Centre de la Cultura Catalana Celebrates 30 Years Promoting Catalan in Andorra

The Centre de la Cultura Catalana in Andorra marked its 30th anniversary this month, reflecting on three decades of efforts to promote Catalan language and culture amid evolving challenges.

The organisation held its founding assembly on 16 January 1995 in Escaldes-Engordany at 7:45pm, under the banner "A new entity at the service of our language and our culture." The public event featured speeches from figures including Josep Millàs, then president of Òmnium Cultural, and Joan Francesc Mira, head of Acció Cultural del País Valencià. Leading the interim board were Fèlix Canet, Salvador Brasó, and Àlvar Valls.

Current president Teresa Cabanes, who joined as a volunteer in 2001, described the centre's original mission as fostering integration of Catalan culture, boosting the language, and building consensus. In its first decade, the group launched a wide array of initiatives that gained momentum quickly. These included the Mostra de teatre i cinema català, the Carles Sabater award for Catalan songs, language volunteering and tandem partnerships, nativity scene contests, and book launches with Catalan authors.

"We had the resources and means to propose so many things back then," Cabanes said. Today, the centre's flagship event remains the annual reception of the Canigó flame for Sant Joan festivities, which it organises with strong community support and enthusiasm.

Activity declined sharply after 2013, when the Generalitat de Catalunya cut funding to numerous organisations, including this one. "Those were tough times. We had premises and two staff members, allowing us to do a lot, but without that support we had to scale back," Cabanes explained. The centre can no longer fill a full cultural calendar as it once did.

On language promotion, Cabanes expressed concern: official settings are fine, but "on the street, you won't find Catalan. That's the reality—we can't fool ourselves."

Despite setbacks, she emphasised continuity. "People haven't let us down; we keep collaborating, and the centre's purpose endures." Many past projects, such as language volunteering and theatre shows, have been adopted by public administration. "We planted the seed, and those initiatives live on—that's what sparks the movement," she said. While Cabanes would like to revive the Sabater award, she takes pride in the centre's lasting project. "Our presence may be modest now, but we're still here."