The goals of the Saltoko Euskaldunen Taldea proposed at the beginning of the year “are being completed and have allowed the group to project new challenges for the next cycle,” club sources say. In this way, they will seek funding for the Bodega Harriague Cultural space and as well as a space to create the “Gernika Space” that is already underway and that they hope to reveal in 2018. For these and other good reasons, they celebrated with a big 'Euskal Festa' (Basque festival) their 25th anniversary
Salto, Uruguay. The Basque club in Salto held a week-long program to celebrate its 25th anniversary as well as Euskera Day, with a special Euskal Festa. The activities began on December 3rd with an anniversary dinner for 170 people at the Parador Ayii. During the festivities the board of directors recognized boards over the years, and there was also musical entertainment. The events resumed the following weekend with a film (“Together Elkarrekin”) and music on Friday. The film and the show were held outside in front of the clubhouse, where those present also enjoyed pintxos taking advantage of the good weather. On Saturday, the original program was modified, although preserving the cultural and recreational activities. The hosts held an “informal meeting” with visitors present, and inaugurated an exhibit about the Bombing of Gernika. Dr. Raul Iturria Igarzabal presented his book The Basque Contribution to Uruguay, historian Alberto Eguiluz also gave a talk on Pascual Harriague the founder of the bodega by the same name, recovered by the Basque club. The evening concluded with a BBQ at the Juan Harriague Basque House.
About the modifications, club president, Luis Zaldua told EuskalKultura.com that the originally date wasn’t convenient for members of other clubs to attend a meeting. In his words, “During these dates at the end of the year, many of them in Argentina, and Brazil are concluding their year-long events and celebrations. This is why we decided to change the date of the international meeting that had been scheduled and had an informal meeting instead. The same thing happened with the fourth meeting of the XXI Century Forum on Basque entities in Uruguay.”
“The other change was having to postpone the placement of the corner stone of the “Gernika Space.” This was due to a delay of the city’s processing the authorization to construct the monument to pay tribute to the victims of the bombing of Gernika, that wasn't ready for December 3rd. On Saturday the 9th, the agreement had been signed though,” the president added.
The Basque Festival in Salto concluded as planned with “Aitzindarien Korrika,” the Pioneer’s Korrika, on the shores of Salto. “It was a symbolic run-walk,” Zaldua said, “that united two significant places for the local Basque community, the Harriague Bodega and the Saturnino Rivas Shipyard.”
In the president’s words, looking towards 2018, there are various projects that the club will work on: they will begin to show the fruits of the Harriague Bodega Space, and in general as well as the UribaARRi project, that the club has been working on along with the city and the UNESCO Chair of Cultural Landscapes and Heritage at the University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU; the construction of the Gernika Space; and the organization of the Pioneer’s Korrika. “These are big projects that we are ready for,” the president said. “I won’t be the president because I’ve already served four years and our statutes won’t let me run again. However, I will collaborate with the board of directors, who will also continue to work on these,” Zaldua concluded.
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