"We felt it was essential for us to give an overview of Catalan culture", went on Xavier Folch, "so that people would realize that it is one of the oldest in Europe, but at the same time very modern, in tune with recent trends". But the Institut Ramon Llull also realized how important it was to make sure that all the effort that gone into organizing Catalan Culture in Mexico would not have merely fleeting results, but something permanent and lasting. In this regard, the director of the Llull stressed three issues: the fact that as of next year the Juan Rulfo prize will accept works in Catalan; that the Guadalajara city council and Guadalajara university had arranged that every 23 April a book week would be held in the Rambla de Catalunya, as one of the city's streets has recently been named, as well as various agreements with Guadalajara university to create a readership and a centre for Catalan studies. Furthermore, rectors and vicerectors who took part in the academic program have made and consolidated contacts with Guadalajara university that will come to fruition in the coming months.

Bilingual dictionaries (Catalan-Castilian), books on Gaudí and Dalí, writers such as Goytisolo and Josep Pla: these were the best-sellers in the bookshop in the Llull pavilion, which had very high average sales. Attendance at the shows has been variable, while so far the biggest draw has been SonarClub, which attracted some 7,000 spectators, although there are two performances still to come, tonight's concert with Ojos de Brujo, which is being eagerly looked forward to, and tomorrow's event with Comediants at the grand closing party.

The theatrical readings and the staging of Barcelona Mapa d'Ombres, types of event which had not previously been offered by Guests of Honor, had without exception been very well received " most evidently so in the case of the readings, when demand for seats always exceeded supply. Most significant of all, however, is the undertaking that exists for the commercial production in Guadalajara of one of the works that figured in the readings: 4 balls, by Albert Espinosa, as well as a fairly firm offer for La sang, by Sergi Belbel. Moreover, a plan to repeat the entire cycle of Catalan drama in the Spanish embassy in D.F. is being considered.

Festive gathering of the year

Tomorrow on "La Explanada" in Guadalajara, Comediants will be bringing the participation of Catalan Culture in the IBF to an end with a two-and-a-half hour show that surveys the Catalan festive calendar, revealing its Mediterranean spirit through the paratheatrical events in popular festivities and dance. The connecting thread is the music of a cobla (Catalan wind band) and the action is phrased in Comediants' own language, which uses giant props, puppets, inflatable dummies, fire, bangs, traditional giant and comic figures, masks, devils, dragons and other items hand-made for folk festivals. Fourteen Mexican actors are taking part in the show. The director of Comediants, Joan Font, spoke of the complexity of casting: "It was a hard process but it was worth while because the result goes beyond a mere show; we have succeeded in creating a powerful relationship with this country's reality". The director joked about the venues for the rehearsals: "We've rehearsed in the university sports hall, the coliseum, and more than one teacher must have cursed us because many students skipped class to see our rehearsals". Font thanked the Institut Ramon Llull for having chosen Comediants for the closing event. "A closing ceremony is always a magic moment; it will not be a "Farewell", but rather a "See you later", he said.

Since their beginnings, Comediants have been related with the essentially human festive spirit, proposing a "theater of the senses": a theater of colors, aromas and textures, that is also provocative. In their 33 years of existence, they have taken part in many Catalan celebrations, such as the opening festivities for the Barcelona'92 Olympic Games, and have toured through half the world with their shows. The latest of these, Neruda, Adelante. 100 años en viaje, is a cavalcade that has just been premiered in Santiago de Chile.