At lunchtime I leave my flat and am met with the sight of the nearby nursery class coming out to their parents and carers. Each child is chattering excitedly and clutching a drawing, a simple design of twenty-seven stars, all brightly coloured in by tiny hands. It is 9 May 2024, Europe Day, and I am suddenly and unexpectedly moved by this display of the worth of European values in the coming generation.
But this is Seville, and I am often moved here: most often by the warmth, openness and generosity of spirit of the Andalucian people. There are many social problems of poverty, racism, drugs, gender violence and homophobia here but there is also an instinctive kindness to an extent that I have not experienced anywhere else.
An example was brought home to me by a friend recently. She had seen an elderly man boarding a bus; the very elderly are always offered seats here. He shuffled past a young mother with a pram. A woman sitting nearby indicated that a seat was free but then noticed that one of his shoelaces was untied.
Without any hesitation, the young mother moved to tie his shoelace, while the seated woman held her pram for her. There was no grand gesture, just a natural kindness and grace. This decency and care for others is commonplace and to witness it is life-enhancing. And it is infectious!
A city of heightened senses
Then there is the captivation of the senses by the natural and the human-created. All the senses are heightened.
In early spring by the overwhelmingly heady perfume of the orange blossom everywhere, the intensity of which is not even overpowered by the city traffic; in summer by the brilliant fuchsia and orange bougainvillea falling listlessly over walls; the profusion of brightly coloured vegetables and fruit in the markets, with their sun-ripened tastes to be savoured; the manzanilla sherry with its salty sea tang that lingers on your tongue.
The playful balmy air in springtime contrasts with the searing heat of summer, when the city is hushed as every living thing seeks shade.
In the old city my eyes are drawn to the cool plant-filled patios that invite a peek as you pass, entranced by the colours of the buildings, terracotta and ochre, the brightest white with intricate Moorish tiles of dark blue and green. But I love shopping and whiling away the time over tapas with friends in the newer areas too.
The public sphere is valued
Another important aspect of my admiration for Seville is not physical but rational. My experience of Spain is mainly in the South but it is my impression that public money is spent on services and the wellbeing of the people and is not considered an unnecessary drain on the public purse. There are subsidies and support for the arts so that it is possible to attend a variety of artistic events and workshops throughout the year at little or no cost, something now impossible for most people in Britain. Adult education and activities for the elderly are still valued and financed.
Public sector workers such as gardeners, cleaners and street sweepers are rewarded and visible. The public health service, although under pressure as everywhere, is still in better shape than our own. Workers and women’s rights are legislated for, the hospitality sector is regulated for example, so that it does not need to rely on tips as in the UK. Zero hours contracts are illegal.
The importance and intimacy of Flamenco
Last but most definitely not least, comes my passion for the world of Flamenco, its Art of course but also its Philosophy, Culture and History. Flamenco is not only the image of the spotted dresses or more recently the avant-garde, the flamboyance and the wild footwork that for many is their only experience of it. This is an image often displayed in current commercial performance, sometimes from the unfortunate perspective that this is what foreign audiences will pay for.
On the contrary, there is also a stillness to be listened for and an intimacy at its centre, most easily accessed in its folk-art form, when it is the music of the people.
There is a universality at its core which encompasses the many cultures that have enriched it but is also offered to those which have not, because at its heart lie the feelings and experiences, the joys and pains common to every human being and bearing witness to these can be transformative for us all.
Flamenco performance was in danger during the pandemic as it is mostly supported financially by foreign spectators and students but it is heartening to see that there is recent support by the city administration and institutions for the small Peñas, or Flamenco circles that exist in the more unassuming or outlying areas of the city for its devotees and that foreign visitors are back.
This year I will have returned from Seville the day before Europe Day, but I know that I will be full of love and admiration for my favourite adopted city; and even if the UK is no longer part of the EU, I will be proud to consider myself still European in heritage and culture just like the children last year.
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