One more year, Vilafranca del Penedès becomes the focus of reflection and thought with the Vilapensa festival, which takes place from Monday, April 4 to Sunday, April 10 at the Vinseum. For the director of the festival, Jordi Sàbat, this event comes at a time when society wants to learn about philosophy and reflect on the context that surrounds it. "Philosophy is now more necessary than ever," he remarks.
Paraphrasing the French philosopher Gilles Lipovetsky, Sàbat argues that philosophy allows us to delve into the difference between the what and the why, as well as the how, an essential question in a time of unlimited and borderless technological expansion. "We have access to everything, we know what we want, but not why we want it," he explains.
Without forgetting academic rigor, Vilapensa is open to all audiences, regardless of their level of education, and, therefore, the content is accessible. Sàbat emphasizes that the festival's objective is to offer practical philosophy, that is, that which can be useful in anyone's daily life.
In this fifth edition of the Penedès thought festival, the motto is El desig i la passió, el permanent conflicte de la condició humana (Desire and passion, the permanent conflict of the human condition). Last year, with the pandemic still expanding, the main theme was evil, and this edition they preferred to opt for a more refreshing and cheerful one.
Sàbat points out that both desire and passion are engines that move people, as the classics already thought. Paraphrasing another philosopher, Joan-Carles Mèlich, the festival director reminds us that human beings are finite, but with infinite longings, summarizing the spirit of the fifth edition of Vilapensa.
Growth year after year
Vilapensa is a pioneering event, created in 2018 and a sibling of Barcelona Pensa, organized by the University of Barcelona (UB). The thought festival responds to Vilafranca's philosophical tradition, as well as to the collaboration with this university.
This festival has grown year after year and the pandemic has not forced it to cancel any edition. The first year, it programmed 18 events and registered an attendance of 3,500 spectators. In 2021, with only a digital option and through other media, it reached 15,000 users. This year's edition of Vilapensa has 30 events and attendance expectations are good.
Six philosophical days in Vilafranca
With 40 participants, this year's presentation was led by the director of Vinseum, Joan Tarrada, the mayor of Vilafranca, Pere Regull, and the dean of Philosophy at the UB, Josep Montserrat.
The Vilapensa program features speakers of high prestige in the world of contemporary philosophy. On April 5, it was the turn of the French philosopher and sociologist, well-known for analyzing postmodernism, Gilles Lipovetsky. The philosopher brought to the attendees the various dimensions of seduction. On the same Monday, the doctor in Philosophy and professor of Ethics at the UB, Begoña Roman, also participated, reflecting on the usefulness of passions in a finite life like ours.
The Vilapensa program features the presence of highly prestigious speakers in the world of contemporary philosophy such as Gilles LipovetskyThe last day of the festival will have as a guest the journalist Tomàs Alcoverro, with the conferencePassion and political subversion. As a special act of Vilapensa, the meeting of readers with the writer has stood outNajat el Hachmito talk aboutDesire and Literature, event held on March 31 at the Fòrum Berger-Balaguer.
The program also features exhibitions on the archetypes of masculinity, as well as colloquiums, round tables, and a micro-story contest. Likewise, the festival extends throughout the territory with the Vilapensa als Municipis program and reaches other branches of society, such as education, with Vilapensa Educació, designed for teachers, secondary and high school students to reflect on body diversity.
All main Vilapensa events are broadcast live on Penedès Televisió and streamed on its website. The Vinseum auditorium is the space designated to follow the event in person. Given the limited capacity, reservations must be made at entrades.vinseum.cat.