Nearly 10 years after the attempted referendum on Catalan independence which led to violent clashes between the public and the police, the political demands of the independence movement have not been met. ENTR travelled to Catalonia in June to meet with young people there who are continuing the fight to preserve Catalan identity – not with politics, but with culture.
“The only Spanish thing about me is my identity card.” That is one of the first things Pau told us. We met the former Catalan independence activist in Celra, a village near Girona in Catalonia, where he grew up. Catalan independence has been a point of contention for centuries. As soon as you set foot in this region of northern Spain, it’s easy to understand why its inhabitants see Catalonia as a nation in its own right, with a distinct language, flag, culture, architecture and customs.
