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By Jason Moore IT'S that time of the year. The annual Andalucian April Fair will be taking place soon in Palma and as usual there is some controversy as to why the Balearics is celebrating an Andalucian festivity. The Majorcan Nationalists are not impressed that the Mayor of Palma, Catalina Cirer, and members of the local government will be attending the event, and even giving it sponsorship.

Well the nationalists may have a point; the island is rich in culture and doesn't need to mark festivities from other parts of the country. There has always been rivalry between mainlanders and Majorcans and I believe this is just a continuation. But what I find quite interesting is that these days Majorca is quite a cosmopolitan place and people from right across the world are coming to live here. What the local authorities can't do is attend the April Fair and then give the rest of the non-Majorcan community the cold shoulder. I don't think anyone on the island has a problem with the April fair, what some people don't like is tax payer's money being spent on events which have little to do with the Balearics. The April Fair is an Andalucian event and the Andalucian community on the island should be allowed to celebrate it in style.

But perhaps it would be better if local politicians didn't get involved. It just causes problems which at the end of the day could be avoided. I think it would be far better if the local authorities spent more money on organising a festival of Majorcan culture and heritage. This would be far more beneficial and would allow tourists and those who have recently settled on the island to have a greater knowledge of Majorca. No-one could object to Majorcan culture being celebrated. It would give people from all over the world an opportunity to come together and celebrate an island which they love dearly.