On the National Day, and in view of the number of volunteers there are to carry out the arduous task of thinking about the country, let my humble recommendation from here be to look at the Valencian Country and the Balearic Islands. “We must get closer to Valencia,” said Josep Pla: there, on Saturday, there is a great demonstration in defense of public school in Catalan and against the pretension of subjecting it to ideological and linguistic control. It is a crucial fight for everyone. In the Balearic Islands, and in particular in Mallorca and Ibiza, the consequences of touristification are posed with harshness: massification, speculation, overexploitation of natural resources, tension and social inequalities, expulsion of the citizenry due to the impossibility of accessing housing, PISA results at the very tail end of everything. The recommendation is to look at them, the Valencian Country and the Balearic Islands, not to confirm prejudices or archetypes, nor to exercise arrogance or paternalism, because the problems that arise there are, to a large extent, the same ones that Catalonia has. Aena milks us with identical voracity; the Civil Guard, the National Police and the Mossos hit us with the same dedication at demonstrations; the concern for the future (what future and in what conditions) is, more or less, the same throughout the Catalan Countries (and I am already aware that I have not mentioned Northern Catalonia, the Franja, or Alghero; I do so now).Another recommendation if one wants to think about the country is to look at the world. It is not the same as it was nine years ago, when on a day like today it had been a little over three weeks since the 17-A and a little less than three weeks remained until the 1-O. Discussing Catalonia regardless of the climate emergency is to expose oneself to manufacturing obsolete diagnoses and prescriptions from the start. Pretending to discuss immigration while simultaneously minimizing the influence of the far-right—ignoring or leaving out of the discussion the democratic involution and institutional corrosion that the far-right produces throughout the West—is completely missing the mark. It is even more misguided if one loses sight of the fact that Catalonia—and the Valencian Country, and the Balearic Islands—as a small, rich country of the south, and also its language and culture, are true delicacies for the gurus of the global anti-European far-right, potential Ceutas or Greenlands.We wanted a republic to have our own voice in these debates and for it to be a progressive, bold (I will spare the overused adjective revolutionary), open, profoundly and radically democratic voice, with an identity built on the Catalan language and culture that would be capable of welcoming the languages and cultures of the people who come to live here and benefiting from them. That instead of this, public debate has succumbed to the provocations of a few self-proclaimed saviors, to the masturbatory rhetoric of warmongering speeches, or to the rehash of age-old squabbles (where everyone's grandparents were from, for example), is disappointing. Despite this, despite the stifling atmosphere and the feeling of the end of days, the future remains ahead. Long live a free Catalonia and a happy National Day to everyone, except the fascists.

The Catalan Countries have a "ruin" which is Spain, or its dependence, if we adhere to the thesis of Quim Torra (2018-2020), Josep Lluís Albinyana (1978-1979) and Cristòfol Soler (1995-1996), former presidents of Catalonia, the Valencian Country and the Balearic Islands, respectively. Soler and Albinyana were the ones who lasted the shortest time in office in each territory (Torra, the second shortest) and all three ended up quarreling with their parties, Junts, the PSPV and the PP, even though their firm independence has been exhibited again this Thursday at the Catalan Summer University in Prada.

Ten years ago, Carles Capdevila was invited to the 30th anniversary celebration of the magazine Fent Carrerany from Maria de la Salut, a town in Pla de Mallorca where there are still grandmothers and grandfathers who sit at their doorstep chatting when evening arrives, oblivious to the planes that crisscross the sky at every moment, loaded with tourists who bypass those fields and those bell towers, and who head straight for the coast to feed the island-squeezing machine.Ten years later, Maria has not forgotten the conference Carles dedicated to them, with that wise division of life he made between entrepreneurs and annoyers. The magazine's people are of the first category, of course, and this weekend they celebrated the publication's 40th anniversary. The magazine is still alive because it is good, that is, it knows how to explain the monthly history of a town with its births, weddings and deaths, but also its projects, its reflections on the land and the people, and the successes of its bright children. Among these, the engineer founder of Open Cosmos, Rafael Jordà, who in March 2021 put the Enxaneta into orbit, the first nanosatellite that the Generalitat sent into space.It has been an honor to be hosted at Roqueta, Maria's original core, and to take over from the beloved Carles. Fent Carrerany is conceived and written in Catalan, like ARA, and the hours we have shared in Mallorca have made even more evident how rich and powerful the life of the national undergrowth is, which sustains the identity of the Catalan-speaking countries.

As with epic adventures, it all started with a simple whatsapp: "I've had an idea," Pau Emili Muñoz wrote to four friends. He came from the activism of Joves de Mallorca per la Llengua and wanted to make it bigger. "We are tired of having to defend the language from the trenches, because we keep retreating a little. Taking the initiative is more exhausting but more rewarding. It's time to take a step forward," he argues.

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend a performance of the Mystery Play of Elche (thanks to the El Tempir association, which organizes it, for the invitation). It is a marvel, an undeniable joy of medieval Catalan and European culture. For those unfamiliar with it, it is a liturgical drama that depicts the Dormition and Assumption of the Virgin Mary and has been performed uninterruptedly in the Basilica of Santa María in Elche for over five hundred years. The current performance follows the text of the 1625 consueta. The play is sung entirely in Valencian or medieval Catalan—except for brief fragments in Latin—and is musically rich. From a theatrical point of view, it has moments—the appearance of the Angel, the descent of Christ—that make a powerful impression on any spectator, regardless of their religious beliefs. Even today's spectators, accustomed to constant overstimulation and amazing spectacles, are moved and impressed by the Mystery of Elche and its powerful fascination.

In today's football where everything is bought with money, a unique club survives in La Garrotxa with a very strong policy on and off the pitch, based on sustainability and proximity. "It's a project that creates a sense of pride in belonging to this family, which transforms into a bond, unity, and performance." This is how Pedro del Campo, the first captain, describes what Olot means, a team characterized by having only players from the Catalan Countries. "This generates a much stronger sense of belonging. The new signings quickly get into the swing of things, get to know the club, its positioning, and we form a family. This connection translates into a good rapport on the pitch and into results," the player assures.

The fork breakfast has left its ostracism behind. And that's not even the most Instagrammable food in the world, especially when it consists of a succulent plate of small plates. Even so, it is one of the few bastions that preserve traditional Catalan recipes and has become more visible with initiatives such as the collaborative map Esmorzapp, which already lists more than 2,500 places where you can enjoy a hearty breakfast. It was promoted by journalist and gastronome Albert Molins, who has now taken his vindication of this small feast a step further with the publication of the book Fork breakfast (Cosetania, 2025). He recently presented it at one of the most famous breakfast bars, the historic Gelida bar in Barcelona.

First it was in Catalonia, but now the Spanish-speaking organizations that fight Catalan in schools are expanding their borders and are operating in both the Valencian Community and the Balearic Islands. The latest chapter has been the consultation about the language in the Valencian Country, in which Escuela de Todos was seen appearing before the Valencian Ombudsman. Last Monday, it was made public that the platform of entities born in Catalonia to defend Spanish in schools had reported 78 Valencian town councils to the regional ombudsman for "violating the rules of institutional neutrality by publicly requesting families choose Valencian as the primary language of education." Eight of these town councils are PP-affiliated—such as Xàbia and Sueca—two of them in coalition with Vox. According to the organization, they did not find any council that requested a vote for Spanish.

There are no parties more openly opposed to the Catalan Countries than the PP and Vox. Especially belligerent in the Valencian Region, where they even oppose the unity of the Catalan language and the cultural ties between the different territories that speak it, they are the most critical of this concept popularized by the Valencian writer Joan Fuster, which includes Catalonia, the Valencian Community, the Balearic Islands, Northern Catalonia, and the Franja de Ponent. Fate—and some ironic internet users—has meant, however, that precisely the PP and Vox are the only Catalan parties that Google Maps literally locates within the Catalan Countries.