Marta Salicrú: "We have nothing to gain from confrontation in the defense of Catalan."

BarcelonaWith the newspaper headlines highlighting Catalan as the great claim of the Diada, the ARA interviews Marta Salicrú (Barcelona, ​​​​1980) two months after being appointed as the first Commissioner for Social Use of Catalan of Barcelona City Council. A journalist by profession, and for six years director of Radio Primavera Sound, she says the assignment took her by surprise but she couldn't say no: "I'm a hard worker and so far I've stepped out of every project I've been involved with. I'm certain that I'm going to work hard and it will serve what articulates my Catalan identity. She's wearing a Salsa Romesco T-shirt with "seny i rauxa" printed on it.

What would it mean to you, when this term ends, to have stepped out as Commissioner for the Social Use of Catalan?

— The mandate is to create structures for implementing municipal language policies that transcend the political party that has led the government. Success would be to have created the Language Office, launched the Catalan Content Creation Center, have the Catalan Council up and running, and launch the second call for grants to promote Catalan. This is already a lot of work, and it would give us a foundation to continue working on. Our ambition must be realistic.

What will the Language Office be responsible for?

— In the end, it will be the Barcelona City Council's Language Policy Department. The Catalan Content Creation Center will also be located here, which we're just finishing conceptualizing and will have a specific governance structure, a physical space, and a more catchy name. hub, nor pole. We want to provide shelter and services to content creators, becoming a breeding ground for the emergence of new communication figures.

Will there be specific subsidies for Catalan?

— We will launch a new line of grants to promote Catalan, which will be launched at the end of December. These grants will be for training and leisure projects, and for digital projects. We have also signed an agreement with the IEC to work on educational leisure. Furthermore, a language perspective will be incorporated into the general municipal grants, in addition to gender, environmental, and multicultural perspectives.

Will Barcelona join the National Pact for Language?

— We'll bring it up at the September plenary session. One of the Pact's requirements, which we had already planned, is the creation of a Language Council, a sectoral committee in which, in addition to the organizations that defend the promotion of the language, I would like to see people who approach it from a digital perspective, who would be more intergenerational and hopefully increasingly diverse. I would like that in a few years, when we look at the type of people who create digital content in Catalan, they will be much more diverse than they are now.

Today only One in four young people regularly uses Catalan In Barcelona and in some neighborhoods its use is practically residual. Why do you think this happens?

— The reasons are very complex. During the transition from elementary school to high school, there comes a time when they consider that Catalan is surely the language of teachers and institutions, and perhaps, in an act of rebellion, which is typical of this stage of life, they may switch to Spanish.

Has there been too much reliance on schools and not enough on the social use of Catalan until now?

— Yes, and that's precisely why there's so much emphasis on digital content. Young people barely watch television anymore, and their cultural consumption is largely through social media. We've also been impacted by other factors, such as the boom in Spanish-language music of Latin American origin. But at the same time, I detect a sense of opportunity that we must quickly seize. Never before has so much music been heard in Catalan as now, nor have there been figures capable of bringing together so many and such diverse audiences as now. We must work to make these role models shine and for young people to want to be like them.

What to do in the face of rulings such as that of the TSJC about Catalan in school?

— For now, the ruling must be appealed. Language immersion is the most precious thing we've had since the restoration of democracy. To claim that immersion prevents people living in Catalonia from learning Spanish is simply a lie.

Beyond young people, what will the City Council do to reach other age groups and groups?

— It's unlikely we'll be able to change the established linguistic skills of a 40-year-old. But one of the pillars we can guarantee is that people who want to use Catalan in their city can do so, that is, to ensure that linguistic rights are respected. In this regard, I'm working to develop information protocols so that establishments are aware of the regulations and, if they aren't following them, can rectify them. And I'm also researching possible inspection protocols to ensure these regulations are complied with. Then, if all else fails, we will implement sanctions, but they must be the final step.

Do you feel that you can live your life in Catalan in Barcelona?

— I do it. It's true that I live in Guinardó, in a neighborhood that's at the top of the Catalan language spectrum in the city, but here in the city center, I also speak Catalan when I order a coffee or a meal. The feeling I get is that the people I address in Catalan feel recognized as fellow citizens. When a group of people interacting in Catalan address someone in the service sector in Spanish, I get angry. Perhaps we're asking too much of the public, because we have to maintain our language and do it with a smile to be liked. I understand it's an effort, but it's what it should be when speaking about a minority language; it's the reality we have. I don't like to put the responsibility on citizens, but when we make the effort to not change languages, it's already a way of influencing usage. Now, the City Council's job is to provide tools so that speakers feel protected and inspired to do this exercise.

You would have gone to stick stickers on the controversial Dellaostia ice cream parlor of Grace?

— No, but I wouldn't have gone back. I do believe in mobilization, I believe in the need to boycott something we don't like. [Putting up stickers] isn't something I would do; now, when someone doesn't treat me well, I don't go back. The nondiscrimination office assisted the client, and the legal department is studying the case so they can present options for them to pursue so that, should they want to take it further, they can do so. An ordinance to combat discrimination is also being worked on, which will include linguistic discrimination and will provide us with tools to combat these acts.

Do you understand why some people believe that, in order to defend Catalan, we must move from seeking seduction to making the linguistic conflict explicit?

— I prefer dialogue and pedagogy. We have nothing to gain from confrontation. And, furthermore, we can't defend the desire to preserve the use of language as a tool for coexistence and then behave in a way that goes against coexistence. It's very difficult, I know. We have a very complex society, with many linguistic challenges, with a context of multilingualism, and I think we'll be better off if, instead of conflict and confrontation, we seek pedagogy and solidarity.

How do you combine being a city open to tourism, one that wants to expand its airport, one that has a 25% foreign population and, therefore, a lot of diversity in the classrooms and on the streets, with being a city that wants to maintain its own language?

— This is the first time the City Council is asking this question, and finally, tools are being put in place. Work is being done to combat the evils of gentrification and mass tourism, and defending the language is another step in this. I would like to see some immediate and visible actions, because we also need to combat pessimism.

Specific actions are proposed with groups that are difficult to penetrate, such as expats?

— I hope to bring this group on board as an ally. Due to the situation of touristification and gentrification, we have reasons to generate a certain antagonism with this group, but my job must be precisely to get them on board. There are other areas working to ensure that the existence of this group doesn't negatively affect the rest of the population.

The municipal government strongly believes in this office or Have you been dragged down by ERC?

— It was one of their reservations, but for now, in these two months, more than tension, I'm finding harmony. I have the feeling there's relief within the municipal structure. When someone came knocking on City Hall's door over language issues, the buck was passed around among the different departments, because no one felt it was their responsibility. Now they know who to turn to. I'm an independent professional; I'm not worried about votes, but about work.