Filling the Sink

Orwell, the Civil War and more – homage to writers who made Catalonia home

George Orwell, Pablo Neruda, Gabriel García Márquez. Just some of the 20th Century's greatest writers who for a time called Catalonia home. Tadhg Prendiville from Barcelona Literary Tours takes Cillian Shields on a trip around the city. Cristina Tomàs White joins Lorcan Doherty to discuss the international poets, novelists and journalists who came to Catalonia – some during the Civil War, some fleeing dictatorships in South America, and others, simply for the adventure. This week's Catalan phrase is 'estar escrit'. Literally 'to be written', it means something is decided, set in stone. The following is a list of writers – and one influential literary agent – mentioned in the podcast. 
George Orwell 
Pablo Neruda 
Isabel Allende 
John Dos Passos 
Simone Weil 
Muriel Rukeyser 
Colm Tóibín 
Louis MacNeice
Langston Hughes 
Ernest Hemingway 
Martha Gellhorn 
Roberto Bolaño 
Gabriel García Márquez 
Carmen Balcells 
Manuel Vázquez Montalbán 
Mario Vargas Llosa 
Truman Capote 
Eduardo Galeano 
Cristina Peri Rossi 
Cristina Rivera Garza 
Mathias Énard 
Denise Duncan 

Catalan connections – high-speed rail guide, night train rumors, cross-border links

Guifré Jordan joins Lorcan Doherty for this guide to Catalonia's high-speed rail connections.
Cristina Tomàs White takes a trip to Paris from Barcelona with SNCF.
Romain Payet, co-founder of Midnight Trains explains why he is intent on bringing international night trains to Catalonia soon.
Adrià Ramirez, head of the PTP group lobbying for better public transport explains what improvements he would still like to see.
This week's Catalan phrase is 'deixar algú amb la mel a la boca'. Literally 'leave someone with honey in their mouth', it means to deprive someone of something pleasant that they were beginning to savor or enjoy. 

New Year – 2022 in quotes and a look ahead to 2023

Bon any nou! Guifré Jordan and Gerard Escaich Folch join Lorcan Doherty to see what 2023 has in store in Catalonia, from politics and the economy to society, culture and sport.
Catalans are set to vote in at least two elections, museums will mark significant anniversaries of Picasso, Miró and Tàpies, and FC Barcelona are to up sticks from the Camp Nou to the Olympic Stadium for a season.
We also look back at the year that was with some choice quotes that sum up 2022.
This week's Catalan phrase is 'qui dia passa, any empeny'. Literally 'who passes a day, pushes a year', it means to take a laissez-faire attitude, to leave problems for another day. 

Solidarity at Christmas – Charity drives, fundraisers, food banks and toy appeals

Christmas is a time of celebration, of family and friends, of giving and receiving gifts, but it can also be a very lonely and very expensive time of year. Gerard Escaich Folch and Cillian Shields join Lorcan Doherty to look at some of the ways people in Catalonia are giving back this Christmas, including a Red Cross campaign that aims to make sure that no child goes without presents. Ferran Busquets, director of the Arrels Foundation, talks about the importance of the Christmas meals his organization provides for homeless people. This week's Catalan phrase is 'Com més serem, més riurem', which means 'The more of us there are, the more we laugh', or simply, 'The more the merrier'! 

Local elections lowdown – mayoral battles and how foreigners can vote

Catalonia goes to the polls next May 28th but foreigners eligible to vote need to be registered much sooner.
Cristina Tomàs White gives the lowdown on who has the right to vote and how to register.
Cillian Shields chats to Pere Moradell, mayor of Torroella de Fluvià since 1979.
Maxime Van Cleven compares voting rights across Europe and beyond.
Plus a look at some of the intriguing mayoral battles across Catalonia.
This week's Catalan phrase is 'Embolica que fa fort'. Literally something like 'wrap to make strong', it means a situation is becoming more complicated.
Presented by Lorcan Doherty. 

Abortion – the law and the reality in Catalonia

Cristina Tomàs White and Guifré Jordan join Lorcan Doherty to discuss abortion in Catalonia – what the law says, how it could change, and what the reality is like on the ground. Activists Silvia Adalvert from the Associació de Drets Sexuals i Reproductius and Selene Alberich from the Assemblea Vaga Feminista de Les Terres de l'Ebre outline improvements in access and care they would like to see, while one woman, Júlia, shares her experience of seeking an abortion in Catalonia. This week's Catalan phrase is 'no caure els anells'. Literally, 'the rings don’t drop', it is used when someone is not afraid of doing some hard work.

Fatima Ofkir - the young Catalan woman serving a life sentence in Oman

In the summer of 2017, Fatima Ofkir, then 18 years old, made a big mistake. The young Catalan woman was arrested in the Sultanate of Oman accused of drug trafficking. She is currently serving a life sentence in prison but desperately wants to return to her home country.
Cristina Tomàs White and Guifré Jordan join Lorcan Doherty to discuss the case, and we hear from Fatima’s mother Rosario Reyes who shares her anguish and frustration at the lack of developments.
This week's Catalan phrase is 'fer l'orni', which means to turn a blind eye.

Casa Orsola – a symbol of Barcelona’s gentrification debate

Casa Orsola in Barcelona's Eixample neighborhood has become a symbol of the city's struggle with gentrification, as long-term renters find themselves priced out of their homes.
One resident, Basilis, explains his story, while lawyer María José Tarancón outlines the position of the building's new owners, Lioness Inversiones.
Housing rights activists Daniela Lima of the Esquerra de l'Eixample Housing Network and Enric Aragonès of the Sindicat de Llogateres tenants' union give their take.
Presented by Lorcan Doherty with Gerard Escaich Folch and Cristina Tomàs White.
This week's Catalan phrase is 'posar la mà al foc'. Literally 'to put your hand in the fire', it is used when you are very sure of something you say, like 'I swear'. 

So long, sedition – What will criminal code reform mean for Catalan and Spanish politics?

In 2019, nine Catalan pro-independence leaders were found guilty of sedition for their roles in the independence push of 2017. Now, Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez has announced that the crime of sedition will be struck from the penal code – a decision set to have a huge impact on Catalan and Spanish politics. Could those convicted politicians – subsequently pardoned but still barred from holding public office - make a return to frontline politics? And could those in exile – including former president Carles Puigdemont – be extradited, or even return voluntarily? Lorcan Doherty is joined by Gerard Escaich Folch and Cillian Shields, with analysis from Jordi Nieva, professor of procedural law at the University of Barcelona. This week's Catalan phrase is 'canviar de camisa'. Literally 'to change shirt', it means to change to change your beliefs. 

Not so wild - Catalonia’s wild boar problem

Catalonia has a pig problem. Numbers of Sus scrofa, the Eurasian wild pig, have shot up in recent years and so too has the potential for conflict with humans. Cristina Tomàs White and Guifré Jordan join Lorcan Doherty to discuss the causes, effects, and possible solutions to the spiraling wild boar population. With Anna Sanitjas, head of Forest Ecosystems and Environmental Management at the Catalan government, Jaume Badia, biology PhD researcher at the University of Barcelona, and Ramon Comes, from the Unió de Pagesos farmers union. Plus, we go searching for boar in the Collserola mountains and get the thoughts of residents there. This week's Catalan phrase is 'fer més mal que un porc solt' - to do more damage than a pig on the loose.  

Feeling the pinch – lowdown on inflation, bills and shopping tips

After a decade of low inflation and low interest rates, price hikes following the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia's war in Ukraine have left many feeling the pinch. Esther Lorente, head of the OCU Consumer Organization in Catalonia, has tips on how to keep your shopping and energy bills down. Cristina Tomàs White and Gerard Escaich Folch join Lorcan Doherty to discuss inflation trends in Catalonia and beyond, and what measures are being taken to bring rising prices under control. Plus, stallholders at Sants Market in Barcelona on how they and their customers are dealing with inflation. This week's Catalan phrase is 'tirat de preu', used to describe something that is cheap. 

Foodie favorites – a guide to (genuine!) Catalan grub

Less paella and sangria and more esqueixada and escalivada – Lorcan Doherty is joined by Cillian Shields and Gerard Escaich Folch to chat about traditional Catalan food. Attendees at Barcelona International Community Day tells us their favorite Catalan dishes. Gerard and Maxime Van Cleven visit Sants Market in Barcelona and talk to stallholders about the kinds of food that locals and visitors buy. This week's Catalan phrase is 'pa sucat amb oli'. Literally bread soaked in oil, it is used to describe something of low quality or little value.