Sunday 21 February 2010

More Galician Pride

A couple of weeks ago I came across an article brimming with indignation. It appeared that a Catalan swimmer, David Meca, had been paid a rather large amount of money to take part in a challenge of some kind intended to give publicity to Xacobeo 2010. Quite a large number of Galician sports personalities – cyclist Óscar Pereiro, winner of the Tour de France 2009, Cano Rodriguez, paralympic swimmer, Estefanía Hernández, European Taekwondo champion, and many more – declared that it was una vergüenza, unha vergoña (Spanish and gallego for “a disgrace”) to give money to someone from outside (de fuera, de fóra) when there are plenty of Galicians who could have taken part instead, probably for less money.

Hopefully they all felt better when the Goyas were presented last week. This Spanish version of the Oscars saw a lot of awards going to at least two gallegos. Emma Lustres hails from O Grove and runs a film company Vaca Films with her husband Borja Pena. Emma explained that the name of the company is muy gallego, short and with 2 “a”s, just like Zara, a VERY well known Galician name. Besides, Julio Bardem’s very gallego film “Vacas” is one of her favourites. Her film Celda 211 won 8 awards in the Goyas as well as being a great success with the public. She told the press, En Galicia se pueden hacer cosas que gustan al público. Emma Lustres is reported to have been seen going around the carnaval in O Grove with her estatuilla in her hands.

The star of the film, Luis Tosar, from Lugo, picked up the award for best actor. This is his third Goya. In 2003 he won one for best supporting actor in Los Domingos al Sol and in 2004 he was best actor in Te Doy mis Ojos. Obviously he is going from strength to strength. He thinks his mother might just find room for this latest award.

When the actor made his acceptance speech, in gallego of course, he caused great excitement in the Pub Atlántico in Santiago de Compostela. A party full of celebrities was underway but extra excitement was caused, it seems, by Luis Tosar mentioning the place in his speech.

Galicia does it again. All they need to do now is prove that Pe(nelope Cruz) is from this end of Spain!

And then came the news from the fashion world. The Cibeles Fashion Show in Madrid has apparently been dominated by a Galician fashion design company called El Ego. The very un-Galician named Sara Coleman from La Coruña who has been with company since 2007 and the viguesa Isabel Mastache who only five months ago finished her fashion design studies in Pontevedra were the stars of the show, according to La Voz de Galicia.

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