Since today is the 11th of the 11th of 2011 and here in the Cologne (Germany) area where I currently live is the start of a huge carnival and since that is the time of the year for fools and mockery I thought it very appropriate that I dedicate today’s post to José Antich, director of Barcelona-based newspaper La Vanguardia and well known Spanish nationalist.
Señor Antich gave us a performance worth remembering on October the 26th. In Catalan public TV, at the show Els Matins, while analysing the latest CEO …

On October 24th, 1971 Pau Casals, one of the greatest cellists of all time, made a historical speech at the United Nations in New York as he was awarded the U.N. Peace Medal. Casals also composed the United Nations anthem.
Here‘s a transcription:
But let me say one thing. I am a Catalan. Today a province of Spain. But what has been Catalonia? Catalonia has been the greatest nation in the world. I will tell you why. Catalonia has had the first parliament, much before England. Catalonia had the beginning of the …

Two years ago the Spanish King’s football Cup final was played by Barça and Athletic Club de Bilbao, two non Spanish teams. The supporters of both teams agreed to give the Spanish Bourbon a warm welcome by whistling so loud that the Spanish anthem could not be heard. The Spanish TV edited the live sound of the stadium and cut the booing from the broadcast. I mentioned it in a previous post.
Another booing happened last year during the final of the Spanish basketball King’s Cup final, Barça against Real Madrid. …

Former Catalan President Jordi Pujol has declared on the radio that he has already voted “Yes” by advance poll in the upcoming popular referendum for independence that will take place on April the 10th in Barcelona.
Jordi Pujol was the president of the Generalitat de Catalunya for more than two decades and his policies were always aimed to try to make Catalonia fit in Spain as he believed in a plurinational Spain. A couple of months ago he surprised everybody by saying that seeing the unfair treatment Catalonia receives from …

Matthew Tree’s articles have helped more than I’ll ever be able to thank him to find ways of explaining Catalonia to people from other countries. Being English born and, as he describes himself in the book, an adopted Catalan (I’d say he’s just as Catalan as you can be) has given him a unique point of view, which combined with curiosity to learn about the country where he lives and a strong sense of justice have produced this book as a result.
Matthew has lived in Catalonia for 24 years and …