Reason 31: The only way to get all products labelled in Catalan

How many years have passed since the restoration of democracy. I remember in those times people spoke another type of Catalan. I remember that the first Catalan TV channel TV3 had to 'create' an artificial language, as so many years of linguistic oppression had brought a tremendous lack of vocabulary, since by law everthing had to be in foreign language (French in North Catalonia in Spanish in South Catalonia). Watching Catalan TV series was like watching to a utopian, non-existent and surprising Catalonia, in which you could see a robber speaking Catalan, where you could hear people talk about products in Catalan for the first time. Gradually the situation has changed, but not much. In Southern Catalonia (the Spanish side), one of the most serious causes of this deficiency of vocabulary are the 500 laws that require the labelling of products in Spanish language or the use of Spanish language in business and on the other hand, the almost total lack of resources or desire to get products tagged in Catalan.

What a relieve it was for me, in 1992, to move to a country where there are no such linguistic deficiencies, and what makes me sad seeing how Catalonia, after 20 years in Amsterdam, has hardly improved, it gets one step forward and two backwards.

I was very happy to discover businesses like supermarket chain Bon Preu, where the fancy brands of the chain are in Catalan, but if you want to buy any ‘A’ brand you practically won’t find any in Catalan at all.

If my conclusion, long ago, was already that only a Catalan state can get this situation to normality, now it is being enforced by a new EU law. The EU is looking to take a new measure that will make even more difficult to label in Catalan, and will even turn tagging only in Catalan into an illegal activity. The EU wants to force EU member states to label their products in one of the languages that are official in Europe. In the case of Spain it is definitely not the Catalan language, as Madrid blocks the access of Catalan language to have an official status in Europe. (Http://www.elsingulardigital.cat/cat/notices/2011/07/l_etiquetatge_en_catala_en_perill_70738.php)

As with the Catalan language at schools, the situation is precarious and uncertain as long as Catalonia is part of Spain (and France). The Catalan language, after 30 years of 'democracy' is still in a similar situation. Buy a car, medicine, shampoo, quince, cheese, condoms, or whatever you want. To find any product in Catalan is still a rare and surprising experience. This phenomenon is not only emotionally painful, is a constant weakening and impoverishment of our language; it is a constant free Spanish lesson for native and foreign citizens. Imagine a foreigner who wants to learn Catalan (and does not know Spanish). Going to the supermarket and all interested in how the products are called in Catalan. Well, what will she learn? pañuelos, lavavajillas, membrillo? Not a single Catalan word. No mocadors, rentavaixelles, codony.

Besides these inconveniences, Catalans still today have to snap to Spanish language when talking about certain products that in the public arena only exist in Spanish language as the Spanish law commands.

It is clear that without the protection of an own state Catalonia will never reach a normal labelling of products.
More information (in Catalan):

http://blogspersonals.ara.cat/elcatalasuma/2011/11/03/faktum-abstrakt-rationell/
http://blogspersonals.ara.cat/elcatalasuma/2011/10/06/etiquetatge-catala-llei-i-acompliment-ii-un-criteri-curios-en-l%e2%80%99aplicacio-de-les-lleis/
http://www.elsingulardigital.cat/cat/notices/2011/07/l_etiquetatge_en_catala_en_perill_70738.php

Reason 17: Only way to ensure normal distribution of all Catalan TV channels

When I was little (around 25 years ago) people already said how nice it would be to be able to see all TV channels in Catalan language; not only our TV but also the TV from Valencia and the Balearic islands.
In the Netherlands, around 30 or 40 years ago they already could see the TV of their southern Flemish neighbours, who also speak the same language. To have the same mother tongue creates an emotional bond and it facilitates collaboration between both territories. Singers, writers, students and workers go back and forth and work in both territories and feel perfectly integrated without any effort. There are even possibilities to go to a Flemish hospital when Dutch hospitals have long waiting lists. All of this because we speak the same language. We all know how that in the Catalan countries (Països Catalans) singers from Mallorca or Valencia can become stars in Catalonia and that students come to Barcelona and can study in Catalan and feel perfectly ‘at home’ among the Catalans.
So, what’s wrong? Why, after 30 years of ‘democracy’ in Spain it is still not possible to arrange something as easy as to allow all Catalan speaking territories to see the TV channels of their neighbours? Well, this is Spain, and Spain is still different. Yes, we are in the European Union, yes we do have a kind of ‘democracy’. But in Spain, just like in Russia, the media are controlled by politicians. And they are Spanish nationalists who are at the power and whose interest is to ensure that the Catalan countries remain as separated as possible. They do this in different ways. One of them is by redirecting all possibilities of transport to Madrid and impoverishing the trans-Catalan connections (as they have been doing the last 15 years with all ways of transportation, train, highways and flight routes).
Another is by impeding that the Catalan territories talk or listen to each other by avoiding the development of a Pan Catalan confederation of communications (TV, radio). The last steps in this direction were to ban Catalan TV from Valencia (until last year Valencians could watch Catalan TV) and also to ban Catalan TV from North Catalonia (France).
But now the Spanish nationalists have a new tool to ensure that we don’t mingle much with our Catalan speaking neighbours: TDT.
TDT is the new digital TV, which soon will substitute the old analog system. It seems that this will give the Spanish nationalists even more power to avoid us watch the TV channels of our Catalan speaking neighbours.
The territories in which Catalan is being spoken is quite big. Most of them with own TV channels. Valencia, Catalonia, Balearic Islands, North Catalonia (France), Andorra and even Alghero in Italy has an own TV channel in Catalan language. With more than 9 million inhabitants who speak it, it is not the smallest language in Europe.
I am afraid that, here again I will be right: only the independence of Catalonia will give us the power to realise this.
Can you imagine how many TV channels we will have the day we are an independent country? We will have the tools to get all TV channels in Catalan language in the world without the interference of any anti Catalan politician.
For now we will have to go on the activist way, which is a lot of work and unfortunately it does not work very often. But this is the only tool we have.
If you agree with having as many as possible TV channels in Catalan here is a link in which you can send a letter to the Spanish minister of industry asking him to make it possible (only in Catalan).
http://www.indexcat.cat/somdeumilions/campanya.htm
To be honest, I don’t expect anything, but I just can’t sit and see how they keep applying all sorts of limitations to us and do nothing about it. I think it is important to let them know what we want, and that we are not happy with what they are doing. We also give them a chance to do something about it, to take away another reason to wish independence.
They don’t seem to be aware of the fact that by giving us the freedom to develop ourselves we would not see any benefits in becoming independent. Their wish to transform us into Spaniards is what feeds our wish to become independent.
Articles on this theme (in Catalan):
*http://www.directe.cat/article/obra-cultural-balear-adverteix-que-larribada-de-la-tdt-pot-significar-un-retroces-de-la-ll-12132
*http://www.directe.cat/article/lestat-frances-tanca-la-tdt-nordcatalana
*http://www.directe.cat/article/el-govern-intercedeix-perque-tvc-pugui-emetre-en-digital-a-la-catalunya-del-nord-12855