Before arrival into Barcelona, I was unsure of what to expect from the Catalan Natives. Spain was an old region of study of mine in previous Spanish and European history courses; and I never really imagined visiting the country until this spring semester when I found out that I had been accepted into the Georgetown- ESADE business program. I remember learning about Catalonia and how the region was culturally different from the rest of Spain and has had a long history of separatism and that Catalan is one of the main official languages spoken in the region.
We arrived in Barcelona on Saturday June 1st, and began our stay at the ESADE Campus in Sant Cugat de Valles ( Sant Cugat), an area about 45 minutes north of Barcelona. Our program facilitator familiarized us with the city and took us to the city plaza where there is an array of shops, a monastery, and a metro station. I returned there Sunday morning and noticed that there were so many flags like the one depicted above. At first, I guessed that the flag represented the city of Barcelona, but upon doing research and asking around, I've found that the flag is called " La Bandera estelada de Catalunya or "Seneyera," and it symbolizes an indepedent Catalonia. The flag is unrecognized by the Spanish government as an official flag because they believe that it represents a separatist sentiment, which they don't wish to promote.
Catalans still fly the flag because they are practicing their freedom of expression. The 3rd Article of the Provisional Constitution of the Catalan Republic, written in 1928 in Havana, Cuba, first modeled the flag. It has then become a symbol of nationalism for the people of Catalonia. The four red stripes represent four rivers of blood, and the blue triangle with the star inside represents the national freedom of Barcelona.
Discovering this flag has strengthened my knowledge of the participation in civic life by the people of Catalan. In the foundation of the Spanish Empire, Catalonia and Spain became one, and this history is one that is very important to all Catalonians because this goes to show how the two regions are very different and have distinct cultures.
To close, I just want to express how important civic engagement is to all people across the globe. Learning about the strong political expressionism of the Catalonians and their strong nationalism has motivated me to participate more in civic life and in the improvement of the lives of those suffering at the expense of political power.
