On November 19th, 2024, the Bayt al-Thaqafa Foundation celebrated its 50th anniversary, an event that the Blanquerna Observatory attended. The event took place in the Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar, the place where this foundation started and where Teresa Losada, its creator, began her task of approaching and welcoming the Muslim community of Barcelona. The figure of Teresa was remembered throughout the celebration, thanking her for her valuable work and highlighting the legacy she has left for the foundation.
The celebration, led by journalist Marta Font, began with the words of the rector of the Basilica, Salvador Pié-Ninot, who described Bayt’s work as a ‘sign of love and fraternity’. In this first part, the director of the foundation, Soraya Ares, Ivan Pera (Pacte per Ciutat Vella) and David Moya (Migracions i Refugi) also spoke. The director stressed the importance of understanding reception as a bidirectional activity. Rafael Crespo (Centre for Intercultural Dialogue of Catalonia and the Antiracist, Intercultural and Civil Rights Office of Sant Vicenç dels Horts) also gave an overview of the theoretical framework on which the foundation works.
This was followed by a round table with the participation of Said Azelif (GADEM), Uassima Boutaliss (Mesquita Rahma) and Sara Bajiji (lawyer and member of Bayt al-Thaqafa), during which the positive work carried out by Bayt continued to be discussed, as well as the needs and challenges of the Catalan Muslim community that still need to be addressed.
The event was complemented by musical performances by Burruezo & Nur Camerata, and the closing was given by Àlex Blasi (Allotjament Temporal i Acollida Sociolingüística and volunteer of the foundation), Isabel Álvarez (Franciscan Sister Missionera de Maria) and Quim Erra (Brother of Orde Hospitalari de Sant Joan de Déu). The importance of remembering and continuing the work started by Teresa Losada and her maxim of involving the whole of society to work for coexistence, not just a small part of it, was once again emphasised.
