Òmnium Cultural

Òmnium Cultural
Motto Llengua, cultura, país
("Language, culture, country")
Founded 11 July 1961 (1961-07-11)
Founder Lluís Carulla, Joan Baptista Cendrós,
Fèlix Millet, Joan Vallvé, Pau Riera
Type Cultural institution
Location
Coordinates 41°23′30″N 2°10′09″E / 41.39167°N 2.16917°E / 41.39167; 2.16917Coordinates: 41°23′30″N 2°10′09″E / 41.39167°N 2.16917°E / 41.39167; 2.16917
Area served
Catalonia
Members
120,000
Leader Jordi Cuixart
Website omnium.cat

Òmnium Cultural (Catalan pronunciation: [ˈɔmni.um kultuˈɾal])[1] is a Catalan association based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was originally created in the 1960s to promote the Catalan language and spread Catalan culture.

Over the years it has increased its involvement in broader social issues; firm supporter of the Catalonian nationalist movement, in 2012 it committed itself to Catalan independence,[2] specifically demanding the right of self-determination for Catalonia.[3]

History

Òmnium Cultural was created on 11 July 1961 in the context of Francoist Spain when the institutional use of Catalan was forbidden. In 1963 the Francoist authorities closed down the association. Òmnium had to continue to exist as a clandestine association between 1963–1967. In 1967, after a long legal case before the Francoist courts, the association won its right to exist and was once again authorised.

In order to promote Catalan culture within the many limits of Francoism, Òmnium was the main creator and sponsor of various awards and literary contests for works published in Catalan, such as the Premi d'Honor de les Lletres Catalanes (1969). In the early 1970s it established the Nit de Santa Llúcia a festival of Catalan literature where three prizes are awarded: the Premi Sant Jordi (novel), the Premi Mercè Rodoreda (short story) and the Premi Carles Riba (poetry).

After the Francoist dictatorship ended in 1975, Òmnium continued its work promoting Catalan language and culture. Once democracy was restored, Òmnium supported and defended Catalan self-government, especially from the Spanish Constitutional Court's rejection of the new Estatut onwards.[4] One million people marched on 10 July 2010 in Barcelona calling for national self-determination in a 2010 Catalan autonomy protest organised by Òmnium.[5]

It was one of the main organisations pressing for Catalan politicians to hold a Catalan self-determination referendum in 2017.

Structure and funding

Òmnium reached a membership of 115,000 in 2018 [6] and has nearly 40 regional offices[7] besides the headquarters in Barcelona. In December 2015, Jordi Cuixart was elected president, by a large majority, in elections in which 5,719 members participated, over 10% of the then membership of 50,000.[8]

Between 2005–2012 the association received different grants from the Catalan government (Generalitat), including €1.4 million in 2011.[9]

In 2013 the association announced that it would no longer receive funding from the Catalan government. In 2016, different local authorities gave grants to Òmnium, basically for local cultural activities supporting Catalonian nationalism, for a value of €144,404.12, out of a total income in 2016 of €4.4 million.[10]

In 2009 the Generalitat officially named Omnium as a public interest body, thus automatically conferring a more favourable tax regime for the association.[11]

Òmnium Cultural cooperates with other organizations that share similar goals in other Catalan-speaking territories of Spain: Acció Cultural del País Valencià [12](in the Valencian Community) and Obra Cultural Balear [13] (in the Balearic Islands).

It was awarded the Creu de Sant Jordi by the Generalitat in 1984.[14]

In November 2015 Òmnium was condemned by the Audiencia Nacional, an exceptional high court, for the unauthorised use and deficient custody of personal data, after its data had been stolen by a hacker.[15] This led to a €200,000 sanction imposed by the Spanish agency responsible for data protection.[16]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Òmnium Cultural". Òmnium Cultural. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  2. ↑ Ediciones El País. "Òmnium adapta su ideario al secesionismo". EL PAÍS. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  3. ↑ "What's going on in Catalonia?". Òmnium Cultural. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  4. ↑ Gaspar Pericay Coll. "Catalan News Agency - The Constitutional Court rejects the exclusion of its President requested by the Catalan Government". catalannewsagency.com. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  5. ↑ Catalan citizens protest for greater self-government (10-J). YouTube. 13 July 2010. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  6. ↑ Terol, Alan Ruiz. "Viggo Mortensen joins Catalonia's Òmnium Cultural". www.catalannews.com. Retrieved 2018-06-24.
  7. ↑ "Òmnium Cultural - Seus territorials". Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  8. ↑ "Jordi Cuixart és proclamat nou president d'Òmnium". Retrieved 2017-07-25.
  9. ↑ "El Govern hace pública una subvención de 1,4 millones a Òmnium Cultural". LA VANGUARDIA. 21 February 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  10. ↑ Faura Casas, Auditors Consultors (16 June 2017). "Audited accounts of Òmnium Cultural 2016" (PDF). Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  11. ↑ "Muriel Casals releva a Jordi Porta al frente de Òmnium". Retrieved 2015-06-23.
  12. ↑ "Portada - Acció Cultural del País Valencià - ACPV". acpv.cat. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  13. ↑ "OCB.CAT". ocb.cat. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  14. ↑ "Resultats i fitxa". Diari Oficial de la Generalitat de Catalunya.
  15. ↑ "Cop de l'Estat també a l'ANC i Òmnium: multa de 440.000 euros per la 'gigaenquesta'".
  16. ↑ "Protección de Datos sanciona a la ANC y a Òmnium por la 'gigaencuesta'".
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