Ibizology

Saigo Dicenta is from a famous Spanish family of artists who moved to Ibiza in the 1970s. He grew up there amongst the hippies and freaks and was inspired to become a student of Indian classical music. Saigo is a key part of Ibiza’s live music scene and founded the Sant Joan hippy market to bring music and culture directly into island life.

I’ve always been interested in bird watching so a few years ago I went on one of the excellent walking tours organized by the local authorities here in Ibiza. While most of the group were chatting away in Catalan I found myself strolling along next to a Spanish man who also spoke perfect English, and who is also a journalist like me, but with a focus on a quite extraordinary topic.

It’s taken several years to organize, so I’m delighted to welcome to the Ibizology podcast the Iban Yarza, who has been described as Spain’s bread guru. Iban has published six books on the culture and history of bread in Spain, and has taken a keen interest in the bread in Ibiza, where he had lived since 2016. Iban is also a knowledgeable ornithologist so today I want to explore both aspects of his expertise - the bread and birds of Ibiza.

Ibiza-based writer, Ben Dunwell, has just published the second in a series of novels about the early settlers on the island, who arrived here around 650BC. The Dark Between Our Fires also references the San Juan fire jumping festival which takes place on 23 June each year in this tiny village in the north of Ibiza.

Andrés Coll is a professional Ibizan percussionist and musician who loves to fuse the sounds of Ibizan folk music with other musical traditions. Andrés sees a connection between the music of Africa and Asia and that of Ibiza. Through this blend of different cultures he wants to convey the message that: “We are all human and share the same origins.” Andrés says the folk music of a place is shaped by its environment. Ibizan folk music has a positive, uplifting tone reflecting the island’s weather, the sun and its people.

For foreigners like me who are the latest invaders of Ibiza, it is fascinating to delve into the history of this jewel in the Mediterranean Sea. Most of us are vaguely aware that it has been conquered by various cultures over the centuries such as the Phoenicians and Romans. The invasion which led to centuries of Islamic rule in Ibiza before the Christian Catalans arrived is particularly interesting. I was very excited to come across a detailed study – a masters dissertation no less - focussed on rural Ibiza during the island’s Islamic period.

And I’m delighted to welcome to the podcast Jordi Vives Colomar from Barcelona University, who wrote this 150-page study which left me overflowing with questions.

We meet Juan Mari “Juanito” who took over the famous Las Dalias hippie market and music venue from his father in the 1980’s. Founded in 1954, Juanito describes how local families from St Carles would come to dance and celebrate with the young men asking the mothers’ permission to dance with their daughters. In those distant days Ibiza was a very different place and Las Dalias has moved with the times, welcoming artists, hippies and tourists through its gates from the 1960’s and ‘70s onwards.

For this episode I travel high into the hills above San Vicente to meet the author, environmental activist and film director Rebecca Frayn who has just published Lost in Ibiza. This is a novel about climate change, family dynamics and the different tribes of people who inhabit this island. We talk about the book and explore other Ibiza-related projects Rebecca is involved with.

Emma Salahi is co-producer of a new Ibiza photobook featuring the work of the famous Spanish photographer Oriol Maspons. He visited Ibiza from the 1950’s to the 1980’s and captured the essence of the hedonistic side of the 1980’s, as well as the traditional side of island life. Emma sifted through 500 of Oriol’s images to choose a selection which are full of humour, fun and laughter. Emma also runs the Ibiza-based art gallery Agony and Ecstasy.

With Ibiza being such an important trans-Mediterranean trading post since the Phoenicians set foot on the island, the seas around the island contain a real treasure trove of ship wrecks. Marine archaeologist Enrique Aragon spends much of his time exploring the area and in this interview reveals how important these remains are for our understanding our island’s history. His work also shows how Ibiza was part of a sophisticated trading system stretching from the UK to North Africa and the Middle East.

'Voyage and Discovery' by Conor O'Brien is an account of the sailor and travel-writer's journey by boat to the White Isle where they moored up in Ibiza harbour for almost a year in 1932. His vivid descriptions of town and country life, as well as the landscapes of the island, are quite riveting. Ibiza's Barbary Press has just brought out a new edition of the book and in this episode I'm joined by publisher Martin Davies. You can meet Martin and other distinguished speakers at the official launch: 7.30pm on 20 December at Sa Nostra Sala, Carrer d’Arago 17, Ibiza Town.