If a reality is misunderstood, misinterpreted, unknown, or confused, it often brings bad consequences. If we cannot find our way, we
cannot set the right position nor react coherently. We need the chance to be
well informed, in a complete way, in order to make our own mind on a certain
matter. That is the reason why the press is there, or it should be.
That’s why I want to try to explain to everybody who does not know what Catalonia is, and particularly to German people. We are not, nor will be Spain, and soon we will stop being one of its possessions assimilated by the use of violence, one of the most hated and suffocated cultures in Spain.
First of all, let’s have a look through history: In 1939 Germany declared war
to all neighbouring countries and more. German people left their own home to
kill other people who were living peacefully, and destroyed countries and
families, bringing pain everywhere. They were convinced what they were
doing was right, as any of us when we do what we must. Massive murders and torturing
“different” people lasted seven years until, thank god, they lost the war. The
victims of this tragedy (that is, people from neighbouring countries as Holland,
Sweden, France, Austria, Poland, and Hungary, as well as from other ones
as the United Kingdom, Russia, and the United States) decided to help
the attackers to recover by keeping an eye on them.
The Nazis who came back to their nation and their families decided to work for democracy, in order not to have to explain to their children what they had done. They went back to their jobs as teachers, judges,or builders. The invaded countries, as they had won the war, could become themselves again. At the schools of the invader country, my husband’s generation only studied the history before and after the war, but they did not hear anything from “The Führer” and all his followers. All these kids grew up with embarrassment and with a really small heart for their country.
Nowadays, the attitude at German schools is completely different. The history of “Dritte Reicht” is well known for all students. I wish I could pass on to my four children the contemporary Catalan history in such a complete way as they have received the German one. Since 1945 Germans enjoy a democracy, sometimes almost imposed, that has brought this country to where it is at present. The German mentality is known for its analytical powers, critical opinion, never superficial but precise. As a resident myself in this country, I want to say that here I have found tolerance, enthusiasm, and an effort to maintain certain principles that allow coexistence with respect. It has been a long time, 67 years, so it impresses and demonstrates the intelligence and good intentions of the German people.
Now let’s move to Catalonia. The Spanish and Catalan
cultures come from different historical roots. They both were Romanized during
the third century AC, but they develop independently from each other. The
Catalan language is not a dialect, it is one of the Romance languages as Spanish,
French, Portuguese or Italian. From the 11th century til the 18th
century, the Iberian Peninsula was formed by the Kingdom of Castile, Leon,
Navarra, Aragon and Al-Andalus. Later on the Kingdom of Castile took control
over the Kingdoms of Leon and Al-Andalus. In 1365, in the Kingdom of
Catalonia-Aragon the Generalitat de Catalunya was established as a governing
institution. In 1492 ships from Castile conquered America, destroying its
native, imposing them the Spanish language, and appropriating
all their wealth.
During the 18th century the Kingdom of Castile
won the War of Spanish Succession against the Kingdom of Catalonia-Aragon, so the
Bourbon monarchy was imposed and the present Spanish State was formed. On
September 11th 1714 the ancestor of the current king of Spain, Juan
Carlos I, and Castile’s troops conquered Barcelona. The invasion of the
Catalan Countries (composed of Catalonia, the Valencia Region, and the
Balearic Islands) represented the submission of the Catalan people, the loss of
their governing institutions and properties, the repeal of their laws as well
as becoming part of the Spanish Kingdom.
In 1931 Lluís Companys declared the Independent
Republic of Catalonia and restored the Generalitat de
Catalunya. In 1936, three years before the German nation decided to invade Europe, the Spanish “Führer” General Francisco Franco together with the Bourbon Monarchy as
well as the power of Spanish Catholic Church dissolved the Catalan Republic and
murdered our president Lluís Companys and all the Catalan people that
offered resistance.
Catalan men had to go to the war, leaving their wives and children and die. Catalan women who had not to stay to hide away kids and grandparents, went to the front to fight and die. Since then many Catalan were obliged to go into exile. The ones who decided to stay in Catalonia remained under Franco’s dictatorship, had to learn Spanish, keep quiet and bend their heads down in order to avoid being executed in a firing squad.
In 1975, after a 67 year long dictatorship, Francisco Franco died and then the descendant of the Bourbon Monarchy Juan Carlos I appeared on the Spanish television to give us one of
his speeches. Since then, in Spain, democracy is what it is. This democracy has produced some interesting results:
1. The Spanish King Juan Carlos I addresses to Catalan people to tell them that the independence will not be possible, “you’d better forget about it.”
2. Spanish Curia declares that Spain has to remain united.
3. Military forces threaten to send back their tanks to Catalonia.
4. The Spanish minister of Education tells the media the urgent necessity of Spanishizing all kids at Catalan schools.
5. The Spanish government tries to boycott the voting process in Catalonia as well as terrorizes Catalan people.
The submission of Catalan people and its culture has been
carried out for 298 years. After all these years of repression and injustice
they have not been able to make us look like them, Spanish and Catalans: because
we are two different nations. I will not talk about economical plundering Spain
has been causing to my country to the point of drying it completely. I would only like to leave something clear: Catalonia push for independence is not just based on economic
reasons, it is based on its deep sociocultural. We just want to be respected for what we are, a nation, a culture, a
country, a group of people with a social identity.
About Catalan way of being, I will say we are peaceful, brave and obstinate. We do not want to go to war. We do not want our husbands, wives, children to have to fight on the front to defend their country. The Catalan people have believed in democracy during many centuries and so we will never stop fighting in a peaceful way in favour of tolerance and respect.
Another of our features is sincerity, speaking frankly
as I am doing now when I say now is not the right moment to talk about money
and debt but to listen to the nation. This is a call reminding us
that this is the time to maintain the democracy in Europe and all over the
world: whether the German people want to listen to it or not. So far, we have
shouted as loud as possible with happiness. We are deeply happy because we know
we are making headway, with Europe listening or not, with Germany
supporting us or not.
If the European Union is really watching over the
human rights as well as the democracy, Catalonia will be soon a new State in
Europe. We will separate from Spain forever, because we have not enjoyed at all
being tortured, murdered, sent to prison, disrespected, and plundered by a
government that we have never wanted because it is not ours, and what's more it
only deserves our honest disrespect. For those who have forgotten, we do have a
national hymn and it is called “The
Segadors.”
I hope I have managed to inform the German people about something they ignored or at least managed to stimulate their natural interest in understanding the reality that surrounds them.
Yours sincerely,
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Anna Mallorquí Quintana
Doctor
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