Girona

Girona joined ICORN in 2013. The city is known for its commitment to culture in all its aspects. The city is restless, curious and very open to any different cultural events that artists and organisers want to present in this unique setting. For this reason, every year Girona holds many festivals of music, cinema, and visual and performing arts which bring together a large number of disciplines: jazz, street art, classical guitar, international theatre, amateur theatre, videos and audiovisuals, etc.

For Girona, joining the International Cities of Refuge Network meant opening up to the world and growing in its cultural wealth to become a city of excellence. PEN Català pointed out that through this commitment Girona shows solidarity and support with writers worldwide and defends freedom of expression.

From 2013, the city has hosted the Egyptian journalist and blogger Amir Ali under the residency programme. He is known for his secular views and his critical writings about Islam and the high religious authorities in Egypt, published online on his blog. He joined several cultural activities in the town, especially in the Centre Cultural La Mercè, a hub of cultural life in the city where people can study humanities, arts or music.