Salvador Seguí, el noi del sucre
An indispensable historical figure of the labor movement
2023
A great multimedia project to recover a forgotten historical figure and make him popular through an exhibition at the Palau Robert, a report in Sàpiens magazine and a documentary for 3Cat.
For 3Cat, Palau Robert and Revista Sàpiens with the support of Direcció General de Difusió and la Conselleria d’Empresa i Treball de la Generalitat de Catalunya
SALVADOR SEGUÍ, EL NOI DEL SUCRE
A comprehensive project to remember a mythical figure of the labour movement
To celebrate the centennial of the murder of the trade union leader Salvador Seguí, known as El Noi del Sucre, or the Sugar Boy, Abacus produced a multi-platform campaign with the aim of recovering and recognizing Seguí as one of the great historical figures of Catalonia. The project consisted of an exhibition, a documentary and two special issues of the history magazine Sàpiens, featuring the support of the General Directorate of Dissemination, the Department of Business and Employment, and the CCMA.
A SPECTACULAR EXHIBITION
Barcelona’s Palau Robert is hosting a major exhibition on Seguí, which will later be shown in other cities.
The comprehensive project on Seguí was inaugurated with an exhibition at the Palau Robert in Barcelona on 28 April 2023 and remained in the Catalan capital until 3 September.
Using classic museum resources, the exhibition offered faithful reproductions – the wagons that took the peasants from the countryside to the city, the inside of a factory, the cafés where workers met… – documents, sound recordings, audiovisual materials, photographs, mappings and other supporting tools and resources. The project represents a journey through the life of El Noi del Sucre, which was also the life of many thousands of workers
On this journey that starts with his arrival in Barcelona and ends with the explosion of violence and Seguí’s murder, we experience his life, his family’s life and his friends’ lives up close and personal, before ending with a look at the achievements he attained and the legacy that he and his fellow fighters left us.
Nearly 40,000 people came to see the exhibition. After spending time at the Palau Robert, the exhibition started a tour of Catalonia with its first stop in Lleida. Along with the exhibition, Abacus published a catalogue with key elements of Seguí’s life and with the experience of the editorial team at Sàpiens.
SPECIAL ISSUE IN THE MAGAZINE SÀPIENS
Leading historians delve into Seguí’s life in Sàpiens.
Another one of the fundamental elements of the campaign to celebrate the anniversary of Salvador Seguí was the special issue prepared by the magazine Sàpiens.
Leading historians and experts on Seguí provided their contributions in a special issue of the magazine, which was one of the most widely read of the year.
The special focuses on Seguí, but also the social and political context in which he lived and which led to his murder, with the corresponding repercussions on the labour movement and Spain.
A PRIME-TIME DOCUMENTARY
A multimedia production with testimonies and recreations for Sense Ficció on TV3.
To close out the Year of Seguí, the campaign’s other major feature was the documentary produced by Abacus to be broadcast on the prime-time show Sense ficció.
Directed by Raúl Cuevas, with a script by Sergi Martín and Sergi Pons, and with the support of the editorial team at Sàpiens, we produced a documentary to be broadcast during prime time on TV3.
The production included exceptional testimonies, such as the leading historians on El Noi del Sucre and his historical moment, as well as Seguí’s granddaughter, who lives in Paris. In addition, several reenactments were filmed with renowned actors to portray important moments in Seguí’s life.
Finally, to expand the potential audience, several sequences were introduced showing the job insecurity that still exists today in certain sectors of our society.
The documentary premiered at the Filmoteca de Catalunya, and featured a social media campaign with clips from the production.
