The Embassy of Spain in Manila, through Instituto Cervantes and its Cultural and Education Offices, has lined up a series of talks, book launches and exhibitions for its August cultural calendar.

On 11 August, Ateneo de Manila University anthropology professor Fernando Zialcita will deliver “Why Does the ‘Black Legend’ Persist? Three Myths” at Instituto Cervantes in Intramuros.

The Spanish-language discussion will examine traditional narratives surrounding the Philippines’ past under the Spanish monarchy and offer a more nuanced perspective on the shared history of the Philippines and Spain.

Instituto Cervantes will also host the launch of “Mosai-KO” on 19 August. The book compiles 15 stories by children of Filipino immigrant families in Barcelona.

Written by narrators aged 11 to 24, the stories explore their experiences in El Raval, a neighborhood in Barcelona they have come to call home.

In Aurora, the newly opened National Museum-Baler features a gallery dedicated to the historical and cultural ties between the Philippines and Spain. The museum was inaugurated on 30 June as part of Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day.

Several exhibitions supported by the Spanish Embassy also remain open to the public.

These include “Buen Camino” at Museo San Agustín and photographer García de Marina’s “Melodías del pensamiento” or “Melodies of Thought” at Instituto Cervantes, both in Intramuros.

Cristina Mejías’ “Embracing the Wind, Cradling the Water” is on display at the UP Vargas Museum.

The Centro de Turismo in Intramuros continues to host “Manila Calling” and “Four Centuries of Spanish Engineering Overseas,” while Madrid-based street art collective Boa Mistura’s “TAGPUAN” mural remains on view at Fort Santiago.

“Returning to Manila: The Galleon Trade in Maps,” a collaboration with Spain’s Instituto de Historia y Cultura Naval and Archivo Histórico de la Armada “Juan Sebastián Elcano,” is also on display at the Museo del Galeón at the Mall of Asia.