Duke of Medina Sidonia offers conference tomorrow

The Duke's coat of arms

GIBRALTAR The Instituto Cervantes has scheduled for tomorrow, May 23, at 7pm, a lecture by the Duke of Medina Sidonia,  Alonso González de Gregorio y Álvarez de Toledo, under the title of 'Gibraltar, and the Duchy of Medina Sidonia in the XV Century'. The Duke is a Professor of History at the University of Castilla-La Mancha and of the School of Diplomacythat belongs to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Cooperation. The lecture will start with an explanation of the Spanish feudal system of that era, which is very different to that of Britain, followed by the history of the close relationship between the House of Guzmán, founded by Guzmán el Bueno, the first of a lineage that goes back to  the 13th century, and Gibraltar, which began with the foundation of the Duchy itself and ended towards the beginning of the 16th century.

British Council and Instituto Cervantes, word for word

SPAIN / BRITAIN (El País / Jesús Ruiz Mantilla) The two predominating Western languages in the world had, until recently, looked askance at one another. Now, the challenges of survival and of holding on to their influence in the future are forcing them to align. Palabra por palabra/Word for Word, a new book drafted jointly by the British Council and the Cervantes Institute, constitutes a bilingual compendium of the challenges facing two languages concerned with the unbridled expansion of Chinese, Arabic and Hindi. The longstanding division of the West into an Anglo-Saxon north and a Latin - predominantly Hispanic - south is slowly becoming a thing of history. Combined, both worlds represent nearly a billion people who speak either English or Spanish.>>>

'Twisted Wine' to be presented at Instituto Cervantes in Gibraltar

Vino Torcido can be translated as 'Twisted Wine' or 'It Came/Arrived Twisted'. It is also a term used in the wine trade to describe one that is unpleasant and cloudy. In any case, this book, in its sixth edition, tells the story of Joaquín Santaella, or, as it says in a blurb: "Alcoholism is undoubtedly one of society’s biggest problems. As such, it is dramatic. Within this drama there are people and also a story. Such as the one which is told in this book, which is both a diary and a fable; just like the life of its author. It is set in a rehabilitation centre where the interns and their carers share a harsh life; Joaquín Santaella sweetens the pill with his subtle irony and lively narrative." The book is being presented at the Instituto Cervantes in Gibraltar on May 12 at 7pm, by Álvaro Álvarez, psychologist and Director of the Montenegral Therapeutic Community (San Martín del Tesorillo, Campo de Gibraltar). Both presentation and book are in Spanish, but then, the Instituto is the best place to learn it.

Instituto Cervantes opens in Gibraltar

GIBRALTAR (EuropaSur) The official opening of the Instituto Cervantes, Spain's equivalent to the British Council, took place yesterday after the move from temporary headquarters in Casemates. Located on the second floor of the Cloister Building on Market Lane, which belongs to the Gaggero family, the 150m2 offices are a mixture of the modern and the traditional, where the predominant colours are those of the institute's logo: red and white - by chance, the same colours as on Gibraltar's flag. The Director is Francisco Oda (photo), a very busy man yesterday, not>

Gibraltar's Instituto Cervantes to open on April 4th as part of the institute in Britain

GIBRALTAR (Text: Panorama, with some language editing) The Spanish 'Instituto Cervantes' is to open a branch in Gibraltar on 4th April. Director Francisco Oda is said to be waiting for the arrival of the furniture and the computers to get things going. But problems of another nature have emerged in that the usual practice would be for Prince Philip to open the new office, but this is Gibraltar, so he will not be coming, nor any other Royal. Instead, some lower ranking official may undertake the official opening when that takes place. The former Spanish foreign minister Miguel Angel Moratinos had suggested that he might come to Gibraltar to undertake the chore, but he is no longer a Spanish minister. The new incumbent, Trinidad Jimenez, does not appear to be enthusiastic about Gibraltar.>

Instituto Cervantes opening in Gibraltar is delayed again

GIBRALTAR (Agencies) A Gibraltar branch of Spain's equivalent of the British Council (or the Lyceè Francaise, or Goethe Institut), the Instituto Cervantes, was announced with much fanfare - but it has notyet been opened. Due to be inaugurated this month, the director of the Instituto, Carmen Caffarel announced recently that the event will not be happening until the second half of the year. - but no firm date was given, either. According to Caffarel,>