Index: Meet The People Behind The Story
Part 7
People I Interviewed
Esther Andres
When Esther isn’t constantly calling people at work, she is all about the food. Her favourite things to do include riding her bike and stopping at restaurants to try new things. If the weather is bad, she’ll probably just stay home and cook.
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(Picture taken from Esther's Instagram)
Guillem Catena
When Guillem isn’t crunching the numbers at his job, he loves to spend time with his dog Bruce which he named after Springsteen (the greatest musician of all time, according to him.) An avid fan of FC Barcelona, he also wishes more time was available for him to cook.
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(Picture taken from Guillem's Instagram)
Sara Martin
A fun-loving person, Sara is happiest when she’s exploring new cultures. If she isn’t trying to challenge her taste buds by cooking up some obscure recipes from Japan or Mexico, Sara dreams about owning a garden where she can grow fresh vegetables to her heart’s content.
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(Picture taken from Sara's Instagram)
Pere Millan
Pere just can’t get enough of the 1960s. If you happen to catch him on an off day, he’ll probably be hunting for vinyl from that era. It’s either that or jamming out to a tune by his favourite artist Bob Dylan.
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(Picture taken from Pere's Twitter)
Gemma Morales
If she’s not talking your ear off, Gemma loves to sing. A soprano in a local and traditional Catalan chorus, she also dances whenever she can.
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(Picture taken from Gemma's Linkedin)
Important Symbols
Estelada
A symbol of Catalan independence. The star in the middle actually comes from Cuba where Catalans were inspired by their independence fight against Spain in the 19th century. The national Constitution of a future state was also written in Cuba by Catalans who lived there.
La Senyera
The national flag of Catalonia, it’s based on the coat of arms of Aragon, the kingdom where Catalonia used to be before it joined Spain. Legend says that the four red bars are actually King Charles the Bald’s bloody fingers which he ran across Count Harry’s shield as a thank you for saving him in battle. In its current form, it’s been the symbol of this region since 1993. It’s not necessarily associated with independence and is more used to show Catalan pride.
Yellow Ribbon
A symbol that is worn by supporters to show solidarity with the imprisoned political prisoners. It is usually worn as a ribbon, pin, taped to buildings or spray-painted on poles
Political Figures
Francisco Franco
The dictator of Spain from 1939-1975, Franco was a fascist who was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands. He tried to eliminate all cultural differences in Spain in order to create one single identity. Despite being a close ally of Hitler and Mussolini, he kept the country out of the Second World War. His burial place remains a huge source of controversy with him being housed at the Valley of the Fallen. His grave is under an enormous cross that makes him seem almost like Jesus. The current Socialist government has promised to move his remains.
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(Image by Hulton-Deutsch via Getty)
Dedications and Acknowledgements
This work is dedicated to my great-grandfather (Joan Marti Olle,) my great-grandmother (Maria Marca Nolla,) my grandfather (Antoni Marti Marca) and my great-uncle (Joan Marti Marca.) Franco robbed me of the chance to ever meet you, but your memory taught me the importance of doing the right thing, no matter what. They say a person really dies once they're forgotten, I can only pray that this work has kept you alive a little longer.
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Thank you to everyone who allowed themselves to be interviewed. A special mention to Guillem and Gemma who both spent over an hour with me and messaged me after the interview constantly to make sure I understood everything they said. I can't thank Gemma enough for all the links that she sent me to help clarify her position. I can only hope that I conveyed it well.
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Thank you to Nicholas Sokic and Nicholas Emmanueli for editing the story.
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Thank you to all my family for supporting me when I felt overwhelmed and checking on me to make sure I finished in time.
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Thank you to Miquel Arasa for helping me arrange important interviews. I would have never found Gemma and Pere without him.
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