The Ateneu Popular 9 Barris emerged in 1977 from the neighbourhood struggles of Nou Barris, when local residents reclaimed an abandoned asphalt factory and transformed it into the cultural centre it is today. Since its origins, the Ateneu has been rooted in social intervention through culture, with a strong focus on the promotion, creation, and training of circus and performing arts. It has become an open space for cultural, social, and political initiatives that often operate outside official circuits, yet play a vital role in nurturing creativity, diversity, and a critical civic spirit.
Participation lies at the heart of the Ateneu’s identity. It operates through a community management model based on assemblies, commissions, and working groups, which function as sovereign spaces for collective decision-making. In this sense, the Ateneu is not only a cultural facility but also a political agent that, through participation, joy, and critical cultural practice, promotes social justice and affirms culture as an intrinsic right of individuals and communities.
The Ateneu’s activities are guided by values of direct democracy, accessibility, popular culture, mutual support, territorial rootedness, creativity, sustainability, and transparency. It promotes a non-elitist and inclusive approach to culture, ensuring access for people who face economic, social, or physical barriers, and understanding culture as a common good closely connected to everyday life.
The project is promoted by Bidó de Nou Barris, an organisation formed by local volunteers, and is financed through a mixed model that ensures both public responsibility and organisational autonomy: around 70% of its funding comes from public administrations, while the remaining 30% is generated through its own cultural activities, such as performances and specialised circus workshops.
Through culture, the Ateneu contributes to building a free, engaged, critical, and supportive society in which people collectively decide on matters that affect them and actively manage shared resources. It is a space that fosters critical thinking, collective learning, and sustained practices of cooperation, commitment, and creative experimentation.
