This area, also known as La Franja de Aragón and including regions like Ribagorça, Llitera, Baix Cinca, and Matarranya, is perceived as a territory in constant tension. Historically, it has been a crossroads and a point of convergence, but it currently faces an uncertain future.
The current situation is not new, as the Catalan language has suffered attacks in the past, from Franco's regime to more recent events. However, concern is growing over the perception that La Franja has become a space where culture, history, and landscape are experimented with, risking their complete eradication.
La Franja has become, because we have made it so, a non-place: an anonymous Franja. Furtive, clandestine, silent.
This region, despite its proximity to cities like Lleida and Zaragoza, is often perceived as a distant and invisible place. Its towns and people are in a constant struggle for survival, trying to preserve their identity and language. Currently, there are an estimated 55,000 Catalan speakers in an Aragon with 1.36 million inhabitants.
The resistance and effort to keep the language and culture alive are palpable, with a growing need to communicate and express themselves. La Franja, with its uniqueness, is seen as an essential part of the collective identity.
