Català // Castellano
The fight for historical memory for a new generation continues…
The 2025 edition of the Solidarity Park Festival was a powerful and joyful celebration of collective memory, art, and education. With more than 30 different acts and activities, the festival brought together a diverse community of contributors—from schools and associations to artists and historians—uniting under the shared principles that define Solidarity Park. As a collective family, we continue to draw strength from the legacy of the International Brigades, using this annual gathering to build international and local solidarity. The memory of those who travelled aboard the Ciudad de Barcelona, sunk by a fascist submarine in 1937, is not just preserved—it becomes a symbol for our continued struggle today against far-right ideologies and fascist narratives.
This year marked our fourth in-person festival, and we are thrilled with its success. As always, the energy and passion of everyone involved have inspired us to begin looking ahead to 2026 and the very significant 90th anniversary in 2027. But first, we take time to reflect. To those who attended, we invite you to share your thoughts in our feedback survey (link here), and to join upcoming assemblies to help shape our collective path forward. You can stay updated by joining our email list .
Education
Education was at the heart of this year’s festival, highlighting the growing importance of equipping the next generation with the tools to understand and engage with historical memory. We opened with a student exhibition that showcased work from 2019, 2022, 2023, and, most recently, a beautiful international contribution from Hull School of Art. Brilliant window artwork was also presented by students from Vedruna School—Paula Rios, Martina Sanchez, Laia Samper, Sofia Palau, Anaïs Martinez, and Martina Peréz—and a standout installation titled the “Red Thread” world map montage. This interactive piece was created by Judy Salahaldeen, Claudia Fernández, Arià Melguizo, Adonnis Honago, and Carlota Escobar from Escoles Fonlladosa. It featured 50 messages of solidarity from activists around the globe, to which students and festival goers then added their own, visually connecting our shared histories and aspirations.
The opening session of the festival involved over 100 students—just a part of the 600 who participated this year. Their day began with a talk by Wendy Lewis, niece of International Brigader Sidney Sholstek, followed by educational activities across Malgrat de Mar. They engaged with local history, surveyed residents, and later came together for a shared conference to present their insights. A video created by students Emma Moreno, Noa Moreno, and Lucia Carvajal from INS Ramon Turró captured the spirit of this work. (link to Video)
This growing educational initiative was actively strengthened by a roundtable, where teachers and experts came together to share experiences and discuss the challenges of addressing historical memory in the classroom. We were honoured to host contributions from Maria Ojuel and Eva Gómez (Grup DEMD of the Regional Ministry of Education), Sònia Garangou (Solidarity Park Education Project), Alvar Bernaus (Institut Lluís Companys, Tordera), and Ioseba Landa (Institut Quatre Cantons, Barcelona). A video recording of this roundtable with full English translation will soon be released on YouTube. Following the roundtable, Lourdes Prades, head of the CRAI Biblioteca Pavelló de la República, presented updates on the SIDBRINT search engine—a vital tool for researching International Brigaders and preserving historical memory for future generations.
A particularly emotional moment took place at the monument on Saturday evening, during the inauguration of new portholes designed by students from Escoles Fonlladosa and the Institut Lluis Companys—Elena Fernández, Ivet Martinez, Elizabet Soppi and Yael Quesada. Elisabet Soppi delivered a heartfelt speech explaining the symbolism of the designs and powerfully reaffirmed the unifying message of solidarity inspired by the International Brigades.
History
History was explored with equal depth and passion. While the education project emphasised developing critical research skills, it also reminded us that understanding history is not just for the young. This year’s historical tour and Civil War re-enactment in Malgrat, led by historian Sònia Garangou and Diego Muñoz of the XV Brigada Mixta, and coordinated by Aron Tripiana, was hugely successful and oversubscribed. The tour explored the town’s Civil War experience and coastal defences, with dramatic support from the recreation group XV Brigada Mixta, UDEP (Última Defensa El Pont), La Selva 1936 and the props team of the Festa dels Empestats. The recreation culminated in emotional readings by Obdúlia Quatrecases and Jaume Marqués.
In addition, three historical events enriched the programme. Malgrat library La Cooperativa curated a special session featuring readings from its collection on the International Brigades and premiered a video produced for the libraries along the Maresme coast. Another remarkable event was hosted by our longtime collaborators, Amical de les Brigades Internacionals de Catalunya, in which historian Alfonso López Borgoñoz conversed with author Mª Cinta Sadurni about her book Infermeres en Guerra, on international nurses at the Vic International Brigades Hospital during 1938–39. This offered new insights into the often-overlooked role of women during the Civil War.
New to this year’s festival was La Barretina Association, who organised a compelling screening of the documentary Cisquet and His Brother: Maquis, a Fight Against All Hope. The screening was presented by Raül Valls, president of Amical Antics Guerrillers de Catalunya.
Our heartfelt thanks go to everyone who contributed to the Solidarity Park market, which provided the public with historical information and materials. We deeply appreciate the presence and support of Grup de Recerca de la Memòria Històrica de Mataró, Amical de les Brigades Internacionals de Catalunya, Porta de la Història, La Caracola Intercultural, our Solidarity Park merchandising team, and this year’s special international guests—the North East Volunteers for Liberty from the UK.
Art
Art, as ever, remained the soul of Solidarity Park. Alongside the wealth of student art, the festival showcased outstanding musical performances by El Sobrino del Diablo, Nuria and Sergi, Jordi Montañez, and the intergenerational music collective —featuring Dani Caracola, Tànit Navarro, Kike Ubieto, Maria João Moreno, and Berni Armstrong, who also debuted a new Solidarity Park song titled Waters of Oblivion.
Poetry was powerfully present this year. Moving readings of Civil War and International Brigade poems took place at the Solidarity with Solidarity Mural, recited by Júlia Silveira, Elisenda Ballart, Neus Serra, Montse Pellicer, and Josep Vallhonesta. English poet Bob Beagrie also gave a stirring performance at the market.
We had the great honour of inaugurating a new mosaic artwork by UK artist Susan Wright. Her beautiful porthole-inspired piece may mark the beginning of a new chapter in community art at Solidarity Park, and we thank her for her dedication.
One of the most touching artistic moments was the performance by our longtime friends, the choir Le Cri, from Toulouse. Their songs, sung at the monument, served as a powerful tribute to both the newly installed student art and the memory of those lost aboard the Ciudad de Barcelona. The weekend concluded with a performance by the Solidarity Park choir, formed during a workshop on the day and led by Bruno Coffineau, the conductor of Le Cri.
Solidarity Park thrives on connection. None of this would be possible without our translators and interpreters—Carlos Hernández, Aurora Perez, and Chris Ridge—who ensured that our message of unity was truly international. This spirit of togetherness was further strengthened during the communal dinner, where 75 members of the Solidarity Park family enjoyed a delicious paella cooked by Mohamed and Viñolas Càtering.
We were pleased to be joined by dignitaries Xavier Menendez (Director General of Memòria Democràtica), Lurdes Borrell Arigós (Councillor for Culture, Malgrat de Mar), and Sonia Viñolas Mollfulleda (Mayor of Malgrat de Mar). Their words of support for the festival and for the legacy of the International Brigades were warmly received and deeply appreciated.
A special thank you goes to the tireless workers of Malgrat de Mar, to Albert Diez and Adela at the Archives, and to Ruth Ninou and her team at the Council who helped ensure the smooth running of the festival infrastructure—setting up everything from stages and sound systems to chairs and tables.
This year’s deepest gratitude is reserved for the team at El Rovell, who are sadly closing their doors after this festival. You gave us a home, supported the community, and your presence will be sorely missed. We also thank our donors, near and far, especially the Freeman family, whose support has been invaluable. Solidarity Park runs on the dedication of volunteers and the generosity of the public, and we are grateful for every single contribution.
The core festival team—Alvar, Dani, Quim, Mar, Sonia, Paco, Chris, and Berni—will now take a well-earned break to reflect and review your feedback. 2025 was a major success, but our work is far from done. While the history of the International Brigadiers of the Ciudad de Barcelona remains unknown to many, and while fascist ideologies continue to resurface around the world, we will not rest. We now look ahead to the next festival in 2026, and to the landmark 90th anniversary of the sinking in 2027.
If you would like to be part of this international family of solidarity, please email us. We are always ready to grow. Info@solidaritypark.com
Rob MacDonald – President, Association Solidarity Park
Links
Library video
Student video https://youtube.com/watch?v=pOYw7bKZ6Vo&feature=shared
Feedback https://forms.gle/KamvkHuJ8qPLzkjeA
Join email list http://eepurl.com/huYsHn
Solidarity Park 