One of the main topics for the speech was the gaze of the child, which Carme Solé Vendrell defined as the “mirror of the soul”, able to convey all sorts of emotions: “The gaze of a child can express everything, curiosity, joy, tenderness, excitement and also fear, sadness and pain, loneliness and the absence of love”. The speaker called for respect for children’s right to play and take part in cultural and artistic activities, adding: “Let’s educate children in good reading, that will make them free”.

In the same vein, the illustrator, painter and sculptor expressed her concern over the growing number of screens in children’s lives, which she sees as emotional mistreatment. “Seeing them flick through images quickly, with their head tilted towards screens, is gloomy, nothing stimulates their imagination, the child becomes detached from others and in the long term they will have difficulty, among other things, with relationships with others”.

Carme Solé Vendrell also recognised key figures in her personal and artistic trajectory, with some words of gratitude for Albert Jané, creator of the Cavall Fort comic, and praised the city’s cultural wealth: “the Barcelona of the neighbourhoods, of theatres, libraries, museums, the Barcelona of music, dance, poetry, books and culture that embraces everything”, also highlighting the role of culture in children’s learning and in the growth of the city.

The opening speech for La Mercè, which gets the festivities under way, was presided over by the Mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, who afterwards introduced the traditional ‘Toc d’Inici’, the festive entourage with dances by the city’s giants, bighead figures and traditional beast figures.

You can find full information on La Mercè 2024 at barcelona.cat/lamerce.