cafebabel.com

Documentary 'Listening to Garzon': Spain’s most famous judge judged

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:00:46 -0000

‘Escuchando al Juez Garzón’ is an 87-minute documentary shot as a single interview with the high-profile human rights judge in Madrid in late 2010. Over a year later, he is going on trial for triple prosecutions on his abuses of power at his country's supreme court. International human rights activists argue that this 'Judge Dredd' case is one of Spanish science fiction

Barcelona extends football school to Warsaw

('Annie Rutherford',) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:45:00 -0000

A year away from the 2012 European football championships in Poland and Ukraine, Warsaw’s city sports director has convinced the football club Barcelona to open the club’s first European football school outside Spain. Young Polish talent will train at the ‘FCB Escola Varsovia’ from the end of October. Barcelona is giving the Poles the ‘know how’ but not the money

'Real democracy NOW!': #spanishrevolution becomes #europeanrevolution

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Mon, 23 May 2011 14:15:00 -0000

Spain’s so-called 15-M has become 29-M, referring to the dates of the sit-in protests of a Spain in May which saw local elections swinging to the favour of the opposition conservatives. The rage is sweeping Italy, Belgium and France

Post revolution new media: journalists face uncertain future

('Louis',) — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 18:09:06 -0000

The recent Arabic revolutions have highlighted significant changes in the way stories are covered, but what are the implications of these changes, where are we heading and should we be scared?

Beyond Gaudi: exposing the gateway to Barcelona

('Helen Dray',) — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 14:00:00 -0000

It was the birthplace of the most vibrantly colourful movement in architecture, it is home to the spires of the unfinished Sagrada Familia and Parc Güell. This is the public face of the Catalan capital, the one which is promoted by the city council and which acts as a magnet for tourists and residents. But which city are they talking about? We travel around the concrete tower blocks and the suburbs, meeting the people of the other Barcelona

Che Sudaka: 'Barcelona was what it was and, sadly, is not anymore'

('victor escandell',) — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 12:29:07 -0000

This is the story of a six-piece Barcelona-based band composed entirely of South Americans. We chart their journey from illegal street buskers to successful European band in Paris

'Shooting galleries' in Europe: political jab or social cure-all?

('ruth gray',) — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 13:45:00 -0000

Supervising the use of hard drugs or not is an issue that's cropping up across Europe, with some countries tackling it with a different intensity than others; the UK has three injecting clinics. While eight progressive governments have already established the centres, others wish to silence such crazy calls for change. All in the name of morality. Obviously...

Catalonia vs bulls: prohibition of Spanishness?

('Tash Frost',) — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 12:49:59 -0000

When the Catalan parliament voted against bullfighting in the community on 28 July, the bullfighting world grouped together to defend their interests. The political opposition has announced that it will promote a law in congress to avoid further rulings of this type. The ‘Plataforma Prou!’, promoter of the popular legislative initiative that gave a place to the vote, announced that they would not give up in their fight to free bulls from martyrdom

'Come to Romania': quest to brand Bucharest

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 18:15:32 -0000

Forging a skate culture, redesigning lei banknotes and offering a story to tourists, aside from the palace of parliament hotspot, the result of dictator Ceaucescu's tearing down a third of the city in communist times. These are just some of the ideas to boost the image and GDP of a crisis-riddled country

Ban bullfighting in Catalonia

('Louis',) — Fri, 21 May 2010 18:30:00 -0000

It’s a briskly warm spring afternoon in Barcelona and blood is shed for the first time this year in the grand Monumental arena to the cheers of willing fans. Brilliantly shimmering sequins sparkle on the skin-tight suit of a proud Torero as he marks the beginning of yet another season of bloodshed

Obituary: Irish academic Fred Halliday dies in Barcelona

('Metsa Rahimi',) — Mon, 03 May 2010 17:09:43 -0000

The Dubliner passed away on 26 April. No student in east-west relations would have escaped the work of this internationally acclaimed scholar in international relations, unabashed European socialist and eternal friend of the Middle East. Tribute from an Iranian Londoner who met the Irish scholar in Spain

Hitchhiking Gathering 2010: the lowdown

('lbricks',) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 14:23:01 -0000

The third celebration of the Hitchhiking Gathering takes place in August, first in Barcelona and next in Lisbon, with hundreds of hitchhikers from the whole continent expected to attend

Carme Riera: why Catalan’s 'days are numbered'

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 08:00:00 -0000

Whilst in Lisbon for BeBalears, the Balearic Islands cultural week, the Barcelona-based writer and Spanish literature professor discusses how she struggled to write in her native tongue and analyses the erasmus effect

Music: (subversive) songs for the European city

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 10:35:08 -0000

Madrid's famous Gran Via boulevard celebrated its 100th anniversary on 7 April, with a local survey seeing 'Gran Via' by crooner Antonio Flores top a list of songs dedicated to the city. From monkeys in Berlin to Red Bull and Swedes in Barcelona via Stalin in Warsaw, a selection of offbeat videos suggested by the cafebabel network

Cinema law: rude case to not dub and subtitle all films in Catalan

('Louis',) — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 10:40:54 -0000

Tradition, money and marginalisation lie behind the rejection of the proposed ‘Ley de Cine’, which stipulates that 50% of all films in the region must be subtitled or dubbed in Catalan. When in early February, over 75% of cinemas across Catalonia shut their doors in protest, the people seemed to agree

European theatre tips of the summer

('Helen Swain',) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 10:56:16 -0000

Sam Mendes subtitled in Greek, Oscar Wilde in the open air in Regent's Park and the British Shakespeare company with Czech director Jiri Menzel in a castle in Prague - the best music, dance and theatre doses in July and August

Music in March: Killed by 9V Batteries and Extraperlo

('Andrew Christie',) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 12:00:00 -0000

Paris-Berlin machine rock, continental breakfast from Barcelona and Austrian pot-washers –spring is blossoming in many ways on the music scene! Café Babel’s music diary for March

Barack Obama inspires art and fashion in Paris and Barcelona

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 18:59:45 -0000

Whether it's his face in gravel viewed from the air, or his face in sequins viewed from the catwalk, Cuban artist Jorge Rodríguez Gerada and French Moroccan designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac are inspired by the democratic presidential candidate. Cross-portraits

Barcelona: Woody Allen's ‘Big Apple’ in Europe

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 11:50:24 -0000

The American director continues to swap Central Park and New York jazz for Gaudi’s buildings and Spanish flamenco. What happened to Manhattan’s most famous lover? We discover a new Woody Allen in his latest flick 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona'

PubliCity - from Barcelona to Dresden

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 12:00:00 -0000

Curt Ficcions: 35mm short film to zero

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 12:00:00 -0000

The Academy of Spanish Cinema undermine short films by excluding the medium from the world of television. Spanish short films are currently airing in francophone territories

Classes in citizenship: controversy in the classroom

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:00:00 -0000

The Spanish government is set to introduce compulsory classes in citizenship. The law has been blighted by controversy and critics even before some schools have incorporated the subject into their curriculum

El jueves 's caricatures: 'Banning a magazine is grotesque'

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 15:16:00 -0000

Interview with Oscar Nebarada, editor of the Spanish newspaper El jueves banned from sale on 18 July for containing a caricature of the Prince and his wife in the throes of passion

All you Europeans, Dance!

('Sophie Paterson',) — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 12:00:00 -0000

Hundreds of Europeans arrive at the second Summercase festival, the first music event to be held at two 'airports' at the same time

Belgrade: Barcelona of the Balkans

('Andrew Burgess',) — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 12:00:00 -0000

With its throngs of bars and canal boat clubs portrayed in an Emir Kusturica film, the Serbian capital is still the alternative tourist destination

Interrail for the future

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 12:23:00 -0000

Spanning north to south, stretching east to west: travelling in Europe as of 2020 will be easier and faster thanks to the upcoming Trans-European Transport Network (TEN)

Nuruddin Farah: 'Even hunchbacks learn to live with their discomfort'

Mon, 28 May 2007 12:00:00 -0000

The Somali writer, 62, is an important figure in African literature. A committed defender of women’s rights, he chronicles Somalia’s trip to chaos and back

Barcelonistan

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 12:00:00 -0000

As 29 people of mainly Moroccan origin go on trial in Madrid for the March 11 bombings of 2004, life for Barcelona's Muslim community ticks on

Olympic city - dizzy Catalonian heights

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 12:00:00 -0000

A long tradition of international events and Olympics throwbacks - like Fòrum 2004 - have regenerated urban Barcelona, but haven’t always helped improve its European image

Beer over Gaudi

Wed, 07 Mar 2007 12:00:00 -0000

In Barcelona, unlicensed street performers, sleeping on park benches and drinking and urinating on its streets is illegal. How has the civic by-law affected society one year on?

DJ Krush - Tokyo-ing Barcelona

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 12:00:00 -0000

One night in Barcelona's famous 'Apolo' club, where the 'international master of turntablism' divides clubgoers with his mellow electronic strains

Barcelona's immigrant mirage

Wed, 07 Mar 2007 12:00:00 -0000

A Spanish-speaking immigrant between immigrants - in Catalan Barcelona

Squats vs. sharks in Barcelona

('RenataB',) — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0000

As riots hit Copenhagen after the demolition of a legal youth culture house, Barcelona considers its 300 squats in the look up to May’s municipal elections

Sandra Camps: Barcelona's journalist as Africa's social worker

Mon, 05 Mar 2007 12:00:00 -0000

Her reports on dwarfism and the mass tide of immigrants to the Canaries are gracing German screens - the Catalan journalist gives a voice to those without

Erasmus turns 20 – time to grow up?

Mon, 22 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0000

Name: Erasmus. Date of birth : 1987. Birthplace: Brussels - the European institutions are rather proud of their baby, which celebrates 20 years in 2007

Quirky customs and tantalising traditions

Mon, 24 Jul 2006 02:00:00 -0000

The breeze is warm, school is over and festivals mushroom all over Europe. But the traditional joys of warm beer, rock get-togethers and muddy camping sites are making way for some more exotic fayres. Discover some of the strange and unheard of festivals that will rock Europe during the coming month. Get ready to pack your bags!

Tahar Ben Jelloun, bridging the gap

Sat, 28 Jan 2006 05:41:00 -0000

Tahar Ben Jelloun, the celebrated Moroccan writer, explains how the children of Europe are spoilt and why his native country should be able join the EU.