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Invited by event organizers, Laurak Bat Basque club, representatives of the popular initiative Gure Esku Dago were present at “Buenos Aires Celebrates the Basque Country” 2016 as they have been for the last two editions.  This year’s slogan was to support, via symbolic vote, the referendums that will take place in 34 localities of the Basque Country on June 5. 

Buenos Aires, Argentina.   “Buenos Aires Celebrates the Basque Country” took place on May 8 and its fifth edition was as successful as ever.  According to organizers, approximately 20,000 people participated in the event that paid tribute to the Basque community from noon to 6pm.

As the prior two festivals, the popular initiative in favor of the right to decide Gure Esku Dago was also present this year, giving the Diaspora the chance, despite the distances, to participate in the initiatives that are developing in the Basque Country.  In regards to the 2016 proposal, they invited those present to participate in a symbolic act of voting in hopes of supporting the referendums that will take place on June 5 in different towns the Basque Country.

As Gure Esku Dago representatives told EuskalKultura.com, “The Diaspora is the eighth province and so that is why it is fundamental to point out its importance and to highlight its essential commitment and participation in what happens in Euskal Herria. That is why we invited everyone who approached our stand to give their symbolic vote, and in this way to express their support of the referendums, as well as encourage 150,000 citizens in the Basque Country to do the same.”

A large number of those present at Buenos Aires Celebrates joined the Gure Esku Dago initiative and the “votes” were photographed.  The photo album was converted into a video (see it here).  “We think that it was an original idea to support the June 5 referendums; that is why we want to invited Basque clubs around the world, as well as every individual, to carry out similar activities in hopes of supporting the referendums with images of ballot boxes, envelopes or whatever other resource that symbolizes the right to decide,” they said.

In the afternoon, on the main “Buenos Aires Celebrates” stage the phrase Gure Esku Dago was created.  Remember that in 2014 on this same stage, a human chain was created by the Basque community in Argentina that linked to those in Iruña-Pamplona and Durango.  In 2015, the large cloth patched together with desires, and the will in all kinds of messages in favor of the right to decide came to Buenos Aires from Basque clubs in Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay.