Celebrating Llanito, a call for creative community initiatives

Gibraltar Cultural Services (GCS), on behalf of the Ministry of Culture, has launched a new initiative as part of the Youth Arts Jamboree to celebrate, promote and preserve Gibraltar’s bilingual language, Llanito.

As part of wider efforts to encourage community engagement, GCS is inviting individuals, groups and organisations to develop artistic and cultural projects that embrace and highlight Llanito.

The competition is seeking creative proposals from young people that explore and showcase Llanito through art, performance, media and community activity. Entries might include, but are not limited to podcasts or digital storytelling, street theatre or short performances, short films or documentaries, songs, spoken word, or musical collaborations. And, art installations or exhibitions, educational or creative workshops or other artistic expressions that engage the public with Llanito
The selected project or projects will receive support from GCS to bring the ideas to life. Proposals must include a clear outline, an estimated budget and the intended community impact.

The initiative reflects the Ministry of Culture’s commitment to supporting Gibraltar’s linguistic heritage and to ensuring that Llanito continues to be celebrated as an expression of local identity and creativity. A similar initiative is under way in the Isle of Man in celebration of the Manx language, with further information available on www.yearofmanx.im.

Commenting on the initiative, the Minister for Equality, Employment, Culture and Tourism, Christian Santos, said: “It is no secret that I am passionate about Llanito, with my Llanito plays firstly introducing me to our community.”

“Llanito is an integral part of who we are, a living reflection of Gibraltar’s unique history and culture and our singular way of expressing our shared experiences.”

“We want to encourage our community, and especially our young people, to explore new ways of sharing, expressing and celebrating the language across generations.”

The initiative guidelines and Google form for entry are available for prospective participants at https://shorturl.at/gMV8t.

For more information, contact the GCS Development Unit on development@culture.gov.gi or by calling 200 41839.