Preparing a necessary commemoration

Next Friday the 7th and Saturday the 8th, at the Archive of the Kingdom of Mallorca, a series of study and reflection sessions will take place, with a sufficiently suggestive announcement: The commemoration of the conquest of Mallorca. The construction of the narrativeOrganized by the Balearic Cultural Association (OCB) and the Institute of Catalan Studies (Institut d'Estudis Catalans), the conference boasts a packed and engaging program of lectures and speakers, sure to pique the interest not only of scholars of Mallorcan history but also of the general public (admission is free and open to everyone). Under the coordination of historian Gabriel Ensenyat, OCB's commissioner for the commemoration of the eighth centenary of the conquest of Mallorca, the sessions on the 7th and 8th will address a wide range of issues related to the foundational historical event of modern Mallorca: the conquest of the island by the two armies. The eighth centenary will therefore take place in 2029. It may seem far off, but in historical terms, four years from now is practically tomorrow.

The very title of the conference explicitly indicates its objective: the construction of a narrative about this anniversary. The importance of constructing this narrative is even greater because it is a contested one: Spanish nationalism has been working for centuries, and is now doing so with renewed intensity, to deny the deep Catalan roots of Mallorcan identity. From presenting Jaume I as an "Aragonese" king to inventing languages supposedly distinct from Catalan, such as Mallorcan, Menorcan, Ibizan, and Formentera, including all manner of inventions in recreational history and philology, and also all kinds of concealments, denials, and repressions, the efforts of the Spain of the Catalan Countries, or (if you prefer) of the Catalan-speaking lands, or (if you want to say it like Josep Pla) of the country that is recognized because when you say "good morning" you get "good morning" in return, have been constant, obsessive, and endless. Currently, Spanish nationalism in its most extreme form governs the Balearic Islands through a People's Party completely subservient to Vox, and it cannot be ruled out that this same coalition of ultranationalist forces could govern the Spanish state in the near future. Therefore, attempts to dilute, conceal, sabotage, or distort the celebration of this eighth centenary are expected to be intense.

"He who loses his origins, loses his identity," says and will continue to say in Raimon's song. "He who loses his memory has no future," we might add. We Mallorcans are defined by many things; we can recognize ourselves in many elements that identify us, but there is one fundamental, basic, essential element, one that, if removed, makes a Mallorcan cease to be one, and this element is language. We Mallorcans speak Mallorcan, which is the name we popularly give on this island to the Catalan language. We speak Catalan, Catalan, Catalan, as the poet Josep M. Llompart, whose centenary we also commemorate this year, called it, in the face of those who at the time tried to deny this profound truth, which cannot be denied except through lies, ignorance, bad faith, or fanaticism. Against these afflictions, and above all in favor of continuing to be Mallorcan, of continuing to speak Catalan freely among ourselves and with those who come to live here, it is important to know and celebrate the defining moments of our history.