Culture as Resistance: The FESC’25 Stands with Palestine

In a time marked by war, ecological crisis, and global inequalities, the Solidarity Economy Festival of Catalonia (FESC’25) reclaims culture as a space of resistance and hope. This year, the festival centers solidarity with Palestine in its program, turning Barcelona’s Estació del Nord into a gathering place for reflection, denunciation, and collective action.

We speak with the festival’s coordinator about the role of the FESC as a driver of social change and how the solidarity economy can contribute to a fairer, violence-free world.

1. How has FESC evolved over the years, and what role does it play today within the solidarity economy movement, both in Catalonia and internationally?

The FESC has undergone a profound evolution over the years, moving from a sectoral fair focused on exchanges between solidarity economy organizations to becoming a project with two complementary pillars: the Forum and the Festival. This restructuring, born from a process of rethinking the FESC, has strengthened its dual purpose: on one hand, serving as a meeting, debate, and intercooperation space for solidarity economy initiatives; and on the other, opening up to the public to show—through lived, festive experience—that a real alternative to capitalism already exists and is thriving.

Today, the FESC Festival stands as a Catalan benchmark for critical culture and collective transformation, able to reach new audiences and inspire everyday changes toward fairer, more sustainable ways of living. At the same time, the FESC as a whole connects Catalonia’s solidarity economy with the international movement, aligning with global debates on economic justice, sovereignty, and human rights. In this sense, it remains an open window to the world and a key meeting point for strengthening the political, social, and cultural dimensions of the solidarity economy.

2. The festival is a meeting place for cooperatives, collectives, and social movements. Why is this confluence so necessary right now?

Although the FESC Festival is designed primarily to open the solidarity economy to the public, it is deeply collective because its entire program is created by cooperatives, collectives, and social movements. This confluence is essential because it embodies how we understand transformation—not through competition, but through interdependence and shared work.

In a time of multiple crises—ecological, social, economic, and political—we need spaces like this to make visible the alternatives that already exist and to strengthen the bonds among those driving them. The FESC Festival is both a showcase and a living practice of another way of organizing: an economy built on cooperation, solidarity, and collective joy.

3. How can culture—music, art, and community spaces—help us imagine fairer economic and social alternatives?

Culture is a fundamental tool for imagining and desiring other possible worlds. Through music and art, we can connect emotionally and collectively envision fairer, more sustainable ways of life. Culture has the power to break the inertia of single-minded thinking, to open questions, and to generate shared meaning—all of which are essential to transform the economy and society.

That’s why the FESC Festival embraces culture as a universal language to communicate the principles of the solidarity economy and make them tangible. Performances, artistic installations, and participatory activities are not mere entertainment—they are experiences that allow people to embody the values of cooperation, sustainability, and solidarity.

4. This year, FESC’25 highlights solidarity with Palestine. Why was it important for the festival to take a clear stance on the ongoing genocide?

The FESC Festival cannot be neutral in the face of what is happening in Palestine. The solidarity economy defends life, justice, and human rights—and that means taking a stand against genocide and the decades-long illegal occupation suffered by the Palestinian people. At a time when many governments and institutions look away, it was vital for the festival to make visible the movement’s commitment to denunciation and internationalist solidarity.

Moreover, what is happening in Palestine is not an isolated conflict but an extreme expression of an economic model based on exploitation, militarism, and profit at the expense of life. Defending an economy for life also means questioning the structures that enable such violence and supporting initiatives for boycott, divestment, and sanctions. Through its activities dedicated to Palestine, the festival seeks to be a space of memory, denunciation, and collective hope.

5. How can a cultural and economic event like FESC become a space of political resistance and international solidarity?

The FESC is much more than an economic or cultural event—it is a political space in the broadest sense, where experiences that challenge capitalism and sustain life are shared. Political resistance takes shape here through the concrete practices of cooperatives, networks, and collectives that, every day, build alternatives to dominant systems of production, consumption, and social organization.

At the same time, the festival is a space of international solidarity, understanding that struggles for social, climate, and feminist justice are interconnected. Connections with movements from other territories—such as the Palestinian cause, anti-racist struggles, or grassroots feminisms—remind us that the solidarity economy cannot merely improve what exists; it must help transform everything.

6. Some argue that festivals should remain “neutral” and avoid political issues. How do you respond to that view?

This idea of “neutrality” is, in fact, a way of siding with the maintenance of the current order. In a context of growing inequalities, climate emergency, and massive human rights violations, refusing to take a stance is also a political choice—one that benefits capital and power.

The FESC Festival was created precisely to challenge this false neutrality: to demonstrate that the economy, culture, and everyday life are deeply political. If we want economies that serve people rather than profit, we must be able to talk about power, rights, and justice. Doing so through an open, popular, and festive event is a way to expand collective awareness and celebrate that alternatives do exist.

7. Looking to the future, how can the alliances and lessons from this festival help build a fairer and more peaceful world—starting in Catalonia but resonating globally?

The future is built from the relationships we weave today. The FESC Festival is, above all, a space for meeting and mutual learning: a place where cooperatives, social movements, and citizens recognize themselves as part of the same struggle to sustain life. From these alliances emerge projects, solidarities, and ideas that go far beyond the festival weekend.

In Catalonia, we have a vibrant solidarity economy network, capable of creating local impact while connecting with international processes of transformation. The lessons born from this festival—cooperation, interdependence, solidarity, and the defense of life—are the keys to moving toward a fairer and more peaceful world. And this will only be possible if we do it collectively, from the ground up, and with a global vision.