Music festivals promote minority languages and stateless cultures

Music is increasingly serving as a platform for the visibility of minority languages and stateless cultures. In Catalonia, the group Oques Grasses recently concluded a 14-year career with four sold-out concerts at Barcelona’s Estadi Olímpic, drawing a total of 220,000 people. Notably, the audience sang in Catalan, a feat comparable to the attendance figures of major international acts like Coldplay.

Additionally, Catalan songs by Sort de tu and La gent que estimo entered the Apple Music Spain Top 100 charts, which are typically dominated by Spanish and English tracks. Similarly, the Valencian group La Gossa Sorda drew approximately 20,000 people to their final concert in Peñíscola, following a career that saw audiences of over 200,000.

In Galdakao, the 12th edition of the ‘Musika Bizian’ festival is scheduled for October 30 and 31. Organized by the Andra Mari Eusko Dantzari Taldea, the event aims to act as a loudspeaker for stateless and marginalized cultures. The lineup includes musical groups from Galicia, Flanders, the Amazigh region, and Zuberoa, highlighting cultural diversity through concerts, traditional markets, and workshops.