English Language Broadcast 2v3q57

For over three decades now, a trio of bald, blue men have held shows that merge music with comedy in an otherworldy experience... And the Blue Man Group has travelled the world, playing in 15 countries and 100 US cities. The group now checks Spain off the list! Patrick Newton is one of the Three Blue Men currently playing in Gran Canaria, in Spain's Canary Islands. And he ed us to tell us about what they have planned!  Escuchar audio

Woodturning, pottery, glassblowing, jewellery making... These are just some examples of the variety of crafts that exist in our country. Crafts represent 0.4% of the total GDP in Spain, according to a report by the School of Industrial Organization. However, in the last few years, the sector has had to face many threats, a consequence of the arrival and development of new technologies and the changing habits of consumption. Crafts are part of the identity and cultural heritage of any country and to raise awareness about their value and showcase the diversity of crafts in Spain, Fundesarte, the crafts promotion department of the School of Industrial Organization, have been organizing the European Artistic Craft Days for more than 10 years. To tell us more about what they have planned for this edition, we visited their headquarters in Madrid and spoke with the head of Fundesarte, Silvia Martín Delgado. After that we also learn about Torres Ferreras, a family worskhop and winner of the National Crafts Awards 2024, with Luis Torres, head of communication and creativity. Escuchar audio

This weekend, the Matadero cultural center will be hosting the first ever edition of the Madrid Comic Fair. Workshops, interviews, film screenings, live radio broadcasts and almost 40 stalls belonging to bookstores and publishing houses will bring comics into the spotlight from the 27th to the 30th of March. Daniela Mercado and Sara Bellido, from the Madrid Bookstore Association, ed us to tell us more about what they have planned. Also in comics news, this month Spain has been abuzz over the new headquarters of San Diego Comic Con! The city of Málaga in the south of Spain will host the biggest comic book convention for its first time outside of the US later this year! We'll talk to Alicia Izquierdo of Málaga's city hall to learn more about it! Escuchar audio

'Gender identity' is a concept that has slowly been growing in popularity over the past decade or so, gradually entering the mainstream. And alongside the categories of male and female, the gender binary has come into question... Now, some people refer to themselves as non-binary, as not belonging to either gender. And the discussion around gender has become such that it's entered the political space, as we saw in the American elections, and in Donald Trump's first address to congress, where he stated that there were only 2 genders: male and female. Today, we're going to take a look at the gender binary and the rejection of it with Barbara Wisman, professor at the University of Illinois. Earlier this month, she visited Spain's Center for Sociological Research, where she discussed Category X project, which dives into this third category, outside of the male and female binary. Escuchar audio

One of Shakespeare's most beloved comedies arrives in Madrid by the hand of Madrid Players. A celebratory play that promises to immerse audiences in magic, fantasy and a bit of mischief. A play fitting for the 60th anniversary of the English-language theater group based in Madrid. "A midsummer night's dream" will run in the central Teatro Soho of Madrid from the 11th to the 13th of April. Director Parisa Salashourian and actor Jake Clifford visited us in Casa de la Radio to tell us all about their version of the play and their love for amateur theater.  Escuchar audio

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is now 3 years old... The third anniversary coincided with Donald Trump's second term as US President, and since his return to the White House, things have been in an uneasy state of shake up. With the US setting up various talks with Russia, EU countries have been scrambling to gain some control over the situation... But what control is there to be had? To talk about the current situation in Ukraine, we are ed by global affairs analyst Michale Bociurkiw from the Atlantic Council. Escuchar audio

Maria Mestayer de Echagüe, also known as the Marchioness of Parabere, became one of the most famous persons in the culinary world in Spain in the first half of the 20th century. Her cook books are considered to be gastronomy "bibles" for many. At a time when women were pushed into the background, she came forward and stood out as a chef, writer and businesswoman. It is no surprise that someone decided to dedicate a book to her inspiring figure. The novel "Parabere" mixes reality and fiction to narrate the story this fantastic woman. It was written by authors Andrea Cabrera and Aldo García. Aldo ed us in this broadcast to tell us more about the book.  Escuchar audio

Five years have ed since the world as we knew it changed. It was changed by the coronavirus, which, as of this year, has taken seven-million lives and transformed countless others. So today, on the fifth anniversary of that first lockdown here in Spain, we're going to dedicate a special broadcast to looking back on the uncertainty of those first days of March in 2020... And checking in on the uncertainties that persist today, five years later.  Spain has a network of investigators into long covid, La Red Española de Investigación en COVID persistente (REiCOP). We talk with the association's Vice President and infectious disease specialist, José Ramón Blanco Ramos, about long covid and what we know about it so far. After that, we hear from epidemiologist Viky Zunzunegi, member of the Comisión Ciudadana por la Verdad en las residencias de Madrid (Citizen's Commision For The Truth) about what other lasting effects the coronavirus has had on society, and if we're prepared to go through it again. Escuchar audio

Respect for the dead is something that has always been a part of human society, but whose dead do we respect? Which dead? And how do we respect them? In Spain, a discussion surrounding the displaying of human remains in museums has been gently snowballing over the past few years. Just last month, Spain's National Archeology Museum withdrew 'the guanche mummy' from display. The mummy is believed to date from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries AD, and belongs to a man between 30 and 34 years. For now, it has been removed from public display and the museum has no plans to return it to the public any time soon... The State Museums released a t report on the day it removed the mummy from display... A letter of commitment to the ethical treatment of human remains. And in today's broadcast, we hope to get into the ethics and new rules surrounding the display of human remains, with the President of the International Council of Museums here in Spain, María Auxiliadora Llamas. Escuchar audio

A week of celebration began this Monday for the Irish community in Madrid. The Semana de Irlanda (week of Ireland) started with a display of Irish music and dance in the Gran Via station. But this was only a teaser of what's to come expected on Saturday: a parade will march through the streets of the capital, celebrating Irish culture and the historical and cultural links that bind Spain to the Irish community. This broadcast ed this celebration by visiting the James Joyce Irish pub. A pub in the heart of Madrid that has been a point of connection between Spain and Ireland for almost 20 years. Owner and founder Matthew Loughney told us about its story.  Escuchar audio

It's been 50 years since the UN declared the 8th of March as International Women's Day. But in Spain, the year 1975 carries a different meaning. It's the year the dictator Francisco Franco died. This means that Spain, the situation for women was different to the situation in the rest of Europe and the rest of the world. Women were a group that suffered their own kind of oppression: their liberties were limited, attatched to men's, and women were even imprisoned for adultery, for having abortions and because of their sexualities. In today's broadcast, in remembrance of these past fifty years, we talk to Justa Montero, who has been on the frontlines of the feminist cause in Spain since 1973, and remains active today. Escuchar audio

The international art fair, ARCO, has returned to the IFEMA complex north of Madrid for its 44th edition. Around 400 collectors and 200 gallerists from 36 different countries are in attendance, as well as institutions. In the 2024 edition, Madrid's Reina Sofía Museum alone acquired a total of 30 works worth 553,000 euros... while the Madrid City Council paid around 40,000 euros for several pieces for the City's Museum of Contemporary Art. Different sections put the spotlight on South America... Today we hear from Jose Esparza Chong Cuy, the curator of Profiles: Latinamerican art, featuring 10 galleries and 10 artists from South America.  Escuchar audio

Spanish cuisine is well known and appreciated all over the world, but this success did not happen overnight. Gastronomy in the Iberian Peninsula has been changing and evolving for centuries, and now an exhibition gives us a look into what it was like in the Middle Ages. The oldest cookbook in Spain is being exhibitted for the first time ever in the exhibition "Medieval Gastronomy. El llibre de Sent Soví and the cuisine in the 14th and 15th centuries". Medieval history professor, Juan Vicente García Marsilla, was in charge of curating the exhibition and ed in this broadcast to tell us about it! Escuchar audio

The third edition of the Madrid Vegan Market will be opening its doors on Sunday, the 2nd of March, and it promises to be bigger and better than the previous editions. This space brings together local businesses, associations and brands that want to promote the vegan lifestyle. This event is organized by the Madrid Vegan Association and to tell us more about it, in this broadcast, we are ed by Diana Esteban, co-founder.  Escuchar audio

When we speak of theatrical plays, you probably picture yourself sitting in the audience, watching the action take place in front of you, but not really being a part of it. Well, a new experience here in Madrid aims to fully immerse you in the play. It all begins with a birthday party and an invitation with your name on it, but after that, things might not go as planned.  "Happy birthday" is an immersive experience in which spectators are part of the action, they can interact with the characters and participate in the development of the play. In this broadcast, we speak with Jason Neal, director of the play, with producer, Mariela Menghini, and actors Jackson Miles and Sarah Kate Loxley.  Escuchar audio

The 21st of February was chosen by the United Nations as the International Mother Language Day, a day held to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity, and to promote multi-lingualism. As a broadcast that sits between two worlds, two languages, English and Spanish, we thought we'd do a special program to celebrate... First, we'll be discussing the decision of US President Donald Trump's cabinet to once again shut down the White House Spanish-language page and social media. We'll talk with Francisco Javier Pueyo, Executive Director of the Observatory of the Spanish Language in the US. And after that, we chat with Elsa O'Brien of the British Council Spain, about a recent controversy surrounding swear words in the Spanish football world. Escuchar audio

On the 4th of February, Spain became the first EU country to ratify the Treaty on Marine Biological Diversity in Areas beyond National Jurisdiction, also known as the High Seas Treaty. This agreement aims to lay the foundations for the establishment of new protected marine areas and establishes a legal framework for all activities in the ocean and seas. With the ultimate objective of safeguarding at least 30% of the ocean by 2030. At the moment, only 1% is protected. To shed some light on what this treaty entails and what this ratification responds to, we spoke with José Luis Garcia, head of the marine program of the WWF Spain. Escuchar audio

By the end of the century, we could be seeing 2.3 million extra deaths attributed to climate change. So says a study made by the London School of Hygeine and Tropical Medicine, with the participation of Spain's National Research Council. And when it came to which cities will be most affected by these additional heat-related deaths, 3 Spanish cities made the top ten: Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia. In today's broadcast, we'll be hearing from Pierre Masselot, Assistant Professor at the London School of Hygeine and Tropical Medicine and co-author of the report. Escuchar audio

The 13th of February is World Radio Day, and in today's broadcast, we'll be celebrating as is our duty as a broadcaster! Once upon a time, we heard that video killed the radio star. Well, not quite, as radio is still the most trusted source of information worldwide. But that doesn't mean it doesn't still have its struggles... Today we'll hear from Javier Sánchez, the RTVE (Spanish Radio and Television) representative at WorldDAB, an international association promiting the adoption of digital radio across the world. But what is digital radio? Escuchar audio

A pioneering report was recently published by FECYT, the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology. "Trust in Science and Science-Related Populism in Spain" explores the perception of the role of science in politics and society and people's attitudes towards vaccines or climate change.  Escuchar audio