A new generation of Catalans tries to rekindle the independence movement

“The only Spanish thing about me is my identity card.” That is one of the first things Pau told us. We met the former Catalan independence activist in Celra, a village near Girona in Catalonia, where he grew up. Catalan independence has been a point of contention for centuries. As soon as you set foot in this region of northern Spain, it’s easy to understand why its inhabitants see Catalonia as a nation in its own right, with a distinct language, flag, culture, architecture and customs. After numerous political attempts to establish Catalonia as an independent territory, young Catalans have now turned to culture to fight for their identity. Celebrating Catalan identity at Cabro Rock To see this for ourselves, we travelled to Vic, the town that hosts the Cabro Rock festival every year. The aim of this festival is to promote Catalan music and identity. Once we arrived we quickly realised that here, Catalan is king. It was almost impossible to get a reply in Castilian, Spain’s official national language, and hundreds of red and yellow-striped flags flew among the food trucks and drinks stalls. “Visca Barça and Visca Catalunya lliure!”, chanted Joan as he welcomed us to the festival. J...