"Forming part of a colla castellera offers you a different lifestyle"

"The position children normally occupy in the traditional castellers groups must be occupied by adults, and that makes building castles even more difficult."

-How was the UAB Ganàpies created 30 years ago?

What I have been told is that there was a group of students from Environmental Sciences that would organise different types of workshops, and one of them was building castells. They would build these human castles on the lawns of the University and, of course, a lot of people would come a watch them. They spent two years meeting every Thursday on the grass of the UAB to build these castles. After that, they decided to put up posters around the University inviting people to join them, and that is how the Colla Castellera Ganàpies de la UAB was created.

-What role does it have within the university community? How has it evolved?

I cannot comment on its entire trajectory because I was not a member at the beginning, 30 years ago, but I can say that we have gone from a group of 20 or 50 people to the group of 300 we are now. That changes its dynamics greatly, both in organisation and in the type of castells we build. Now we can do things that are much more difficult than in the first years after founding Ganàpies.

There has also been an important evolution in other areas, such as the music. Now we have a band, the Ganapimúsics, and they play during our performances, as well as being members of Ganàpies. We have 30 musicians, and not many groups have that. In that sense we are very lucky.

In recent years, we also added commissions such as the Punt Lila and the Gender Commission, and they have helped us greatly within the group and with training in equality and security.

-What does belonging to the Ganàpies represent for you and the group, and being able to celebrate 30 years?

For me, Ganàpies is much more than just building castles or being at university. It represents a huge change in my life. Forming part of the group offers you a different lifestyle, it helps you meet a lot of people and learn about values. I would recommend forming part of a university castells group to everyone.

Celebrating these 30 years is very special, since it is the result of so much work by so many people who have formed part of Ganàpies all these years.

-How important is the tradition of building castells within university life?

Castells are very important at the UAB, since we are the largest university group in number of members. That makes us a very active group. And it helps you meet people from all the degrees and faculties, and experience the campus more intensely. The fact that you are part of a group allows transmitting these values to each and every member and that is an incredible feeling.

-What are the peculiarities of a university colla castellera?

The main difference with other groups, or colles, is the members. The university groups only have students and lecturers. The conventional colles also have kids participating at the top levels, since they weigh less and can make the castle grow even higher. But at university, these positions are occupied by adults, so it makes building the castle even more difficult.

Plus, the university groups are led by students, which represents a different type and a more complex organisation. There are also more celebrations and social activities, since we are part of the university culture. However, we do attend less competitions than the normal colles.

Another key aspect is the rotation of members. Conventional groups can have members that are castellers all their life, while members of university groups normally last four or five years during their studies. That means that each year many people sign up or leave, and that is a challenge in itself in terms of training together and understanding each other.

-Throughout these years, what were the biggest challenges faced by the Ganàpies, in terms of both organisation and tradition?

Organisationally, one of the main challenges has been to manage the group, since, like any entity, we have a board and several people who must coordinate many tasks. Keeping the group running requires a lot of work and dedication, and over the years there have been better times and more complicated times.

As for the challenges in terms of tradition, the university castells are a relatively recent modality within the casteller world. This has meant that, initially, some conventional groups were reluctant to accept us as a legitimate part of the casteller movement. However, over time we have gained respect and recognition within the traditional casteller world, demonstrating that we can also contribute a lot to this culture.

-As president, what are the projects or challenges you have in mind for the coming years?

I share the presidency with another member and we also have a vice-president, since the 30th anniversary year involves much more work than a normal year. Our main challenge has been to organise a celebration in keeping with the group's history.

As for the coming years, we do not set long-term goals, as the presidencies and leadership positions at Ganàpies, like the group's head positions, are annual. The university format means that people do not usually have time to assume leaderships for more than a year, although there are exceptions. This means that each year the group is renewed and projects are defined according to the needs and priorities of each management team.

-What would you say to someone who is considering joining the group, but doesn't yet know what to expect from the experience?

I would tell them to give it a try. The only way to know if you're going to like something is to try it. A lot of people come in with doubts or a bit afraid, but almost everyone who takes the plunge ends up saying, “Wow, I'm lucky I tried it!” It's a life-changing experience, both personally and socially, and it's an incredible opportunity to meet people and experience university in a much more intense way. So, if you're thinking about it, give it a try!

-What steps is the group taking to ensure its long-term sustainability? How to attract new generations and keep the tradition alive?

To ensure long-term sustainability, it is essential to maintain constant training in the group. As each year there is a great change in members due to the nature of the group, it is essential to ensure that knowledge and experience is passed on to new castellers.

To attract new generations, we do a lot of on-campus promotion, organising activities and exhibitions to raise awareness of the castells. In addition, we take every opportunity to make ourselves visible, either with performances, castells exhibitions in different areas of the University or through social and festive activities. The goal is to be accessible and attractive to new students so that they see that being part of Ganàpies is much more than building castells: it is a unique experience of university life.

-To celebrate the 30th anniversary you organised the Macrodiada, in which the 14 university colles castelleres participated. What did this day represent for you?

Yes, the Macrodiada is the most important day in the history of Ganàpies. For the 25th anniversary we wanted to hold a macrodiada, but it was not possible because of Covid-19. Now, with the 30th anniversary, we wanted to make a tribute, not only to ourselves, but to all 14 university colles. We have been preparing the 30th anniversary for more than a year. Several groups have been created to organise different aspects of the celebration. In fact, we recently released a podcast with the collaboration of UABmedia and we took a trip to Valencia, among other activities.

Presidents of Ganàpies: Bruna Cordon and Laura Pozo

Vice President: Pau Pol Carrillo

Cap de colla: Etna Poch

Sots cap de colla: Laia Lis