The celebration of Talayotic Menorca as a World Heritage Site has
brought together half a thousand people in the Talayotic settlement of Son Catlar (Ciutadella), in a night full of emotion and Menorcan talent.
Led by the president of the Consell Insular de Menorca, Dolfo Vilafranca, the entire government team attended the event. The conseller of Tourism, Jaume Bauzà, was the representative of the Balearic Government. In his speech, Bauzà thanked the Menorcans for "having been able to conserve this impressive heritage, which is the pride of all of you when thousands of visitors come and are amazed". Quoting the Menorcan writer Àngel Ruiz i Pablo, he added: "The majesty of Talayotic Menorca amazed Ruiz i Pablo and still amazes us today. May this UNESCO declaration serve to encourage many more to do so from now on."
For his part, Vilafranca said: "We have returned from Riyadh with the UNESCO distinction because we have a valuable and unique heritage at local and world level, because
we have the will to preserve it for posterity, to investigate it and to make it known to the society."
The opposition was represented by Bárbara Torrent (PSOE) and Josep Mercadal (Més por Menorca), among other political representatives. Also present at the event were the three former consellers of Cultural Affairs, Miquel Àngel Maria, Joan Lluís Torres and Maruja Baíllo, as well as the former president of the Consell Marc Pons. The mayoress of Ciutadella, Juana Mari Pons; the mayor of Maó, Héctor Pons, and Pedro Pons Huguet, mayor of Ferreries, also attended the event.
A night of music
With the artist Àngels Anglada as master of ceremonies, the evening began with a
glosa by Moisès Coll and Miquel Llufriu on guitar, and ended with a performance by the Menorcan baritone
Simón Orfila and the soprano Rosalía Cid, accompanied on piano by Alejandro Calafat. The repertoire performed by Orfila and Cid included operatic pieces such as "La Calunnia", from Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and popular classics such as "Sa balada d'en Lucas", by Ortega Monasterio.