The OCB demands of the new German consul that she promote Catalan among residents in Mallorca

PalmaThe Obra Cultural Balear has invited the new German consul in Mallorca, Angelika Saake, to promote the integration of her compatriots on the island through, among other things, learning Catalan. The entity has proposed in a statement to the diplomat that she hold a meeting with them to "share reflections on language, culture, coexistence, and integration" and to learn about her vision of the relations between Germany and Mallorca.

The OCB has valued that, in a recent interview with Mallorca Zeitung, Saake defended the need to have "sensitivity towards the effects that mobility and the arrival of new residents can have on the territory". This 'sensitivity', according to the entity's opinion, should include knowledge and respect for Mallorca's own language and culture. If we talk about integration and coexistence, she emphasized, it cannot be limited to economic or residential insertion, but must include active participation in the host society.

"This integration does not mean renouncing one's own language, culture, and identity, but rather incorporating the elements that are part of the society one is becoming a part of," the OCB claimed, considering that learning Catalan "is one of the most important ways to approach Mallorcan society, to participate in its daily life, and to establish relationships with the citizenry as a whole".

The lack of integration, the organization warned, favors the creation of "parallel communities with social and linguistic spaces that do not establish sufficient links with Mallorcan society". In this context, in its opinion, Catalan is "a tool for social cohesion and a shared space that allows people from diverse backgrounds to relate to each other". The OCB has highlighted that beyond the fact that many Germans residing in Mallorca have achieved "full integration" into Mallorcan society by learning Catalan, German and Catalan culture also share "close historical ties".