The sustainability of our planet and the fight against climate change are priority issues that require the collaboration of all citizens. In order for this important message to reach everyone loud and clear, the Center del Carme Cultura Contemporània (CCCC) in Valencia becomes a powerful loudspeaker at the service of collective awareness, with the celebration of the second edition of Cridem pel Clima.
From October 27 to 30, this festival will create a common space to reflect, enjoy and learn much better about the alternatives to deal with environmental problems; and all this through culture, which, without a doubt, is one of the most powerful social awareness mechanisms.
Organized by Tornem, Cultura i Sostenibilitat, promoted by the CCCC and co-produced by the Consorci de Museus de la Comunitat Valenciana, Cridem pel Clima offers a multidisciplinary proposal, made up of free activities that deal with environmental problems through culture, with meetings with experts, concerts, projections and other artistic manifestations.
The objective is, as José Luis Pérez Pont, director of the Consorci de Museus and the CCCC, explains, “to raise awareness of the urgent need to broaden the social base willing to take action in the face of the climate emergency. For this reason, the presence of committed environmental projects is constant in our programming. At this time, in addition to promoting Cridem pel Clima, in the rooms of the CCCC we present an exhibition that addresses the citizen's fight against the expansion of the port of Valencia, due to its environmental consequences; and an art and science project developed by Carlos Castellanos that helps us understand climate change by measuring plant stress.”
The festival opens on Thursday, October 17, with the screening of The Lost, an interesting film that shows a process of redemption through a return to nature. This will be followed by a discussion with its director, Christophe Farnarier, the film critic Daniel Gascó and the environmental educator Sera Huertas.
During the weekend, a total of nine concerts are planned to bring together local and national artists. On Saturday, October 29, we will be able to enjoy the close and melancholic spirit of Laborde, a talented singer and guitarist who is part of the band Lisasinson.
After her, it is the turn of the visceral music of the Valencian Joe Pask; and Caliza, who will present El descending, an album that revolves around survival and the will to prevail in a collapsed world. Later, Marcel and Júlia will perform a series of songs in which climate change and caring for the planet play a special role. As a farewell to the day on Saturday, Bluboi will show his universe of sound, abrasive and electric, which connects with some great references of contemporary electronic music, such as Modeselektor or Arca.
On Sunday, October 30, the Cridem pel Clima stage will receive, first of all, El Triangulista, alter ego of Francesc Burgos, a musician and environmentalist by training who signs a singular proposal that embraces the living arts, retro-futuristic technology and reuse of objects, with a poetic and stimulating look. Tesa, for her part, will present Rap d'arrel, a new show with which she revitalizes traditional Valencian music by combining it with hip hop.
In addition, Anita Palmer will show her multidisciplinary project that revisits Valencian folklore from a critical and open perspective. And, finally, the music of Queralt Lahoz, marked by Latin, root and urban sounds, such as soul, rap and dancehall, which dialogue gracefully and naturally with coplas and boleros, will put the finishing touch to this day.
At the same time, the arts will be intertwined with the rest of the festival's programming. Thus, during the sessions on Saturday and Sunday, the urban artist Julieta XLF, a benchmark in the Valencian art circuit, will paint live a mural dedicated to the climate emergency.
During the event, a calculation of the carbon footprint will be made; and then an emissions compensation project will be closed with Interpreta Natura. The festival will be audited by the international label A Greener Festival.
Cridem pel Clima will also offer a program specially designed for children -we must not forget that more than 44% of the public that regularly visits the CCCC is under 30 years old!-, with theatrical proposals, puppet activities and storytelling. On Saturday, a cooking workshop will be held, with the aim of promoting a more sustainable diet, while on Sunday, the performance of El Triangulista will serve to make children aware of the problem of excess plastics.
The EMT (Empresa Municipal de Transportes de València) will also contribute to the festival, bringing responsible mobility closer to the whole family, with proposals such as a storyteller and the puppet show Aitor, the driver mussol, which, through a funny story, reviews the good practices on board the bus.
The main objective of Cridem pel Clima is to promote the meeting between the various social actors. For this reason, throughout the festival, spaces have been created for dialogue and participation, with debates and talks designed by professionals, which will revolve around the climate emergency, offering different perspectives and useful tools for citizens.
In these sessions, topics such as the future of food will be addressed, hand in hand with groups and initiatives that work against food waste and to promote local consumption. The set of proposals to fight against global warming known as the Green New Deal or the culture of degrowth will also be discussed.
Those attending the festival will be able to enjoy participatory workshops, such as chef Cristina Ruiz's showcooking or an awareness workshop, aimed at the youngest, about the repercussions that climate change can have on people in the short term.
In short, all these activities programmed by the Center del Carme Cultura Contemporània de València will serve to confirm the important role that art and culture can play in transforming society and raising awareness in the fight against environmental challenges.
