Wednesday 12 December 2012

Vilanova i la Geltrú (Catalonia) on Swedish Public Radio

Vilanova i la Geltrú (Barcelona) was well represented (some will say over represented) on Swedish radio in the weeks leading up to the elections to the parliament of Catalonia on 25 November 2012.

From here the program Konflikt (conflict) started its 24 minutes (!) long description and analysis of the political situation in Catalonia. As a backdrop of Catalan culture, journalist Lotten Collin used the the big human tower exhibition which was organised here to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the local team Bordegassos de Vilanova. Obviously, it was not her intention to focus on our little town, but when she returned to Barcelona to interview political experts and politicians representing separatism as well as unionism, she happened to meet Santi Rodríguez (PP-member of the Catalan parliament), who also he happens to come from here. The program was broadcast November 17 on P1 - the channel for current affairs – on Swedish public service radio.

It was also here in Vilanova i la Geltrú journalist Robin Olin met up with me, Erik Wirdheim, and carried out a light hearted interview about the meaning and manifestations of a Catalan national identity. The result was broadcast on November 25 as a part of the program Korrerapporten (approximately: the correspondent’s report) on P3 – the youth channel – on Swedish public servive radio. (The part on Catalonia starts at 27:00 while I, personally, turn up around 30:45.)

However, although Swedish radio listeners might now be slightly aware that there is a Catalan town with the name Vilanova i la Geltrú, I will do my best to make them hear more from us.

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Interestingly, Lotten Collin knew that there was a Swede present among the around 500 participants at the human tower exhibition she watched in Vilanova. I still do not know who told her...

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