Boomers' summer dinner in Catalonia turns to Ceuta crisis amid heat and mosquitoes

The scene is set at a summer dinner in inland Catalonia, a gathering of about a dozen 'boomers' – couples, singles, and those remarried – enjoying a warm evening. Unlike the younger generation who reportedly shun such events, these attendees seem content, though the author notes the oppressive heat and the presence of numerous mosquitoes, particularly the females feeding on eggs.

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Here, I say, we are not in New England, but in inland Catalonia, with a hell of a cicada.

The conversation, initially meandering, touches upon the beauty of the night and the simple joy of being alive. Any potential erotic tension is described as minimal. The oppressive heat dominates the atmosphere, leading to a general lethargy. Someone recalls the scorching summer of 1979 when Lloret de Mar caught fire, a memory vividly recalled by the author who remembers soot falling even in Barcelona.

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Here, at this gathering, no one is going to die except perhaps a mosquito swatted; later, in the hotel room, in the early hours of the morning, I will count fifteen bites on my left leg.

As the evening progresses, the discussion gradually shifts towards the crisis in Ceuta. Surprisingly, the topic elicits less dissent than anticipated, with a rare sense of conformity among the group. The complex situation involving Morocco, the 'Green March' of 1975, and the Perejil Island incident are brought up. The phrase 'at dawn and in harsh levant wind...' is recalled, suggesting the gravity of the geopolitical landscape.

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The suffocating heat presides over the conversation and weighs down the lethargy.

The group ponders the unanswered questions surrounding the influx of thousands of young migrants into Ceuta. Considering Ceuta's population of around 84,000, the strain on the enclave must have been considerable when the El Tarajal border crossing was overwhelmed. Questions arise about Morocco's motives for eventually curbing the flow and the potential concessions made by Spain. The author notes that King Mohammed VI must have been displeased by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's visit to Algeria on July 20th, an attempt to mend relations following a diplomatic rift.

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The conversation gradually shifts to the crisis in Ceuta, and strangely the issue elicits fewer disagreements than one might have imagined. Almost none.