Barcelona is at the centre of a fresh row over the Catalan Department of Culture, after a VilaWeb article accused it of poor management, weak support for Catalan and a string of controversies that have affected the sector.
The piece says the criticism has built up over time, from public tenders and cultural appointments to the handling of major institutions. It also recalls a phone call in spring 2024 from Salvador Illa, then a candidate for the presidency of the Government of Catalonia, during which, the author says, Illa spoke to them in Spanish and assumed people in Cornellà de Llobregat would not speak Catalan.
According to the article, ERC backed Illa's investiture, but later said he had not met the agreements linked to that support. The piece also criticises Culture Minister Sònia Hernández, saying her appointment did not lead to stronger cultural policy and that concerns about her department had already been raised in August 2023.
Language policy is one of the main complaints. The author argues that, despite institutional efforts, Catalan continues to decline in everyday use. The article also points to alleged irregularities in public tender projects, limited support for grassroots cultural work, and prize and subsidy decisions that, in the author's view, do not reflect the wider Catalan cultural scene.
Major institutions are also named, including the Joan Miró Foundation and the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art (MACBA). The article claims there have been manipulations in director selection processes, and says many people in the sector are reluctant to speak publicly about what they know.
One of the clearest Barcelona examples is the closure of La Caníbal bookshop in Carrer de Nàpols, in Gràcia. The cooperative had been open for 12 years, and the article says its closure shows a lack of support for independent, community-led cultural projects. For more Barcelona coverage, see our Community and Sport pages.
Originally published by VilaWeb Feed. Read the original article.
