Viva Catalonia

Catalonia is one of my most favorite Fourth World nations. It is has been occupied by the Phonecians, Greeks, Romans, and the emergent kingdom of Spain over the last three thousand years or so and still it persists. Salvador Dalí years ago stepped out into a crowd in Barcelona and before camera’s flashing and with a great smile declared: “Viva Catalonia!”–the nation he loved. Catalonia was chosen by Dali as well as other great artists as Pablo Picasso as their home and place to locate their art museums. Catalonia is the nation in which architect Antoni Gaudí designed and began the construction of Sagrada Familia; perhaps the most remarkable cathederal ever build with its traditional vs modernist facades. Leave it to say Catalonia’s Usages [compiled by Ramon Berenguer in the eleventh century — essentially a constitution predating any such instrument in Europe] provide the foundation for a nation that is not only indigenous to the Iberic peninsula by an order of government that has no parallel in the modern world.

Catalan President Artur Mas looked at the Scot’s independence referendum in September and concluded that “now is a good time to test the political independence waters for Catalonia.” The Generalitat de Catalunya (one of the oldest still-standing governments in the world (older that than the Spanish government) authorized a non-binding vote on 9 November whether Catalans want at state and whether that state should be independent. 80.7% of 2 million votes were cast in favor of statehood and independence. Yes, it is true that the 2 million votes cast represented only 37% of the eligible Catalan votes (many voters failed to cast votes), it is still a strong indication that Catalonia (one of Europe’s 129 Fourth World nation on the Iberic Peninsula awakening in the last thirty-four years from repression by the Francisco Franco regime) is eager to move to a new political status outside of the Spanish shadow.

Catalonia declared its national status, pursued autonomous governing powers and now seeks a new political status: statehood.  Viva Catalonia