Jun 27 - Poetry, Art, Music And All Things Good
By Stefano Blanca Sciacaluga
I’m sure I’ve mentioned it before, or at least I must have, but it seems to me that there’s a hunger not only for culture but for alternative events to what we are used to in Gibraltar.
A few weeks ago it was a year since we closed Kitchen, and even if we - or at least I - knew we would have a good response, given that we had heard people talk about the local cultural scene in the same way we were talking about it, I can’t deny we were a little surprised; I mean, people are still mentioning it now, a whole year later, which is definitely a good thing and a good tell-tale sign of what the people want.
And I see it again and again, at every exhibition opening and every cultural event; a few months ago we (Creative Gibraltar) adjudicated an exhibition of young artists, and again I had people come up to me and say how good it was to see people, artists of all ages coming together to create great things. It’s something I feel is picking up momentum, this feeling of “we need to do something”.
Three Fridays ago I went to what I think (or at least in my few years in our cultural scene) was a first. There are things that we hear about, or that we see advertised or on the internet, happening in cities all over the world: open mic nights, jam sessions where people are not only encouraged to attend but it’s just something musicians do; and finally the people spoke and got what they wanted and we got our first poetry night in Gibraltar. Put together by Rebecca Faller and featuring herself and local poet and singer-songwriter Gabriel Moreno. Taking place is the very apt middle area of Sacarello’s Coffee Shop - between the pit, the patio and the rest of the café - the night was not only a great three or so hours of music and poetry from two of Gibraltar’s finest poets but a great reminder that this is what Gibraltar needs on the regular. It was expected that I would find a lot of people I know there, from writers, to musicians, artists and filmmakers, but at a certain point in the night, during the intermission, I looked around and noticed what quite possibly was the most interesting of things about the night: the age range of the attendees, from school students in their mid-teens to people my age and a little older, and even people my parents’ age and older. Not to say that these events should be age-specific or that poetry should only be enjoyed by one age group and not the other, I’m just saying how incredible it was to be able to enjoy a great night with friends of all ages with all sorts of artistic backgrounds, all coming together for something great.
Like with every other event - in something that I find is necessary to not only assess what’s just happened and take it all in but to share ideas - I stuck around in the end and spoke to a couple of people and it all came down to the same arguments, the same comments as after every other event: people want more. At the end of the day these events are not only conductive to greater things but are also inspirational to everybody, which is definitely always a good idea.
So why don’t we keep the momentum going? Why don’t we organise more events, let’s put ourselves out there and learn to collaborate (which is ultimately our biggest downfall in Gibraltar); whether it’s music, poetry, art, anything, let’s get together and do something different for this town. I know you're all out there, or in there, in your bedrooms and living rooms, practicing your art in solitude, maybe sharing it on social media. But people need to see it out in the public, people need to see what others are doing so they can find the energy and push to share their own. Imagine how good it could be? So let's make this a reality. I am always up for new ideas so below is my email address and feel free to suggest anything you think is worth doing, saying, showing, organising.
Let's get a conversation going.
Stefano Blanca is a writer, artist, photographer and musician living and working in Gibraltar
Email me at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
{fcomment}
