Dear David and Miguel,
I am happy to throw in my two cents and debate something other than the US
elections.
Like Miguel, I am presently residing in Galicia. I live in Ferrol where
the use of Galician is almost nil due to the history of our city and the
(diminishing) military presence. Although I work in a university here,
few of my colleagues speak Galician. In fact, if they do speak it with
me, it is simply because they know I speak it, so they feel "obliged" to
try. Almost everyone gives me an excuse, saying that they do not speak
proper Galician. To be honest, I think that most people know more than
realise or are willing to admit and use this as a cop-out. It is a sad
fact, but it is reality. Can this be changed? It is a tough battle, but
it is not a lost one. Perhaps, it can be won with the younger generation
as Miguel suggests.
One of the best ways to connect with the young is via the media. However,
the only source here is Television de Galicia. In my humble opinion, this
channel needs to do more to hook younger viewers. They need intelligent
shows depicting real life here in both the villages and the cities in
Galicia. While they do well with an animated show, "Shin Chan", in the
afternoon, it is not enough. It would also be nice if they catered to
older viewers by offering debates (not of the "Salsa Rosa" genre)and
recent films (rather than lots of Westerns, which are good once in a
while, but do not cater to everyone's tastes).
In response to Miguel's question about literature, I agree that more
should and can be done. Galaxia and Xerais are making an effort to put
the world canon in Galician. Translations of Rowlings's "Harry Potter"
series, Joyce's "Ulysses" and Virginia Woolf's "The Waves", amongst
others, are out now or coming out soon. If the books are too expensive,
perhaps, the publishers could create a kind of book club for younger
readers and offer discounted prices. However, that is something that the
publishers have to decide and then promote. I also think that reading, in
general, needs to be promoted more. The government here is now trying
that via commercials showing that parents who read raise children who read
too. Time will tell if this campaign helps the publishers.
Any other ideas?
Saudos,
Kerry
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