The first thing that catches the eye is local flags everywhere: four red stripes on a golden background are visible on house balconies, on windows, on walls, on car windshields, on dog collars. Even in the smallest village there is a tall flagpole with the "senyera" banner waving on it. The only place in Catalonia where you can see the flag of the Kingdom of Spain is in government buildings of national importance.
The only competition for regional symbols can be the blue and claret flags of Barcelona. The colors of the legendary football club are worn by all local men – from infants to the elderly. And it's not just about the Catalans' boundless love for their team. Barça is a symbol of the greatness and independence of their homeland. It is no coincidence that its motto is the words: "More than a club" ("Més que un club").
I witnessed a telling scene. A young man approached a stall selling T-shirts with Barça symbols and asked in Spanish if he could buy a Real Madrid club T-shirt here. Whether he was simply naive or decided to "troll" the seller. But the latter's amazement knew no bounds: "Are you crazy? Don't you see this is a separatist spot? Where would a Real T-shirt come from here?!!!" The young man retreated, and the seller kept shrugging his shoulders and muttering something indignantly surprised under his breath for a long time.
Catalans certainly understand Spanish and speak it, but not among themselves. Nowadays, hearing Spanish (for the country's residents, Castilian) on the street is as rare as seeing a sign or road marker written in it. Moreover, in the dark under streetlights at a certain angle, here and there you can notice that the letter "e" in the Castilian name of the city Gerona was at some point carefully corrected to the letter "i", making the city's name Catalan – Girona.
Although just 10 years ago Barcelona was absolutely "Spanish-speaking". One Catalan woman told me that during Franco's dictatorship, under threat of denunciation and prison, one could not utter a single word in Catalan in a public place, and the language was certainly not taught in schools. So her mother, who is nearly 70, cannot even write in her native language – she only speaks it. Today, Catalan is an official language of the region alongside Castilian, and education in schools and universities is conducted in it. Catalans respect and love their native language deeply – because it is the foundation of their national culture, self-identification, and independence, which they so strive for.
However, there is no absolute unity and optimism regarding separation from Spain among Catalans. Least of all are there indifferent people. On La Rambla, I met a cheerful man over 50. When we started talking and touched on the topic of independence, he said that he was not at all interested in political issues, although he does vote when necessary. "As for our separatism, secession, and all that stuff, people talk a lot of nonsense," he noted. "People always need something to talk about."
There are also ardent supporters of independence among Catalans. A lady about 60 years old selling goods on the same Rambla, with whom I also managed to talk, was full of confidence that Catalonia would gain freedom. She considered the key to this not only the determined attitude of the Catalans themselves but also the support they receive from the whole world, of which they are especially proud. "Next year it will be 300 years since the Spanish conquered us. Enough! We are supported everywhere, and we will definitely win!" she exclaimed at the end of our conversation.
However, the majority of Catalans, as far as I could observe, view the prospect of separation from Spain more restrainedly, although they hope for success. A woman of about 25 named Ana believes that the problem may be not only the opposition of the Spanish authorities to Catalan separatism but also, from her point of view, the not very active desire of Europe to recognize Catalonia as part of the European Union if it comes to that. In Girona, I came across flags in several places with slogans from the "March towards Independence" that took place a year ago: "Catalonia – a new European state" ("Catalunya, nou estat d'Europa").
But Ana expressed doubt: "Who needs that there? They've got plenty of other separatists. Of course, they are afraid that once one becomes independent, others will follow. Look, in Belgium, for example, someone also wants to secede from someone else. If the European Union supported us one hundred percent, then we could say it's a done deal." In this sense, Ana pins hopes on Scotland, where a referendum on independence from the United Kingdom will be held in 2014. Ana believes that once a precedent is set, things will get easier. "We are also promised a referendum in 2014. God willing!"
In the middle of our conversation, Ana's friend, a Catalan about 30, appears: "Oh, you're chatting about separatism? Well, well. Personally, I support Bob Marley, who said there should be no borders in the world at all, and that everyone should be united by love." To that, Ana said to me, laughing: "Don't mind him, it's just that his wife is Spanish."
A woman under 40, bearing the very Catalan name Montserrat, spoke very lively and with pleasure with me for more than an hour on the topic that concerned her. She explained why over the past few years the separatist idea in Catalonia, which had been smoldering in the minds of its inhabitants for decades, suddenly became so strong that it is about to break all barriers on the path to the region's independence. According to Catalans, it was on their "back" that Spain was able to emerge from the crisis of 2008-2011. Catalonia is one of the richest and most economically developed regions of Spain, and the subsidized regions of the country have always lived and developed at its expense.
But during the crisis years, according to Montse, Catalonia 'was simply robbed,' and the region 'rebelled.' After all, every year Catalonia gives Spain 16 billion euros more than it gets back. As a result, it has to save on education and healthcare. 'We now pay both regional and state taxes, and we also support the king,' the woman said indignantly. 'And who is he to us, I ask. He's a Bourbon, a Frenchman! Let the Spaniards deal with him themselves, without us.'
We also talked about the national holiday of Catalonia – September 11. On this day in 1714, the Catalans were defeated by Spanish troops during the siege of Barcelona and lost their autonomy. Every year, the already huge number of Catalan flags on city streets increases several times on the day of the Diada celebration. Montserrat laments that even the national holiday for Catalans is a day of their defeat: 'Foreigners are surprised that we have so many flags on September 11. They think it's a sign of condolence and support for the US in their mourning over 9/11. And I have to explain that we too were screwed on that very day, only much earlier.'
Montse also hopes that the authorities will not deceive and will hold a referendum in 2014. She is convinced that then the Catalans will definitely vote for independence by a majority. 'You see, those who are not interested in separation don't go to such votes. Although there are those who are fundamentally against it. These are mainly people from other regions of Spain.
They come here to earn money for themselves and their families, and then, as soon as they retire, they return to their Extremadura or Andalusia. Of course, it's beneficial for them for Catalonia to continue feeding them, and they don't care about our desire to become independent. Not to mention the authorities – who would want to give up a chicken that lays golden eggs. But we will still be free sooner or later,' Montse concluded proudly.
In fact, in my opinion, Catalonia is part of Spain only formally – the psychology of Catalans, their lifestyle, language and culture are completely non-Spanish. It was the Catalans who first abolished bullfighting in Spain – bloody entertainment is completely alien to them, and in local souvenir shops there are almost no images of bulls or bullfighters.
True, they still sell old-fashioned female figurines dressed in flamenco costumes, typical of southern Spain, but none of the locals perceive them as part of the local culture. But in the foreground there will always be images of the masterpieces of Barcelona architect Antoni Gaudí: his world-famous Sagrada Familia cathedral, the splendid modernist Casa Milà (Pedrera), and the intricate colorful mosaics of Park Güell.
Now on the road from Manresa to Barcelona, and not only there, you can see the Catalan word 'Independencia' ('Independence') written in meter-high letters on concrete barriers and the golden-bloody stripes of the estelada. Looking at this, you begin to believe that Catalonia will probably not have to wait long for official recognition of its independence.
Yekaterina BOGACH,
'Rosbalt'.