The city’s Cultural Centre is hosting this new meeting of the Cafè Barcelona project.
Once again, 16 diverse people, drawn from the margins—geographical, social and symbolic. They reunited with joyful embraces and smiles. Cups once again brimming with coffee and herbal infusions, and once more the four hosts began the dialogue on pressing issues, eagerly jotting down phrases and ideas.
There’s a sense of community in the group: everyone is different, yet at the same time we share a common thread. Something feels like home, and that fills us with satisfaction.
The bell from the café owner’s wife tells us that twenty minutes have already passed and we need to get up and move to another table. This time it’s other neighbourhoods of ours: La Mina (Sant Adrià de Besòs), La Mariola (Lleida), Camp Clar (Tarragona) and Torre Baró (Barcelona).
The topics, this time we’re repeating two of them because of their gravity and how they affect us: the right to housing and labour precarity. But there are also two new topics, although they’re too old for our collective memory: school segregation and political disaffection.
Intense dialogues, active listening, emotion and anger. Everything stems from respect and affection for one another. On this occasion, three little human beings grace us with their presence, and of course we make sure they’re entertained and well-fed with snacks.
We’re running out of coffee when someone asks us for time to pray according to their beliefs. Everyone stops, and a few minutes later the praying people return. An exercise in coexistence and respect.
Finally, once again, the harvest, where the hosts attempted to summarise the whole wealth of dialogue and ideas that had taken place at their respective table.
Everyone leaves eager to return and asking if they can invite such a friend or such another person. May joy change sides. Without joy, no revolution can blossom.
Source: La Fragua Projects
Photos: La Fragua Projects