2011/07/29

I love Spain and want Catalonia's independence

Citizens' Voice Series
Sandra Moncusí
Singer and Saxofonist
Music Teacher
I've been asked to write about my country. The truth is I’m Spanish by law, but for some time I haven’t been feeling like that, but rather linked to a small country that does not exist as a state yet: Catalonia. 
It’s strange because, although it does not exist, there’s a National Theater, a National Library and many other national things. My colleagues from Madrid always make fun of this. I guess it is funny somehow.

I was lucky to study in a Catalan school, the ‘Isabel de Villena,’ which gave me a very unusual point of view, very critical and, paradoxically, very tolerant with "the enemy." My tolerance and love for Spain grew as a result of living abroad and dealing with people from many different places. I had never considered Catalan independence, much less in these times of globalization. I did not understand the concept of border, and I foolishly believed that our country could belong to everyone, shared with respect of course, like when I was around the UK.

But as I've grown I've seen the pain inflicted from outside to my own language and traditions. How the media and the Spanish state violate our right to speak our language, how they push us economically, making fun of us, all in order to gain some votes. Shameful! 
All this has lately raised a feeling inside me I’ve never had before, a sense of struggle, of strength, of belonging to a group. I've had enough of everything already! 
And by this I’m not saying that everything that happens in my country seems wonderful to me. I have some reviews and bad feelings about some things that happen in Catalonia, things that often make me feel bad about belonging to the land I love.

I guess if I had to vote in a referendum, I would vote for the independence of my country, my home. In fact, I did so in a brave simulation that took place there. The thing is, Spain still seems a beautiful place to me, but more hostile every day, to which I am not allowed to belong anymore, just because I have my own identifying signals, from my home, for which I feel proud. 
What I do not understand is that Spain doesn’t want us, but it won’t let us go either.

Sandra Moncusi
Singer and Saxofonist
Music Teacher
www.sandramoncusi.com

Read other citizens' voice articles
Etiquetes de comentaris:

9 comentaris:

  • Anònim says:
    30 de juliol del 2011, a les 1:28

    "How the media and the Spanish state, violate our right to speak our language".

    Examples, please.

  • Anònim says:
    30 de juliol del 2011, a les 4:36

    Examples:
    - The Violation of the Human Right of Self-Determination (includes recent specific examples): http://helpcatalonia.blogspot.com/2011/06/violation-of-human-right-of-self.html
    - The discrimination of Catalans in the European Union only because of the position of the Kingdom of Spain: http://helpcatalonia.blogspot.com/2011/06/europe-of-everyone-also-of-catalans.html (see also http://helpcatalonia.blogspot.com/2011/07/free-moritz-beers-to-european-mp-to.html)
    - The Anti-Catalan Prejudice: http://helpcatalonia.blogspot.com/2011/06/subjective-look-at-anti-catalan.html
    - Paying twice for the same thing: http://helpcatalonia.blogspot.com/2011/06/paying-twice-for-same-thing.html
    - Historic attacks to Catalan (from centuries ago till today, including the media): http://helpcatalonia.blogspot.com/2011/06/spanish-nationalism-3.html

  • david says:
    30 de juliol del 2011, a les 8:14

    Very good article, Sandra. I agree with most of it.

  • Anònim says:
    4 d’agost del 2011, a les 15:25

    I completely agree with you but just the other way round. I was born in asturias 34 years ago and came to Catalonia (because I wanted, that´s to say, not forced by hostile circumstances) in 2004. I wanted to taste new sensations; new points of view towards my country. In all these years I haven´t heard a single word of love towards Spain from a catalan politician. Even those that are not in favour of the independence of Catalonia mark a clear distance so that nobody points at them as Spanish. Spain is not an Empire. Spain lost its colonies many years ago. Franco died more than 30 years ago (he is still alive in the minds of some people in Catalonia but the truth is that, fortunately, he is a figure of the past). Please live in 2011. I´m not against the independence of Catalonia. If most people here want to say goodbye to Spain I give them my support because, to be honest, this situation is unsustainable but stop using old prejudices against a plural and complex country.

  • YuriBCN says:
    4 d’agost del 2011, a les 21:15

    I'm glad to see you have come round to seeingindependence in a better, positive light. Independence is not an issue of separaton, of borders, of "us vs them", but rather of a collective, citizens' right to determine how we are to govern ourselves.

  • Catamunt says:
    5 d’agost del 2011, a les 9:58

    For the comment on August 4, 2011 3:25 PM:
    I see that you agree on the bad treatment from Spain towards Catalans and Catalonia. If not, please see examples in a previous comment or just read more articles in this blog.
    Regarding love from Catalans towards Spain, the love they have is the same love they have for France, Italy, or China.
    Catalan politicians don't need to show more love to Spain, and don't need nor want to be seen as Spaniards because they are not. Furthermore, they are not saying anything agains Spain or the Spaniards, they are just not showing more love than they show for other countries.
    And from my point of view it is very kind of the Catalans to be like this towards the country that treats them so badly and conceals their right of self-determination. Or do you want Catalans to constantly express love after the ruling of the Spanish Constitutional Court against the Statute of Autonomy they voted in referendum and that stated that Catalonia is a nation, to put a recent and clear example out of hundreds.
    You ask Catalans to stop using prejudices. Is this ruling a prejudice? Is not saying that Catalans are Spanish and not expressing love for those that do such a ruling a prejudice? And again, the ruling is an example out of hundreds, as this blog tries to show.

  • Anònim says:
    6 d’agost del 2011, a les 6:53

    "What I do not understand is that Spain doesn’t want us, but it won’t let us go either"

    Well, it's actually quite easy to understand: they don't want us, but they want our money.

  • Anònim says:
    11 d’agost del 2011, a les 5:34

    Catalonia, as a nation, was born in the 988, after the independence from the french Kingdom. From then Catalunya had its own currency.

    During the 13, and 15th century Catalunya was the greatest european nation, becoming an empire that comprised the kingdom of catalunya (including south of france), kingdom of mallorca, kingdom of aragon, kingdom of valència (including what today is region of murcia), Kingdom of Naples and Sardinia, and part of Greece (Athens).

    During the 16th century, the King of Catalunya marries the Queen of Castille. Both territories were supposed to be independnet from each other, with different languages, and law system. The concept of "Spain" (not as a State but as a territory) was born at that time and "Spain" that at the begining was understood as the geographical umbrella for such union of Kingodms it became something different over the years.

    From the XVI and on, Castillans took ownership of "Spain" as concept and decided that Castilla will not longer be Castilla but Spain, and to impose its own language, currency, laws and regulations to all other kingdoms included under such umbrella (Spain), and today, what we know as Spain is only Castilla's domination over nations.

    Catalunya lost its political independance in 1714 Catalunya's when, part of the ancient catalan terrioty (north of france)was coneded to France by the Sapnish (Castillian) King, and its language and laws were forbidden.

    Since then, many attempts have been done to recover Catalunya's lost rights, and even the political independence but since then several military "Coup d'État" took place in order to fear the catalan population.

    300 years after, Calan people still believe and feel Catalunya as a nation. It could have been otherwise, but Spain decided not to accept us as a nation, but to dominate us because of our economic prosperity during the past 700 years.

    Today, Castilla is still far behind Catalunya, economically speaking, and this is the reason why, even if they do not like us, they do not want to let us go. We feed them with our blood and sweet.

    Maybe we should stop working and ask for more social bennefits, maybe only at that time there might be a chance for Catalunya..

  • Bárbol says:
    14 de setembre del 2013, a les 5:05

    I am Spanish and I love Catalunya, Catalan language and Catalan people. Please, don't believe in politics and coarse propaganda, believe in people.

Publica un comentari a l'entrada