Francisco Franco not only tolerated the Catalan language but even “gave his support to literary production in Catalan. “This is the thesis of the Francisco Franco Foundation (FNFF), which states that “under Franco, Catalan was NEVER banned” (capitalisation in the original), a statement that the Francoists back with a list of literary prizes awarded throughout the era as well as the artistic works whose existence is attributed to the dicator’s sympathy with Catalan. They even point to the Catalan translations of Asterix and Tintin, although they erroneously cite “Tintin in the Land of the Soviets” as the first of Joaquim Ventalló’s translations when in truth the first one was “The Castafiore Emerald”.
Nova Cançó and No-Do
The FNFF believes that Nova Cançó is an obvious sign of Franco’s support for Catalan, although they refer to Raimon as singing in “Valencian” and Maria del Mar Bonet as “Mallorcan”. The foundation devoted to Franco’s memory goes so far as to say that “in one of the sequences from NO-DO on Franco’s visit to Catalonia in 1962, after terrible floods in the Vallès county when the River Ripoll overflowed on September 25, causing thousands of deaths and material damage, a welcoming banner can be seen in Barcelona with the following text in Spanish and Catalan: «Viva Cataluña. Visca Espanya» (Long live Catalonia. Long live Spain).
The FNFF is an organisation that Spain recognises as an association dedicated to “cultural and educational benificent activities” which is why it receives tax rebates of 25% to 35% on its donations. In fact, these favourable conditions, as the foundation itself advertises, can reach as much as 75%.
