Poetry

Al seu bloc, l'autor Francesc Mompo anima a la gent a escriure haikus sobre el monument franquista que incomprensiblement encara tenim a Tortosa. Els podeu llegir al seu bloc (cada dia hi ha més), i podeu participar escrivint un. Tal com diu Francesc, poesia contra fascisme!

Si hi ha algu que em ve al cap quan sento aquesta frase, és Woody Guthrie. Aqui tenim una poesia que Bob Dylan va escriure al seu honor, Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie.

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As I've said many a time on the blog, Tortosa stands out in Catalunya as having the largest monument dedicated to Franco still standing - 36 years after his death!!

The author and poet Francesc Mompo is encouraging bloggers to write haikus on this subject, and so far has had a good response as can be seen on his blog. As he says, poetry against fascism! Doesn't that bring Woody Guthrie to mind?

Here's Bob Dylan's poem on Woody.

All you fascists (2)

Continuant amb el tema, a continuació una carta en anglès que m'han publicat al numero del mes de febrer de la revista Catalonia Today. I desprès una nova versió de la cançó de Woody Guthrie, All you fascists ... gravada per Billy Bragg amb Wilco.

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More of the same. Here's a letter I have had published in February's edition of the English-language magazine Catalonia Today. Swiftly followed up by Billy Bragg and Wilco singing their version of Woody Guthrie's song.

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FRANCO LIVES ON
Four important moments in the recent history of the Terres de l’Ebre explain the background leading to Tortosa’s present shame.
In 1936 Franco and his band of fascist troops and mercenaries attempted to overthrow the democratically-elected government of Spain. This coup d’état led to over two years of Civil War, including the Battle of the Ebro, where thousands upon thousands of young innocent lives were lost in a blood-thirsty four-month period. Franco, with the political and material support of Hitler and Mussolini, went on to win the war, while European democracies like England looked away. The result: 40 years of dictatorship, misery, repression and fear in the heart of Europe.
In 1966 Franco had a huge monument built in the middle of the river Ebro dedicated to his glory and that of the fascist soldiers who died in the battle.

Franco died in 1975 but his legacy continued to throw a dark shadow over the Ebro and its people.

Thirty-five years after his death, in 2010, the Mayor and council members of Tortosa voted in favour of maintaining this monstrosity in its original place. A heartless decision, both for those of us who believe in democratic values and, as such, do not understand how Franco’s illegal, illegitimate tyranny can still be on show in public, and to the victims and people who suffered under his dictatorship. A petition for the monument’s removal was signed by a thousand local citizens, with the backing of historians, sociologists, writers, artists, philosophers, and other public figures from Catalonia. It was ignored by Tortosa’s council, and so Franco’s legacy lives on in the 21st century.

All you fascists bound to lose

Fa 36 anys que va morir Franco i encara hem de debatre el seu legat a Tortosa! Sis anys després de la seva mort, el 23 de febrer de l’any 1981, va haver un intent de cop d’estat sobre la jove democràcia espanyola, que afortunadament va acabar en no res. Això podria explicar les ganes de fer una transició “tranquil·la” sense remenar el passat, i així puc entendre que en aquell moment hi haguis una certa complicitat en el tema local de que m’interessa parlar – per que no van retirar el monument a Franco del riu Ebre? I ara, 30 anys despres del 23F? Arguments, ja els he dit tots en apunts anteriors, només em queda repetir l’estupefacció de veure com generació darrere generació de catalans tolera aquest monstruositat i atac contra el sentit comú i la memòria de tot el que va fer Franco.

Bé, novetats en la campanya per a la seva retirada inclouen una entrevista de Matthew Tree que es va fer a Tortosa el divendres passat, parlant clar i català. Val la pena escoltar-li.

I després Woody Guthrie. Als anys 40 mentre els anglesos els tocava lluitar contra Hitler, en part “gràcies” a haver tolerat a Franco anys abans, Woody Guthrie ficava la seva gra de sorra cantant contra el fascisme.
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Franco died in 1975, 36 years ago, and we are still gingerly debating his fascist legacy in Tortosa! 6 years after his death, 23rd February 1981, there was a failed coup d’etât in Spain. Perhaps this explains why the transition to a democracy was done quietly and carefully with the least possible feather-ruffling, and maybe it was not a time to anger right-wing nostalgists by removing the monument that Franco erected in the middle of the river Ebro in Tortosa. But now, decades later?!

I have already explained my arguments in previous posts, so today I’ll leave you with an interview (in Catalan) with the “English” author Matthew Tree who has lived in Catalonia since 1984 and can hardly believe we still tolerate this fascist memorial in the centre of our beautiful city.

After Matthew, Woody Guthrie. Back in the 40s while the English were fighting Hitler, thanks, in part, due to our tolerance of fascism’s victory in Spain, Woody Guthrie was doing what he could with his fascist-killing machine!

This Land is Your Land - Pete Seeger & Bruce - Day 5

... probablement la cançó més coneguda del Woody Guthrie és This Land is Your Land, escrita a l’any 1940. Una cançó preciosa que ha guanyat un lloc d’honor en la memòria col·lectiva americana, com es podria apreciar a la celebració de la victòria de Obama quan la van cantar Pete Seeger i Bruce Springsteen. I així en 5 apunts hem anat de Bruce a Bruce ....

...perhaps the most well-known of Woody Guthrie’s songs is This Land is Your Land from 1940. This beautiful and evocative song has become extremely popular in American culture, as seen at Obama’s Inaugural Celebration when it was sung by Pete Seeger and Bruce Springsteen. From Bruce to Bruce in 5 days and 5 posts ....

This land is your land, this land is my land
From California to the New York Island
From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and me.

As I went walking that ribbon of highway
I saw above me that endless skyway
I saw below me that golden valley
This land was made for you and me.

I roamed and I rambled and I followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts
While all around me a voice was sounding
This land was made for you and me.

When the sun came shining, and I was strolling
And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
A voice was chanting, As the fog was lifting,
This land was made for you and me.

There was a big high wall there that tried to stop me;
Sign was painted, it said private property;
But on the back side it didn't say nothing;
This land was made for you and me

Nobody living can ever stop me,
As I go walking that freedom highway;
Nobody living can ever make me turn back
This land was made for you and me.

In the squares of the city, In the shadow of a steeple;
By the relief office, I'd seen my people.
As they stood there hungry, I stood there asking,
Is this land made for you and me?

This land is your land, this land is my land
From California to the New York Island
From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and me.

Talking Dustbowl Blues - Woody Guthrie - Day 4

... si Bob Dylan reconeix algú com un dels seus ídols, aquest algú és Woody Guthrie (1912-1967), cantautor americà par excellence . Aquí el tenim amb els Talking Dustbowl Blues de l’any 1937...

... if Bob Dylan ever has to name somebody as his idol or inspiration, I’m sure that somebody would be the American singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie (1912-1967). Here he is with Talking Dustbowl Blues from 1937...