Representing Minority Languages: Catalan Poetry in Berlin
Catalan authors presented their work at Berlin’s 25th Poetry Festival
July 17th, 2024
For 25 years Berlin has been the host city and organizer of the largest European Poetry Festival. The moto of the festival is to “highlight under-represented voices”.
For this reason, priority is given to featuring poetry from minority languages.
One such language is Catalan. On the 10th of July, Catalan poetry echoed through the tent of Cabuwazi-Zirkus where Mireia Casanyes and Carla Marco from Spain performed their work.
They chose to do it in Catalan, as it is becoming more and more an endangered language.
“Poetry does express this feeling of being in a language that is not hegemonic so a language that is not part of the main European, cultural, historical thinking but Catalan does have a huge importance,” Casanyes said.
Casanves and Marcho hope their poetry will reach a larger European audience.
“Poetry is not only about the specific words, it’s a universal language and through this we try to expand not only the spoken word but the images, the rhythm, the effects, the feelings,” Marco said.
References:
- - https://www.euronews.com/culture/2024/07/12/berlin-hosts-europes-largest-poetry-festival#:~:text=Germany%20hosts%20'Europe's%20Largest%20Poetry,panel%20on%20socio%2Dpolitical%20issues
- - https://www.llull.cat/deutsch/actualitat/actualitat_noticies_detall.cfm?id=44322&url=mireia-casanyes-und-carla-marco-beim-poesiefestival-2024-in-berlin-.htm
