Barcelona gets ready to celebrate the ninth edition of La Nit de les Religions
The ninth edition of the Night of Religions - Convictions and Beliefs in Dialogue, an initiative organised by the UNESCO Association for Interreligious Dialogue (AUDIR) with the support of Barcelona City Council and the collaboration of the “La Caixa” Foundation, will be held in Barcelona on 14 and 15 September. Since the very first edition in 2016, the event has become a point of reference in the promotion of a culture of peace and dialogue, through a wide range of activities organised by religious communities and organisations. The initiative continues to gain strength as a space for exchange and knowledge between different religious and spiritual traditions and the general public.
The main aim behind Nit de les Religions [Night of Religions] is to create and promote a space for meeting up, mutual knowledge and dialogue between city residents and religious and ethical communities and associations. The initiative enables non-religious and religious convictions and beliefs from several religious traditions to offer activities that encourage dialogue and a culture of peace. In this edition, 47 activities will be offered by 50 communities and organisations including talks, workshops, concerts, performances and guided tours of a number of organisations and places of worship in Barcelona.
As in previous editions, this will be a day for discovering the plurality of faiths, spiritual traditions and religious denominations practised by city’s residents and for interacting with them. Night of Religions uses inter-religious, interfaith, and intercultural dialogue (Spanish) to highlight how religious plurality is enriching and becoming part of Barcelona’s identity.
The initiative aims to increase awareness of the cultural, religious and convictional diversity present in the city of Barcelona, as well as to combat prejudice and hate speech. It also aims to highlight the transformative power of diverse religious traditions and convictions, particularly in terms of promoting a culture of peace. As the XCEDI, a network of interreligious dialogue organisations in Catalonia recently pointed out in a manifesto referring to the Declaration on the Role of Religion in the Promotion of a Culture of Peace in Barcelona in 1994: “We need to promote dialogue and harmony both between and within religions, recognising and respecting the pursuit of truth and wisdom that occurs outside our own religion. We must be ready to engage in dialogue with all, and to establish a sincere and amicable collaboration with all those who share the journey of life with us”. It is equally important to highlight the way the organisation has fostered interaction between the various participating bodies, arranging interreligious and interconvictional activities such as the Gràcia and Raval districts Inter-religious Dialogue Groups’ guided tours, the Anthropologies Association’s “Religion and Religiosity: the Sceptical Society” tour, and the meditative recital Harmonies universals. Una trobada musical per la pau, organised by the Migra Studium Foundation and Arco Forum.
Arnau Oliveres, co-director of AUDIR, highlights “the richness of the intercultural and interreligious initiatives promoted by civil society, which constitute a retaining wall in the face of discriminatory discourse and actions that jeopardise the guarantee of individual and academic rights”.
Sara Belbeida, Barcelona City Council’s Commissioner for Citizen Relations and Cultural and Religious Diversity, points out that the Night of Religions is a time to show that Barcelona is a city that not only respects, but also protects and celebrates, its immense cultural and religious diversity through concrete actions”. “This initiative represents much more than simply an annual event; it’s an expression of the will to build a city in which all beliefs and traditions have the space to be shared and understood, where dialogue and coexistence become the cornerstones of civic life”, she says. For the commissioner, this event “allows us to reaffirm the municipal commitment to work tirelessly for a Barcelona in which everyone, regardless of their faith or background, feels recognised and valued as part of this great city that we love so much”, she adds.
The opening ceremony for the 2024 Night of Religions will be taking place at 6.30 pm on 12 September in the auditorium at the Vagó Building, Recinte de l’Escola Industrial (C/ Comte d’Urgell, 187). Prior booking is required. Please click here. Speakers will include Sara Belbeida, Commissioner for Citizen Relations and Cultural and Religious Diversity at Barcelona City Council, a representative from the Generalitat de Catalunya’s Directorate-General for Religious Affairs, Francesc Ventura, Assistant Director of the Social Inclusion Department at the “La Caixa” Foundation, and Montse Castellà, Chair of AUDIR. This will be followed by the round table entitled “Time, festivities and beliefs”, moderated by Maria Garganté. Focusing on festivals and the concept of time, the discussion will be between four people from different religious or convictional traditions, looking at how the different perspectives can condition or shape everyday life.
The programme of activities is available here in different formats (it will be regularly updated). Prior booking is required for some events, as indicated in the programme. Capacity is limited for all activities.
The Night of Religions is promoted and organised by AUDIR under the leadership of its youth group, with the support of Barcelona City Council and the collaboration of the “la Caixa” Foundation.