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Writer and librarian, Arantzazu Amezaga Iribarren (Buenos Aires, 1943) was recognized last Thursday in Estella-Lizarra with the Manuel de Irujo Prize, an award created in 2001 that is presented annually by the Irujo Etxea Elkartea.  After a traditional Aurresk, in the Santiago Plaza in front of the Irujo family home, the event moved to the conference hall in Montejurra, attended by a large number of authorities and a large audience.  Chronicle by Ruben Usua of Noticias de Navarra. 

Ruben Usua, Estella-Lizarra.   After a welcome by the Ereintza Choir, who entertained at the event, the president of the Irujo Etxea, Koldo Viñuales, broke the ice.  After resuming the life of Amezaga, first with nostalgia of her exile in South America and later with her return, he asserted that “your tenacity and work to give life to the memory of Mr. Irujo make you deserving of the award that bears his name.”

And he continued, “It is not easy to write about a man that has been known, admired and wanted over a lifetime (as the uncle of her husband, Pello). But during 18 years you worked hard to research and contrast, rereading patiently all of his books, articles and his speeches to recreate the book Manuel de Irujo. A Basque Man.”

As Irujo Etxea's president stated, this publication isn’t just a biography, since “it also complies the history of the last 100 years of Nationalism from Navarre for all of the Basque Country.”  That is why, “Irujo Etxea and all the Nationalists owe you a great debt of gratitude for this work where we can connect with the ideas and projects of Don Manuel to stay united in the construction of what should be the homeland for all.”

He didn’t forget to thank Arantzazu Amezaga for her collaboration in the foundation, nor for her literary work “to bring the history of Navarre to its citizens,” finishing with these moving words.  “You are so identified with Don Manuel’s speech, that in the end, you have become his voice that continues to talk to us today.”

A street in Estella       

After a musical interlude, Iñaki Anasagasti (PNV) took the floor. He is a former Basque parliamentarian, deputy and senator for 35 years, who also shared a lot with Amezaga and her spouse, Pello Irujo in exile. During his speech that was full of metaphors and memories, he defined her as “a writer, mother, wife and activist; a feminist that compliments good taste and a stainless steel fighter.”

Anasagasti added that “You won’t be able to understand Arantzazu Amezaga without her parents,” neither the Caracas Basque club and of course, without the figure of Manuel de Irujo, “the most important Navarran and landmark of the 20^th century; a politician by vocation in capital letters that would be happy with the current Government of Navarre.”

After his talk it was time to present the medal and the traditional Seiburu, award that she accepted “very excitedly.” “I am honored to accept this award.  The words of my life-long friend, Iñaki Anasagasti, and the president of the Irujo Etxea have touch my heart deeply,” she confessed.

Amezaga who constantly turned, during her speech, to talk to the enormous photo of Irujo that is in the room, remembered how she met him when she was only 5 at the aerodrome in Montevideo.  She stressed, “His value and humanity as a conciliatory man.”  She spoke of their other meetings, as a family member and the return home in 1977.  Also of the difficult moment of his death (1981) and how she was encouraged to write his biography that was a challenge.

She also wanted to take advantage of the occasion to ask the local Government to dedicate to Irujo (although already in the works) “a plaza, street or corner in this precious city that he loved so much; everyone who knew him in exile understood what Estella meant to him.  He was a very important historic reference and it is a shame that there is not a remembrance of this man who left us; because these are the men that deserve to be remembers, men of honor who are loyal to an ideology, but conciliators.”  In addition, she also had beautiful words for her family, especially for her sons.  “For me, they are another Irujo prize, who have followed the path that draws them.’  The music by Ereintza and the txistularis included Agur Jauanak that concluded the moving event.

DETAILS         

There were many guests including the Navarran vice-president Manu Ayerdi and minister Jose Luis Mendoza; Iñaki Anasagasti; the Estella-Lizarra mayor, Koldo Leoz, and various councilmen respresenting EH Bildu, Geroa Bai, Ahora-Orain and PSN; members of the Navarrese Parliament like Maria Solana or Unai Hualde; representatives of the Basque Government (Estefanía Beltrán and José Manuel Bujanda); from Euskadi Buru Batzar and Napar Buru Batzar; from the Sabino Arana Foundation, from Euskaltzaindia, Eusko Ikaskuntza; The Federation of Ikastolak; and of course members and collaborators of Irujo Etxea. Also attending were Anika Luján and Daniel Innerarity, candidates for the Senate and Congress for geroa Bai, among many others.  Of course family members were also present like her sons, daughters-in-law and grandchildren who wanted to accompany her on this special day.

(published in Noticias de Navarra)