Episode Nine: 'X'
Episode 9, Sep 25, 2021, 08:05 AM
'I remember when I first laid eyes on 'X'.....'
Episode Nine is devoted to the mystery, the myth and the meaning behind the letter 'X', as found in the local place names and language of Ibiza. What is the story behind these 'X's which are found on so many of Ibiza's roadsigns, from La Xanga in the South, to Portinatx in the North? As markings leading us back to Eivissa's Catalan roots, what precious, local information is buried within them?
Join me today as I head to the place which first initiated me into the mystery of 'X' - Portinatx, Ibiza's Northernmost village. Here, I track down the Pou de s'Arenal Petit, a local well which has silently witnessed Portinatx's drastic transformation from a remote idyll into a major touristic hub in less than seventy years.
After a sad discovery at the site of Portinatx's historical sea well, I retreat to some nearby rocks to delve deeply into the multi-layered languages of Ibiza as symbol for the island's complicated relationship with globalization, and its own authentic, traditional culture. And I share with you an in depth conversation with the Ibizan writer and journalist Xescu Prats (https://www.ibiza5sentidos.es/), who leads us on a magical mystery tour into Ibizan toponymy, history, folklore and cultural identity, via the letter 'X' that he proudly bears in his own first name.
I hope you enjoy this exploration of the world of 'X' - a symbol for that aspect of a famous, summer holiday destination which is dark, elusive and always slightly beyond our grasp... It has so much to teach us, and stands in complete opposition to all that we think we know about the island.
May we always keep searching for it.
Mentioned/featuring in this episode:
- 'Ibiza: la destruccion del Paraiso', by Joan Lluis Ferrer, published by Balàfía Postals, 2015
- “Portinatx: how tourism conquered a little piece of paradise”, article published in Diario de Ibiza, 13th July, 2019
- writings on Portinatx's well, Es Pou de S’arenal Petit, by Martin Davies, founder of Barbary Press
- Enric Ribes, Ibizan toponomist (who has investigated 'ses senyes', Ibiza's ancient oral navigation system used by the island's fishermen)
- Xescu Prats: Ibizan writer, cultural commentator and journalist, founder of Ibiza 5 Sentidos (https://www.ibiza5sentidos.es/)
- Thank you to Enrique Villalonga (www.filmotica.com) for providing the voice over for my interview with Xescu Prats.
- 'twelve secret names'.... idea coined by the storyteller and mythologist Martin Shaw (https://drmartinshaw.com/)
- 'Braiding Sweetgrass', book by Robin Wall Kimmerer, published in 2013 by Penguin.
Written, presented and edited by Joanna Hruby, artist, puppeteer, performance-maker and founder of Theatre of the Ancients (www.theatreoftheancients.com)
Theme music: 'De Jo Et Vas Despediguent' by Uc (released by Produccions Blau, Mallorca)
Instagram: @wellsoftanit
Facebook: The Wells of Tanit
If you appreciate this podcast please leave us a review on Itunes as this helps the podcast reach a wider audience.
Episode Nine is devoted to the mystery, the myth and the meaning behind the letter 'X', as found in the local place names and language of Ibiza. What is the story behind these 'X's which are found on so many of Ibiza's roadsigns, from La Xanga in the South, to Portinatx in the North? As markings leading us back to Eivissa's Catalan roots, what precious, local information is buried within them?
Join me today as I head to the place which first initiated me into the mystery of 'X' - Portinatx, Ibiza's Northernmost village. Here, I track down the Pou de s'Arenal Petit, a local well which has silently witnessed Portinatx's drastic transformation from a remote idyll into a major touristic hub in less than seventy years.
After a sad discovery at the site of Portinatx's historical sea well, I retreat to some nearby rocks to delve deeply into the multi-layered languages of Ibiza as symbol for the island's complicated relationship with globalization, and its own authentic, traditional culture. And I share with you an in depth conversation with the Ibizan writer and journalist Xescu Prats (https://www.ibiza5sentidos.es/), who leads us on a magical mystery tour into Ibizan toponymy, history, folklore and cultural identity, via the letter 'X' that he proudly bears in his own first name.
I hope you enjoy this exploration of the world of 'X' - a symbol for that aspect of a famous, summer holiday destination which is dark, elusive and always slightly beyond our grasp... It has so much to teach us, and stands in complete opposition to all that we think we know about the island.
May we always keep searching for it.
Mentioned/featuring in this episode:
- 'Ibiza: la destruccion del Paraiso', by Joan Lluis Ferrer, published by Balàfía Postals, 2015
- “Portinatx: how tourism conquered a little piece of paradise”, article published in Diario de Ibiza, 13th July, 2019
- writings on Portinatx's well, Es Pou de S’arenal Petit, by Martin Davies, founder of Barbary Press
- Enric Ribes, Ibizan toponomist (who has investigated 'ses senyes', Ibiza's ancient oral navigation system used by the island's fishermen)
- Xescu Prats: Ibizan writer, cultural commentator and journalist, founder of Ibiza 5 Sentidos (https://www.ibiza5sentidos.es/)
- Thank you to Enrique Villalonga (www.filmotica.com) for providing the voice over for my interview with Xescu Prats.
- 'twelve secret names'.... idea coined by the storyteller and mythologist Martin Shaw (https://drmartinshaw.com/)
- 'Braiding Sweetgrass', book by Robin Wall Kimmerer, published in 2013 by Penguin.
Written, presented and edited by Joanna Hruby, artist, puppeteer, performance-maker and founder of Theatre of the Ancients (www.theatreoftheancients.com)
Theme music: 'De Jo Et Vas Despediguent' by Uc (released by Produccions Blau, Mallorca)
Instagram: @wellsoftanit
Facebook: The Wells of Tanit
If you appreciate this podcast please leave us a review on Itunes as this helps the podcast reach a wider audience.