A few days ago I attended the 59th edition of the Frankfurt Book Fair. This year, the Catalan Culture was the Guest of Honour (last year the Indian Culture was invited to this international fair).
Last year I could visit the Indian Culture Hall inside the fair. There were amazing experiences for all: food, music, pictures, symbols, photos and fragances. This year, as a Catalan I am, I was proud to be represented in the most important book fair in the world. Even if I had a lot of appointments, I managed to visit the Catalan Cuture Hall.
The feelings I had when entering the hall can be resumed by this: my culture was not present in that room. A total lack of originality generated a tremendous deception. A nearly empty room with a few hung materials, a bizarre media presentation and no more than twenty literary work pieces were the vestiges of my culture.
I felt very bad, hoping another country was the one represented in that place. But maybe, it's the best performance the people in charge were capable of to show my culture to the world.
Nevertheless, to all people interested in Catalonia, please, just come and visit us, our people, our food, traditions, nature, architecture, music and arts are much more than that.
