Watchtowers on Mallorca: Smoke and Light Signals for Human Rights

Watchtowers on Mallorca: Smoke and Light Signals for Human Rights

A Saturday of signals from coast to coast

Next Saturday the coast of Mallorca will be transformed for a few hours into a silent but striking line of communication: at 1:00 PM smoke signals will be released from selected watchtowers, and in the evening — around 6:30 PM — a chain of light signals will follow as dusk falls. Anyone standing on the Plaça in Pollença, feeling the Tramuntana wind on their face and looking up toward the Torre d'Albercutx, will suddenly experience the familiar sight of old stone buildings in a new, very topical context.

The action aims to symbolically connect up to one hundred watchtowers, not only on Mallorca but also on neighboring islands. Behind the initiative are people who want to make a cause visible with simple means: a commitment to human rights and solidarity, beyond large posters and loud debates, a theme also explored in With Drones over the Mediterranean: Palma's Voices from the Gaza Flotilla.

Such signals have a long tradition on the island — once used as a warning system against dangers from the sea — and contemporary concerns about smoke and fire are discussed in Spain is Burning: Fire Traces as Far as Mallorca – Is the Country Really Prepared?. This Saturday they become an invitation: to go out, pause and briefly look up. In the harbors you might hear the seagulls, on the promenade the clatter of bicycle baskets, someone pulling the last croissants from the oven in a café. The simple gesture of the smoke signal works precisely because it is earthy, unpretentious and yet visible.

Those who want to participate can check an interactive online map in advance that lists the participating towers, and local safety concerns are illustrated by recent reports such as Fire on the outskirts of Palma: When improvised settlements become a ticking time bomb. For many villages this means small local gatherings: neighbors meet, families bring blankets, and in some paseos people lie back on the stone wall for a few minutes — an analog moment in a digital age.

Why is this good for Mallorca? Because the island is not just beaches and hotels, but also communal rituals. Such actions recall the cultural history of coastal fortifications and link it to a current issue. The watchtowers themselves gain a second function: they become columns of light and smoke for a topic that otherwise takes place in meeting rooms and reports.

Practical notes for participants: follow local municipal instructions, avoid disturbing flora and fauna, do not park on access roads to the towers and respect cordons. Bring warm clothing and flashlights — the evening can be chilly — and consider children and pets: chains of light signals are beautiful to watch, but quiet and safe viewing spots make the moment more relaxed for everyone.

The action is not a protest in the strict sense, but a quiet, unifying image. For visitors and locals it offers the opportunity to perceive the island from a new perspective: places you know from the car suddenly show their contours against the sky again. Those who stroll along the paseos or seafront promenades this Saturday may find themselves looking up more often — and that is already a small form of attention that is often missing.

Inspiration for the rest of the year: when the smoke and light signals fade, the idea remains to nurture such simple rituals more often. A shared walk to a tower, an afternoon cup of hot chocolate by the water, a chat with a neighbor about what moves you — small gestures that hold Mallorca together. And sometimes it's enough to look up and realize that the island is more than its postcard image.

So if you're out this Saturday: listen to the waves, smell the sea and watch for the signals. It's an invitation to see the island differently for a short while — calm, visible and together.