The Government delegate in the Valencian Community, Pilar Bernabé, has chaired the round table ‘El valencià en llibertat’ in the Claustro del Palacio del Temple, headquarters of the Government Delegation in the Valencian Community. There, Bernabé stressed that this is “a project born from the desire to remember, recognize and project those who in times of dictatorship played a lot to sing in Valencià”.
The delegate wanted to recall the “total and absolute” commitment of the Government of Spain to the official languages and “the cultural and linguistic diversity of our country”, assuring that “the Government of Spain and this Delegation of the Government and the Palau del Temple will always be trench in the face of attacks on our language”.
Moderated by the journalist Rafa Cervera, the meeting was attended by Vicent Torrent, founding member of the group Al Tall; the singer-songwriter of Gandía, Eva Dénia and the young artist of Oliva, María Bertomeu i Soria, better known as La Maria.
The round table addressed the value of singing in Valencian at a difficult time, marked by the prohibition of live performances, the strong limitations on cultural freedom and the pressure of radical sectors opposed to its dissemination. The participants have also reflected on the current challenges of the Valencian as an artistic expression, in a context where episodes of censorship and restrictions persist at different scales and that affect both public media and cultural initiatives sustained with institutional resources.
The event ended with a short acoustic concert by the singer/songwriter of Alzira, Joan Amèric.