The Feria de Abril de Catalunya is this year destined to recover one of its most colorful roles, that of a stage for power, that of a showcase for politicians, that of a parade of candidates of all colors. Whims and coincidences of the electoral calendar. The distinguished 50th edition with a great folkloric celebration will take place this spring on the large asphalt esplanade of the Universal Forum of Cultures from April 21 to May 1, a month before the imminent municipal elections.
Like during the times of the now defenestrated Francisco GarcÃa Prieto, the historical president of the Federation of Andalusian Cultural Entities in Catalonia (Fecac) and very clever commercial agent of food-related products. Jordi Pujol once said that in Catalonia there were three presidents that no one could touch. He was referring to himself, Josep LluÃs Núñez and GarcÃa Prieto himself. GarcÃa Prieto, the last to fall, long before he did, liked to remember these words from time to time. At that time, the parades of politicians between the booths included councilors and ministers, councilors and mayors, presidents and presidents…
No, it wasn’t about taking advantage of the opportunity to receive a mass bath on a crowded date. At least it wasn’t just about that. For decades, GarcÃa Prieto made a large part of the Catalan political class believe that his opinion could influence the vote of Andalusians settled in Catalonia. Believe or at least fear. Perhaps this explains the affectionate treatment that the institutions gave to Fecac for so long. Some years, the parliaments of the corresponding inauguration aroused as much anticipation as the institutional Christmas messages. Once, when the pro-independence people were teasing him the most, GarcÃa Prieto said that “minorities exist to crush them”.
In the end, already about ten years ago, his own dolphin, a few board colleagues and several Andalusian entities removed GarcÃa Prieto, fed up with the alleged tricks. The Fira d’Abril de Catalunya thus got rid of many controversies and also lost a good part of its political prominence… A lot of fairgoers were grateful to be separated from so many controversies, to stop being the subject of controversies. Daniel Salinero, the successor of GarcÃa Prieto, who is already starting to be a veteran, always, from the first moment, tried to place this party on the sidelines of any discussion.
It is always endearing to see the leaders drinking rebujito after rebujito, booth after booth. Yesterday, among the public attending the presentation of the Sarau and the new poster, we already found a couple of mayors, the one from the PSC and the one from Ciutadans, Jaume Collboni and Ana Grau, as well as some socialist deputies and a long list of councilors from the town councils of Badalona and Sant Adrià de Besòs, and also the general coordinator of the Vox parliamentary group, Gabriel Falcón. Everyone will come to fish here.
And at the time of the speeches there were, among others, that of President Salinero himself, of course, and those of Carles Prieto, delegate of the Spanish Government in Catalonia; Joan Francesc Marco, director of the National Institute of Performing Arts and Music (Inaem) – said he was coming on behalf of Minister Iceta -; Joan Ramon Riera, Councilor for Children, Youth and Seniors; Esperanza GarcÃa, delegate of the Junta d’Andalusia in Catalonia, and Adelaida Moya, director of Popular Culture of the Generalitat.
