Cervera kicks off year as Capital of Catalan Culture

Cervera kicked off its year as the Capital of Catalan Culture at the weekend with the show, 'MEM'.

President Quim Torra and culture minister Laura Borràs attended the show, which drew some 1,700 members of the public.

'MEM', a multidisciplinary reflection on culture that includes different performing arts, is just one of 200 cultural events by more than 260 artists that over the next 12 months will celebrate the town in the western region of Lleida as the flagship of Catalan culture in 2019.

The head organizer of the Capital of Catalan Culture, Xavier Tudela, predicted that Cervera, which is also the capital of Segarra county, will be "a great Capital of Catalan Culture,"  something not only good for the city, but also for the entire "nation."

50 local associations involved

Saturday's show begins a program of almost 200 events that will take place over the next few months in more than 25 different venues. Of the events, which are the result of a participative process involving about 50 local associations, some 60 are entirely new.

Also part of the program of events will be Cervera's traditional annual cultural celebrations, such as its famous Aquelarre (Witches' Sabbath), its medieval Passion play, as well as the city's Easter festivities.

Cervera takes over as the Capital of Catalan Culture from the city of Manresa, in central Catalonia.

The capital of Segarra is the smallest city in the country to be awarded the cultural distinction, which this year focuses on such themes as the public and transformative culture.