Party politics

From Bilbao, in the north, to Granada, in the south, Spain is racked by crisis. In one corner of the southern province of Seville, however, a little village called Marinaleda (population: 2,778) is resisting the tidal wave of economical pessimism and financial adversity that is crippling the country. While thousands of Spanish families face having their home repossessed, the 400-odd households of Marinaleda all own their own house, paying no more than €15.52 (HK$156) a month. And whereas the overall unemployment rate in Spain has risen to 24 per cent (and has reached a dramatic 33 per cent in Andalusia, the area in which Seville lies) only 3.75 per cent of the population of Marinaleda are jobless.

Marinaleda has a secret weapon: Juan Manuel Sanchez Gordillo. The charismatic communist mayor, who has recently made global headlines by leading "workers' marches" across southern Spain, some of which have resulted in the looting of supermarkets and the distribution of their stock to the poor, has held the reins in this community for 33 years.

It's high noon in Marinaleda. I cruise along Calle de Ernesto Che Guevara, across the Plaza Salvador Allende, entering the heart of Marinaleda along the Avenida de la Libertad. The Andalusian sun burns down mercilessly on my head. Just an hour's drive from the city of Seville, this is what they call " la sarten de Andalucia", "the frying pan of Andalusia"; a monotonous and flat land dotted with olive trees. The heat rises from the scorched earth in waves.

It's the weekend of Marinaleda's yearly feria (fair) but there are no signs of any festivities. We drive alongside the sports complex, revolutionary slogans giving a touch of colour to its white walls. Marinaleda's graffiti artists don't excel in originality: their work displays a lot of flying banners - even the old Soviet flag - raised fists, marching men and women, slogans against capitalism and images of rockets being set on fire.

While Spanish miners fight the Civil Guard in Madrid and thousands of citizens elsewhere march against recently elected politicians and their drastic austerity measures, in Marinaleda, the people are preparing to party.

Ferias are a ubiquitous feature of Spanish life, but this year most have been dampened by cutbacks - some have even been shortened by a few days. Marinaleda is looking forward to its usual four days (and nights) of fun and fiesta.