The Minister for Foreign Action and European Union, Meritxell Serret i Aleu, the secretary general of DIPLOCAT, Laura Foraster i Lloret, and the director of the Institut Ramon Llull, Pere Almeda, presented the activities being organised by the Government of Catalonia and the Catalan communities abroad to celebrate Sant Jordi around the world, at a press conference at the offices of the Institut Ramon Llull (IRL) in Barcelona.

“Foreign action is a priority for the Government of Catalonia, and Sant Jordi is a major festival that enables us to position the Catalan language and culture all over the world,” said Serret at the beginning of the press conference. A total of 325 Sant Jordi events are scheduled to take place in 192 cities in 29 different countries around the world. The Catalan Government delegations abroad will bring Sant Jordi to 90 cities in 21 different countries at these events. “We have a clear commitment to an ongoing engagement in cultural diplomacy, and the celebrations marking Sant Jordi are a great calling card,” said the Minister.

The Government delegations in Japan and South Korea will be involved in organising events in the Asian countries for the first time, and the Catalan communities in these countries will be making a contribution. “We are reinforcing Sant Jordi in Asia, which is a strategic area for the Government and for Catalan society as a whole.” Last year, President Aragonès and Minister Serret opened the Delegation to South Korea, and this year, the Government plans to open the offices of the Delegation to Japan. The Catalan Government’s institutional representation around the world currently amounts to 21 delegations covering 72 countries globally.

In her speech, the secretary general of DIPLOCAT Laura Foraster said that Sant Jordi “is one of the greatest assets we have as a country”, and that it is an “inclusive celebration with deep roots that lets us raise our profile”. Foraster pointed out that there has been an increase in the number of events organised by the Government delegations abroad this year, which are listed on the Books and Roses portal, and she presented a campaign to promote Catalan books translated into English.

Afterwards, the director of the Institut Ramon Llull Pere Almeda said that his institution was particularly involved in the celebrations marking Sant Jordi in Berlin, with the organising of events at the KulturBrauerei cultural centre. This is the first time that the IRL has organised an initiative of this type with local institutions in another country: “It will be a celebration with music and debate which will allow us to interact with other cultures,” explained Almeda. The event, which is being organised with the Delegation of the Government to Germany, will feature stalls run by institutions, activities for children, performances by castellers (human tower groups) and gastronomy areas.

Details of all the events organised by the Government’s delegations abroad to mark Sant Jordi can be found the website santjordi.gencat.cat. The Books and Roses portal presents all the Sant Jordi activities around the world other than those organised by the delegations. You can also follow the event on social media using the hashtags #SantJordiAlMón and #BooksAndRoses.