THE Galician Language
Galiza, the Forgotten People
OUR LANGUAGE IS GALICIAN
The political situation
The actual government of Galiza is formed by this Spanish political right party called PP, where the old Franco's connection and ideas are still holding. They came to power in the early 80's and hold in with all kind of 'democratic' abuses. Galizians lacking the democratic tradition for the institutions and the education of the people on its own culture, history and language after 400 years of Spanish colonialism, are denied the power of clever decisions and choices. The actual president of the Galizian government, Mr. Manuel Fraga Iribarne, is one of the fiercest former ministers of Franco. Really they hold in hostage the Galizian people, its culture and language.
What the Spaniards couldn't do in 400 years of colonization, to assimilated the Galizians, the PP, called in Galiza -espanholeiros- ( because they put first the interests of Spain before the interests of the Galizian people they were elect to defend ), will do it in a few years. They use words to convince without the less regret and they do otherwise. They are destroying the Galizian culture and language throughout a forced assimilation. They created institutions with they own people: the CIRP ( profaning the name of the illustrious Galizian , Ramon Pinheiro , which name was used for naming this center ); the institute for the Galizian language, the ILG ; the R.A.G. ( who in the past was one of the more clear defenders of the Galizian language) ; the Galizian TV ( which is an instrument of assimilation,) ; ... They put they own people in charge in universities and institutions without the less respect for the democratic process and a pluralistic society.
They have persecute people in universities, with they own laws, those who defend the Galizian and its culture ( for example, in the university of - A Corunha- they have eliminated the department of Galizian just because the people there defend the historical Galizian ). Today, because of the political interference, most of this people who are holding key positions in these institutions and universities are of very poor intellectual level and they are only there to justified the politics of the actual Galizian government, in fact, politics define what is culture, language and history in Galiza.
There are only two papers , one using the Galizian language, called -A NOSA TERRA- and the other artificially created and representing only the interests of this kind of Fascist party, the PP - is write in Castrapo- ( I will explained later ) called - O Correo Galego-. There is a law to support with grants publications in Galizian but they are used only for they own party paper -O Correo Galego- that they support completely. The grants are denied to the first Galizian paper, 'A Nosa Terra', because they do not writ in -Castrapo-, they do in Galizian ( Galeg ), so they said... Grants, ... have as first condition to be writen and use the assimilated form of Galizian, the Castrapo of the actual government.
international |
rights, freedoms and repression |
opinion/analysis
Tuesday August 24, 2004 03:05
by BANDUA CATOC - LANÇAS DE BREOGHAN
seanport at mixmail dot com
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Comments (10 of 10)
Jump To Comment: 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1Hey there,
I Have been searching for a while for the meaning of my last name. So many people have told me that Gallegos means Galatian or Galician? I found this web site and am very exicted that i found it. After reading some comments I did not know how things are over your way. This sounds crazy but here in the U.S. more specifically in the State of New Mexico there is a huge Spanish or hispanic culture from Spain. I am very curious about where the Gallegos tree comes from. You know for years I have loved Irish music and enjoy it very much. So I have been told that Irish could be in my blood. If anyone would like to respond that would be great.
You all have a great day.
Lorenzo Gallegos
Fraga collapsed yesterday mid-speech in the galician regional parliament "La Xunta".
After a short break he returned to the chamber to finish his speech, seeking to end the split in his government. the Galician PP are discussing his continued leadership of the party and the possibility of his replacement. Fraga (in his mid eighties) had promised to retire after the Spanish general election of March 2004.
Fraga "the ancient", surprised no-one by taking on the job of running the Xunta for another term, but in what may be indicative of even he becoming aware of his age, he has appointed two vice presidents.
Alberto Núñez Feijoo, "consejero de Política Territorial", and José Manuel Barreiro, of Medio Ambiente.
So if he does finally kick the bucket soon, (Fraga can only be compared to Paisley for the length of his political career)
there will be two avowed Nunca Mais opponent old timers to "carry on as if nothing happened".
The name is written Gharbanzo Nejro I have seen them a couple of times, it´s a crazy mixture of ska, galician folk, rock and god knows what more... but I don´t know them personally . It is true that young people in Galiza is mainly abstentionist, that many people vote rigthwing, but social and political activity in Galiza is very intense, participation in strikes, demonstrations and rallies is amanzingly big. Antiwar demonstrations and general strike demonstrations were among the largest in the state. Previously we had had a galician general strike (the only place in the State), apart from Nunca Mais. So the point is that we are a fighting people with its own contradictions and we are not specially strange. Anyway sometimes I also wonder how can we still be voting for an ex-franco minister but remember that Aznar and many ministers had also a Fascist past, a lot of them belong to elitits ultracapitalist sects as OPUS DEI and Christ´s Legion (as well as some socialists) and PP rules many other regional states and what is more important socialist party (though from the outside it can be seen differently) was historically pretty much the same as PP. (State terrorism, privatisations, corruption, supression of labour rights etc...)See you¡¡¡
I know the reasons are long and complicated and I'm not the author of the comments that are probably getting up your nose.
but just to finish by telling you I shared a house with Nunca Mais activists, our house (a little attico) was plastered in nunca Mais stickers and agit-prop and we used our roof space to fly flags. Included were two jolly rogers, one Irish tricolour, one Galizian Star, one Catalan Star (la senyera) , one Basque flag (la ikurriña) and one EU flag in green with black stars, one Red Black diagonal anarchist flag and a little Swiss cross, a Swedish flag and a Canadian Maple Leaf.
This tells you many things-
We liked flags.
Our rooftop sent out confusing messages.
But it _doesn't_ tell you anything about our voting intentions or history.
I know that my Galizian, independence flag waving friends love their flag, (which is why I uploaded it) I know the Nunca Mais agitprop was deliberately designed to remind people of the Galizian flag. But I also know that none of them voted-
I also know the largest display of Irish annual nationalism sees Bagpipes and flags waved and uniforms displayed and I know that the "socialist" quality of the messangers seems to "dip" at that time.
Anyway, you know "garbanzos negras"?
They're a celtic rock ska fusion band.
They'd love to do a gig in Ireland if you could sort it out. They dont vote but they have the flags.
:-)
for any galician is obvious that the role of BNG in NUNCA MAIS was not just "attending" demonstrations. NUNCA MAIS is a social and political plataform and it is led by the decisions adopted in its meetings by democratic means and BNG is just part of that along with many others (PSOE and PP did not ever belong to NUNCA MAIS, the "socialist" party critisiced and rejected many of their demonstrations and demands).
But the point is that nationalists were the most active part of the movement, nationalists flags clearly visible carried by thousands of persons in each demonstration (you can see that in INTERNET too, specially the Madrid demonstration) and what is more important: the day-to-day work of NUNCA MAIS in hundreds of little villages, countryside and even cities was carried out mainly by nationalists militants.
I don´t know anything about Irish parties and demonstrations but BNG (nationalism in general)is the only galician organisation that can annually and regularly mobilise thousands of persons. No social movement in my coutry is able to move thousands of persons without the participation of organised nationalism. Nationalist demonstrations in 1 May are (at least) twice as large as the Spanish union´s demonstrations.
It would take a lot of time trying to explain why Galiza votes PP, why Ireland votes FF or FG, why Mexico votes Fox and Colombia Uribe but
reality is always much more complex and different than electoral politics.
nor was the site, the first demonstrations, nor the logo the work of BNG.
Members of BNG took part in those mobilisations, as did members of PP and PSOE and all parties but they in no sense "led them". It's a bit like members of the Irish Labour party taking credit for the protests against the war, or members of the PSC claiming they mobilised Barcelona.
And in the municipal elections of 2003 only 15,000 less votes went to PP.
Indeed one of the municipalities most effected by chapopote Muxia, voted unanimously for the PP.
http://barcelona.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=43924&group=webcast
Meanwhile, yesterday the PSOE called on Rajoy of the PP to "regenerate his party" and choose someone else to be president of the Xunta. Rajoy had last week blessed Fraga's decision to renege his commitment of March 2004 _not to lead th Xunta again_.
Rajoy in his blessing used the words-
"I'm a galician, and Fraga is good for galicia".
the independence flag of Galizia as flown throughout Galizia and in politicised villages of Galician Portugal (southern Galicia)
I´m Galician and the BNG and its militants were an essential part of Nunca Mais. In fact BNG was its most resolute driving force. This huge social movement against oil spillings and dumping in our coast would be almost impossible without nationalists organisations, unions etc... Spanish "socialist" parties and organisations tried to stop it. Besides the now "socialist" spanish goverment is doing the same as PP before regarding sea transport. European shipowners and charteres do what they want thanks to deregulation and deliberate lack of security. Galician fishermen and workers in general pay the destruction of our resources and jobs by multinationals. This summer we have suffered another dumping: 20 tons of shit in our beaches. Nobody was arrested, authorities did nothing. NUNCA MAIS
but the poorest migrate and youngest don't vote. Indeed I reckon the right wing "pan-spanish" vote in Catalonia and the Basque can largely be ascribed to the many migrant galicians and andalucians who came to find work in the 1960s. The Nunca Mais campaign credited itself in the end with reducing the vote for the right PP and right wign nationalists BNG by about 15,000 votes.
Yesterday Rajoy the leader of the PP (another galician) approved Fraga for another term as president of the Xunta. Fraga is along with Paisley the oldest politician in Europe.
Fraga was a minister in Franco's government.
the girls are very cute.
and so too are the boys.
Franco was a galician, and the majority of galicians are proud of this fact. They are a right-wing bunch and the reason the PP rules Galicia is because the majority elect them to office!
Franco considered "Galician" to be merely a dialect of Castillian (Spanish). That view is also shared by a majority of ordinary galicians who are abandoning the dialect for standard Castillian.