Galician Pride
It is a regional habit here to be humble.
Generally, that can be ascribed to the fact that in other areas of Spain, Galicians are considered uneducated country bumpkins. We are seen as unfathomable, uneducated, and willing to work for pennies. And that, as a region, Galicia takes more than it ever contributes to the rest of Spain. Other regions, such as Catalunya have protested, for example, against investing in high-speed rail to Galicia, saying that money is money lost. We let the central government respond by delaying its completion. In truth, we do not do much to protect our interests. We had two independent banks founded in Galicia that were bought by a Venezuelan bank and another based in Madrid. The savings banks and co-ops we had were first fused into one bank, then sold off to the same Venezuelan bank and made into a regular bank. We had a fiber optic company that was sold to an English firm. We had an energy company that was bought by a Catalan company. We had a company that built good, durable tractors and trucks that was run out of business because it threatened the competition. We had a cosmetics company that produced and was owned locally, bought by a German firm and production taken to Slovakia.
There is a chain of supermarkets here that are still Galician. One of the few businesses in Galicia not bought up by other Spanish or foreign companies. Since about eight years ago they have emitted special commercials, trying to make the public at large feel proud of being Galician. The commercials say nothing about the company. The supermarket is not mentioned in any way until the name appears on the screen at the end. The commercials try to exhalt Galicia and our way of living and looking at the world. They take stereotypes the rest of Spain have about us and turn them around, showing we're proud of what we are and don't care what everyone else thinks about us. The first have actually won prizes for excellence and innovation.
The first commercial showed an emmigrant coming home on a visit. It goes on to mention some of the idiosyncracies of Galicia, and some of the wonders. It ends with the phrase, "Vivamos como galegos!" (Let's live like Galicians!) And that's how the commercials are generally known. Another famous one was filmed in New York City, and showed that the Galician way of living was not less than the way of living in New York and that we had nothing to envy the Americans about. That one ended with bagpipes in Times Square. Then there was another in which one of the singularities of our language was brought to light. There is a word in Galician that is non-translatable. It's "maloserá". It's an optimistic way to look at the possibilities of someting happening. The closest translation in English is, "don't worry". Whenever someone mentions a fear of something happening or not in the future, someone else may answer, maloserá. Meaning that probably things will not turn out badly. It responds to a fatalism that has always characterized us. And optimism. Because however badly we are suffering at the moment, surely the future won't be as bad or worse.
This year the campaign, following the same lines, is "Presumamos como galegos!" (Let's show off like Galicians!) It showcases a dog. It's a breed of dog that was recognized a few years ago called can de palleiro ("haystack dog" because that's where they used to be generally chained in the farmyard). Breeders have decided to use that term for a breed of dog that had been dying out and that had once been much more common in Galicia. It looks like a Golden Retriever turned German Shepherd. However, people generally use that term for a common dog, a mongrel. The commercial this year took the example of the dog and told us to show off being Galician, to show off all the good in us and in our region. There is a line in it, "Se nos non nos valoramos, non nos valora ninguén." If we don't value ourselves, no one will. How true.
Generally, that can be ascribed to the fact that in other areas of Spain, Galicians are considered uneducated country bumpkins. We are seen as unfathomable, uneducated, and willing to work for pennies. And that, as a region, Galicia takes more than it ever contributes to the rest of Spain. Other regions, such as Catalunya have protested, for example, against investing in high-speed rail to Galicia, saying that money is money lost. We let the central government respond by delaying its completion. In truth, we do not do much to protect our interests. We had two independent banks founded in Galicia that were bought by a Venezuelan bank and another based in Madrid. The savings banks and co-ops we had were first fused into one bank, then sold off to the same Venezuelan bank and made into a regular bank. We had a fiber optic company that was sold to an English firm. We had an energy company that was bought by a Catalan company. We had a company that built good, durable tractors and trucks that was run out of business because it threatened the competition. We had a cosmetics company that produced and was owned locally, bought by a German firm and production taken to Slovakia.
There is a chain of supermarkets here that are still Galician. One of the few businesses in Galicia not bought up by other Spanish or foreign companies. Since about eight years ago they have emitted special commercials, trying to make the public at large feel proud of being Galician. The commercials say nothing about the company. The supermarket is not mentioned in any way until the name appears on the screen at the end. The commercials try to exhalt Galicia and our way of living and looking at the world. They take stereotypes the rest of Spain have about us and turn them around, showing we're proud of what we are and don't care what everyone else thinks about us. The first have actually won prizes for excellence and innovation.
The first commercial showed an emmigrant coming home on a visit. It goes on to mention some of the idiosyncracies of Galicia, and some of the wonders. It ends with the phrase, "Vivamos como galegos!" (Let's live like Galicians!) And that's how the commercials are generally known. Another famous one was filmed in New York City, and showed that the Galician way of living was not less than the way of living in New York and that we had nothing to envy the Americans about. That one ended with bagpipes in Times Square. Then there was another in which one of the singularities of our language was brought to light. There is a word in Galician that is non-translatable. It's "maloserá". It's an optimistic way to look at the possibilities of someting happening. The closest translation in English is, "don't worry". Whenever someone mentions a fear of something happening or not in the future, someone else may answer, maloserá. Meaning that probably things will not turn out badly. It responds to a fatalism that has always characterized us. And optimism. Because however badly we are suffering at the moment, surely the future won't be as bad or worse.
This year the campaign, following the same lines, is "Presumamos como galegos!" (Let's show off like Galicians!) It showcases a dog. It's a breed of dog that was recognized a few years ago called can de palleiro ("haystack dog" because that's where they used to be generally chained in the farmyard). Breeders have decided to use that term for a breed of dog that had been dying out and that had once been much more common in Galicia. It looks like a Golden Retriever turned German Shepherd. However, people generally use that term for a common dog, a mongrel. The commercial this year took the example of the dog and told us to show off being Galician, to show off all the good in us and in our region. There is a line in it, "Se nos non nos valoramos, non nos valora ninguén." If we don't value ourselves, no one will. How true.
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