Staff Writer Adam Eshkeri explores the Castellers of London – London’s answer to a 200-year-old Catalan tradition where groups come together to build human towers, sustaining a striking cultural practice far from its place of origin.
The Castellers of London.
You are most likely asking yourself, “What on earth is that?”
This article seeks to highlight the electric transcendence of this 200-year old Catalan tradition which consists of a group of people, or ‘colla’, constructing human towers up to ten levels high. Castellers of London, founded 10 years ago, being a smaller and not hyper-competitive colla aims for six levels – still incredibly impressive.
To get this out of the way early on: no, this article is not a political piece designed to advance the contentions of either side of the aisle regarding the hotly debated topic of Catalan independence or Catalan versus Spanish identity.
I know what you’re thinking. How does someone actually get involved in such a thing?
I was born in Tarragona, Catalonia, the province where the tradition of Castells was born. I attended a normal Catalan nursery and school and moved to London at the age of five as a polyglot, speaking English, Catalan and Spanish, all with similar proficiency.
However, within months of living in London the latter two faded from my young mind, as I only ever spoke English at home. I would only relearn Spanish through school and now at King’s, studying History and Spanish.
My journey with the Castellers of London started in February of this year a week after signing up for Catalan classes with the King’s Language Centre. I had finally mustered the confidence and sufficiently suppressed the feeling of deep shame for forgetting my native Catalan as a boy and felt able to hold my own in what I expected to be an experience of total Catalan immersion amongst die-hard Catalan traditionalists who would most likely be disappointed by my low level of the language.
Well, this could not have been further from the truth.
My first session was on a cold February evening. Rehearsals take place from 7pm to 9pm on Wednesdays, but my Catalan lesson on Strand ended at 7:30pm, so I charged forth to Temple Station to catch my connecting train to Bermondsey, struggling against the crowds of commuters making their way home.
It’s 8pm.
I’ve made it inside the building, still ready to call it quits and kick myself for even dreaming up this half-baked plan, but against my premonitions I entered the large hall only to be warmly greeted by the entire Colla and… In English no less!
I hurriedly get changed into the mandatory old jeans and collared shirt, which are a must for Castells and, before I know it, I am pulled aside by the ‘welcome team’ who plunge me into the enigmatic world of Castellers, teaching me the basic structures and terminologies.
Since then, I have attended both the Wednesday evening and Sunday afternoon rehearsals, making great friends and taking part in wonderful performances, of which there are many throughout the year, covering every major Catalan celebration.
What surprised me most about Castellers was the sheer diversity of people, as well as the variety of their motivations for their being there. As well as many Catalans, I was warmly greeted by members from Scotland, Indonesia, Latin America, England, wider Spain, Thailand, Germany, the U.S and other places around the world.
Some had been Castellers for decades and sought to continue their hobby upon moving to London, whilst others previously had no major connection to Catalonia whatsoever and saw it as an exciting new challenge and opportunity to meet fun and interesting people.
It is worth pointing out that there are collas in London, Edinburgh, Paris, Brussels, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Zurich, Lausanne, Andorra and Berlin, all of which met this May in Berlin at the fifth International Human Tower Fest. From my point of view, this is globalisation at its very best.
Two thoughts cross my mind when considering the extremely international character of Castellers today. Firstly, it is clear that in today’s globalised and interconnected world, cultural preservation extends far beyond the borders of a given culture or tradition’s place of origin to destinations abroad where many natives of said cultures migrate.
Physical human migration does not need to imply the complete severance of one from one’s own native culture and language. Therefore, the conversation of cultural conservation is only half-had if we focus solely on its vitality and endurance in its home of origin.
If people are moving abroad, so too do – or perhaps should – their cultures. Far from meaning the displacement of one culture for another, the Castellers of London is a beautiful case of an imported tradition and culture which has been embraced by an incredibly diverse range of people.
Of course, I am by no means putting forward a golden standard of any kind for cultural preservation. Rather, I seek to simply shed light on a truly awe-inspiring and unique amalgamation of fascinating and curious people who, if not for their common and passionate support for this 200-year-old, admittedly insane Catalan tradition, would likely never have crossed paths.
Secondly, we see that the export of this Catalan tradition is symbiotic in that, as well as offering Catalans the chance to preserve their culture abroad, is an invitation to people of other backgrounds and walks of life to become an equally important part of this fascinating tradition and history.
Whilst we make a strong effort to utilise the original Catalan terminology when referring to certain formations or parts of a castle’s structure, English is the prime language spoken amongst the pinya (that’s the large base of the tower) and the rest of the structure, so nobody feels left out.
In short, globalisation does not need to be defined by primacy of any one monoculture or language, and the championing of one particular culture does not automatically entail the isolation of one particular people from the rest of society. Rather, as is the case with the Castellers of London, we see that a given culture can be exported and preserved and simultaneously be something to share with everyone, regardless of nationality, background, politics or lifestyle choices.
If I could describe the Castellers of London in one word, it would be accepting – you will understand this if you have the opportunity of joining a session and interacting with this spectacular array of people who meet up once or twice a week to steal a breath of fresh air from the 1000 mile a minute lifestyle that is London-living, to pause, congregate and share in the singular goal of building a human tower as high as possible.
Weird and quirky it may be, but its wackiness is met and far-surpassed by the refreshing source of childish fun and excitement this 200-year old Catalan tradition provides for so many.
Furthermore, in a world which seems more and more governed by global trends and increasing homogeneity, attending the Castellers of London stands as a fabulous model of infusing some much-needed quirkiness and eccentricity into a world which is in dire need of it.
Finally, don’t fall into the trap that I did of assuming that you would be unwelcome because of any linguistic or cultural barrier and put off giving this mad tradition a try. Trust in the knowledge that you are already highly sought-after, as the Castellers of London are always in need of new-comers.
Com més n’hi hagi, millor serà!
The more the merrier!
Find out more about the Castellers of London at their website. Rehearsals take place on Wednesday from 7pm to 9pm and on Sunday from 2pm to 5pm in the Bermondsey area.
Adam Eshkeri
