Barcelona City Council marked Africa Day 2026 with an institutional event in the Saló de Cròniques, presided over by Deputy Mayor Maria Eugènia Gay. The event focused on ageing away from one’s country of origin and on the experiences of African societies and their diasporas in Barcelona.
The city says it is home to more than 42,700 residents of African origin. Africa Day is held each year on 25 May to mark the creation of the Organisation of African Unity in 1963 and to recognise the continent’s unity, social progress and international cooperation.
The programme included a round table, Ageing in Barcelona: perspectives and experiences of the African community, moderated by lawyer and researcher Déguène Eufemia Seck. Panellists were Jean Bosco Botsho, president of the African and Catalan Cooperation Association (AFRICAT), Fazouia Chati Badou, founder and president of the Association of Moroccan Women in Catalonia, and Abdoulaye Seck, former president of the Coordinator of Senegalese Associations of Catalonia (CASC) and current president of the Peace, Social Cohesion and Development Association (APCD) of Terrassa.
The discussion looked at how ideas of old age and family care can differ between Africa and Barcelona. It also addressed the way culture, migration and local social realities shape the experience of growing older in the city. The event ended with a performance by Senegalese composer, singer and guitarist Cheikh Kara Diabate, who presented a fusion of traditional Senegalese music.
Barcelona has marked Africa Day since 2024, using the date to recognise the city’s African community and to support exchange between residents and organisations. For readers following local civic and community coverage, see our news page for more updates from across Catalonia.
As part of the wider programme around Africa Day, Espai Avinyó will hold a session on African urban dances on 13 June, from 16:30 to 18:00, at Oyofe Studio. The event is part of the Dances · Musics · Resistances series and is organised with Oyofe, a platform for African urban dances.
