Today, citizens will demand Catalan be made official in Aragon.
The main event by the Correllengua initiative will be held in Mequinensa and opponents want to stop it.
For the first time in history a Correllengua national event –an initiative similar to Korrika- will take place today in the Franja de Ponent area, which is inside Aragon, although Catalan is the main language. The event will be held in Mequinensa. There will be talks, a show for the children, concerts and other events. That is, unless the opponents of Catalan prevent it. Indeed, they have announced they will impede the events and they have threatened Guillem Chacon, the organiser. Despite the failure of the protests against the Children's Correllengua last Sunday in Fraga they have not given up. Furthermore, they have called a demonstration in Zaragoza on the 25th this month, under the slogan, No to the Catalan language, No to the Catalan Countries.
Although it is part of Aragon and despite there being no place for Catalan in education, it is a region where Catalan is the majority language. It has a population of 60,000 distributed into 4 areas and 62 small villages –most of them with populations of 400-500 people-. The first declaration in favour of the language was signed by the mayors of the region in Mequinensa 20 years ago, but the language continues to have no official recognition.
There are laws, but no official status
A number of agreements would come later: the 1993 Justice document, the 1999 law of Aragon Cultural Heritage, the European Agreement on Minority Languages (ratified in 2002) and the Mequinensa Declaration (2002). In that latest declaration, 187 mayors representing 86% of the villages of the Franja asked the Aragon regional Parliament to give official status to the Catalan language.
Today's event has been organised by the Franja de Ponente Jaume I Association and the pro-Catalan Language Organisations Umbrella Group, and the presidents of all the culture organisations from the Franja will be in Mequinensa.
Correllengua is being organised in Valencia, Andorra, Catalonia and the Rosellon during the coming days. The one in the Franja will arrive in Matarranya tomorrow.
As the president of the Matarranya Cultural Association, Hipolit Soler, said 60,000 Catalan speakers live in the Franja. As well as not having official recognition, he denounced that Matarranya has been split up.
Guillem Chacon -Organizer of the Franja De Ponente Correllengua
"We only have administrative relations with Aragon"
Chacon is a member of the Jaume I Association and the organiser of the Correllengua. Last year, a group opposed to Catalan destroyed the environmental education centre where Chacon worked and this year he has also received threats. Nevertheless, he is sure the opponents will fail.
What is the meaning of today's event?
The Franja is a Catalan region, although in administrative terms we are part of Aragon. Up to now we have organised a number of events in favour of the Catalan language and culture, but tomorrow's [today's] will be the first national event. Although our identity is Catalan, there is no education in Catalan because the Government of Aragon does not allow it. Through this event we want to demand a law for the language and support for the Catalan language and identity. 20 years ago the Mequinensa declaration was signed, to say `enough is enough!´ to marginalisation. But Castilian is being spoken more and more, because even the education system is in Castilian.
How many people are you expecting?
We expect around one thousand people. That is a lot for us, because Mequinensa only has 2,600 inhabitants. Added to this, it will be very important because all the culture associations have come together for the event.
The Franja is the region where Catalan is most spoken. How can that be explained?
It is very curious. The percentage of speakers is very high, thanks to oral transmission; the average is 93%. Nevertheless, Castilian is becoming stronger and in a number of places they use the Castilian words for the days of the week or the colours. The Franja has 62 small villages and up to now there has been little immigration. That is why the few people that did come from other places were quickly integrated. The festivals, though, are held in Castilian and there are two organisations that support the Castilian language. They receive public grants. They are members of the Federation of Eastern Aragon Culture Associations.
You have been threatened and attacked, in what way?
Last March, they destroyed the environmental education centre where I worked. Last week a group calling itself the Valencia Action Group called to go to Fraga and ruin the children's Correllengua, but only 14 people turned up. It is interesting to se how they have broadened their calls to include the Catalan Countries, although they are against Catalonia. Now they have made threats, saying that if we go ahead with the Correllengua they will attack us. But it will be a grand failure. Furthermore, the threats have had a positive effect, because the mayors of the Franja have supported the national event.
What kind or relations do you have with Aragon?
There are hardly any relations, merely administrative ones, except with those that speak Aragonese; we demand language rights together with them. In sports competitions we usually take part with the Catalan federations –they do not insult us for speaking in Catalan- in the in the field of culture, we also work with associations from Catalonia. Our models are Lleida and Barcelona; we were all born in Lleida, and we also go to the hospital or the university in Lleida.
Are they aware of the situation of the Franja in other Catalan regions?
The people who are active in the culture associations or other areas of society know our situation well, but many citizens do not. For example, people come here and since they see the Aragon road signs they start talking in Castilian.
What do you think of the proposal made by Catalonia to create closer links among the regions that were part of the Kingdom of Aragon?
They talk more about that in Aragon than in the Franja. Apart from the PP, all the parties agree with creating closer links.
Ainara Mendiola
19.07.2004
