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Pedro Blanco claims in Xermade the use of the Galician as a symbol of identity and cultural wealth of Galicia

17/12/2024
Pedro Blanco claims in Xermade the use of the Galician as a symbol of identity and cultural wealth of Galicia

He highlighted the Government’s commitment to the promotion of co-official languages, contained in article 3 of the Spanish Constitution, and affirmed that speaking Galician, promoting its use and normalizing it in all fields “is not only a cultural act, but also political”. He recalled the Government’s impulse with the normalization of Galician in all fields, promoting the use of language in the Congress of Deputies and in the European Parliament, as well as in the General Administration of the State.

The government delegate in Galicia, Pedro Blanco, highlighted the importance of preserving and promoting the use of the Galician language as a symbol of identity and cultural wealth of Galicia. This was affirmed today in the act of restoration of linguistic memory that hosted the Concello de Xermade in the church of San Mamede de Momán and in which the subdelegate in the province, Isabel Rodríguez, also participated.

The delegate congratulated the mayor of Xermade, Roberto García, as well as the Association of Officials for Linguistic Normalization, the UNED Sénior de A Coruña and the City Council for their work in organizing this event, which he described as “historical justice and cultural reaffirmation”. “Today we remember a man, Jesus Paz Paz, who dedicated his life to promoting the culture and traditions of his land. Honoring their memory is a reminder that languages are living inheritances that we must preserve and transmit,” he said.

The delegate stressed that the Galician language goes beyond being a means of communication: “It is a way of thinking and inhabiting the world. It is a fundamental part of the great cultural legacy of the State, which enhances our wealth and diversity and defines us as a society.”

During his speech, Pedro Blanco highlighted the Government’s commitment to the promotion of co-official languages, contained in Article 3 of the Spanish Constitution, and affirmed that speaking Galician, promoting its use and normalizing it in all fields “is not only a cultural act, but also a political act.”

He also recalled the historical moments of silence and linguistic repression that affected one’s own languages and highlighted initiatives such as the one that brings us here today, allowing the replacement of the gravestone in Spanish by one in Galician as a symbol of recovery and cultural dignification.

Blanco also appealed for collective responsibility to move towards the full use of Galician in institutions, in education, the media and in national and international forums such as the European Union, where “we continue to work so that Galician reaches the status of official language”.

Finally, he concluded by recalling a quote from Rosalía de Castro: “Languages are the soul of the peoples.” “Let us take care of our soul, defend our language and continue working, day by day, for a Galicia with a future,” he said.