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The festivities are set for December 10th to celebrate the anniversary as well as the International Day of Euskera.  The youth are in charge of the dinner menu, while the Basque students and teachers will organize activities related to the language, including showing videos.  This is how the year will come to an end at Denak Bat, an intense one that included a concert by the group Kalakan at the clubhouse. 

Mendoza, Argentina.  Named “Lurraren azpian” (underground) since it is located in Euskal Etxea’s basement, the Gaztetxe in Mendoza has become the preferred place for the club’s youth.  They get together there to listen to music, dance, or have something to drink, as well as to organize group activities, one of the pillars of the institution.

According to some of the club’s youth, “the Gaztetxe was created 10 years ago in response to a necessity.  Some of the youth were leaving the Basque club and so we wanted to provide a meeting place, where they could gather, but also play a role in the club. That is why we started planning Friday BBQs for the muslaris.  In this way we were able to save money to help them attend Semana Nacional Vasca, as well as carry out improvements on the clubhouse.  The Gaztetxe is a very active place where activities take place, like Kalakan’s concert, for example, that was a youth initiative.”

A decade since its creation, not just the youth, but the club as a whole will celebrate its birthday, with a dinner on December 10th.  The International Day of Euskera will also be celebrated at the same time; an important date for the large number of Basque students and teachers at Denak Bat.  “We are planning on showing videos about the Basque language, including our video participation in the uninterrupted reading of the classics in Euskera that took place in June at the Arriaga Theater in Bilbao.  We may also show a video about the history of the Gaztetxe,” Lautaro Pincheira, member of the youth group and also one of the club’s Basque teachers, explained.

Kalakan in Mendoza

Kalakan’s concert in Mendoza took place on November 12th and was very well attended.  In the words of Alicia Aguirre, club president, “there were more than 200 people in attendance who left very satisfied with the quality of the show.  A complete success.  We enjoyed the support of the Provincial Secretary of Culture and instead of charging admission, we asked everyone to bring a pouch of powdered milk to donate to the Conin Foundation who fights malnutrition in infants.  Without a doubt, an excellent way to start the end of the year Denak Bat’s 60th anniversary,” she emphasized.