending developments.

10 September 2019
Department of Communication
Consell de Formentera