In the Kaudal basin’s Mièreshead, a region long tied to mining and now a rising hub for culture, a project named Caja de Resistencia was launched. Artists barred from other municipalities or autonomous communities are being invited to participate, creating a bridge between economic support and artistic inclusion.
The idea behind the resistance fund is simple: a shared pool to which people contribute as they are able. This fund sustains workers who fear job losses and helps communities recover from social upheavals, while the Mieres Cultural Department seeks to extend a form of backing to artists banned elsewhere.
The inaugural participant is Paco Bezerra, a National Prize-winning playwright whose work I am dying because I am not dying (Double life of Teresa) was blocked by government authorities. The event is linked to the Madrid theatre circuit, with a dramatized reading scheduled for September 30 in Mieres. Volunteers, identified as readers, will collaborate with Bezerra in the two days leading up to the performance. The approach mirrors a reading promoted by the SGAE after censorship of the work in Madrid’s Sala Berlanga, which gathered support from a cross-section of cultural figures and artists, including Pedro Almodóvar, Marisa Paredes, and Elena Anaya, among others. The latest reading will feature actresses such as Julieta Serrano, Nathalie Poza, and Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, among others.
A related opportunity will invite local residents to meet the author after the show, fostering direct dialogue between creator and audience.
Bezerra’s appearance in Mieres is part of a larger initiative to present a cycle where a staged reading in Asturian will accompany a performance, signaling a response to debates around the use of minority languages in public performances. There is mention of a film titled Buzz Lightyear being scrutinized in several countries due to a kissing scene, underscoring how cultural products face varying censorship pressures across regions.
Rocío Antela, a member of Mieres Cultural Council, founded the “resistance box” as a response to what she describes as cultural authoritarianism spreading from other governments. The aim is not only political advocacy but also practical financial support for artists and their teams who lose income when their concerts or exhibitions are excluded from official programs. Antela emphasizes that behind every cancellation there are many workers, from performers to technicians, who rely on ongoing opportunities. The impact of Bezerra’s cancellation in Madrid extends beyond the author to include the cast, designers, makeup artists, and the entire production crew. The same applies to any cancellation of a concert or performance.
With cancellations increasingly prevalent, the Mieres project views its Caja de Resistencia as a new mechanism to counteract what it calls the modern equivalent of historical inquisitions. Funds sourced from municipal budgets will be directed to artists and their teams whose incomes diminish when their works are not accepted by government bodies aligned with a different ideological stance. In the coming weeks, the Ministry of Culture plans to close out the program with participation from national and regional artists across multiple disciplines, continuing the conversation through ongoing performances and discussions. [Citation: local cultural authority reports and interviews]