Culture and language according to Jordi Pujol
Culture and language are the fundamental elements of our national identity. Our nation's fortitude is its language.
Catalonia is a country that has always been receptive to outside influences. Catalonia's identity has no social or geographical base, nor is it the result of political imposition. It has its roots in historical consciousness, language, culture and social sensibility.
Catalan cannot be a condemned language
Language is the instrument that conveys our human values, historical traditions and way of life. But a language that does not have a significant means of communication, instruments of education or official recognition is a condemned language.
The Statute of Catalonia acknowledges Catalan as the language of Catalonia. In spite of this, the task of normalisation is in direct confrontation with criticism that not only appears to deny this, but also even forgets the years of cultural genocide to which Catalonia was submitted. The Catalan Government must not feel remorse for its partiality towards Catalan: for what it is and what is has endured.
Popular culture
In addition to language, there are seemingly less problematic principles, such as traditional culture, which must be an element of Catalanisation. Traditional folk culture may provide an important mechanism for integration.
Traditional culture is an educational instrument at the service of the masses and is an important tool because it helps to mould a collective mentality.
