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There has been a change this year on the Jaialdi board; after successfully organizing the event six times, Dave Eiguren passed the baton to the new generation.  Jeremy Malone is one of the visible heads of Jaialdi 2015 as the events co-director. 

Joseba Etxarri.   Born in Boise and grandson of Basques from Lekeitio and Elantxobe, Jeremy Malone has done a little bit of everything in his Basque community in Boise, from dancing with the Oinkari’s to being an instructor for the Boiseko Gazteak, to becoming an active member of the Euzkaldunak Basque club and serving as it’s NABO representative, to directing Udaleku to now shouldering much responsibility in the development of Jaialdi.  Married to Ana Mendiola, another active Boise Basque community member who has been just as active as Jeremy – they make a team even where Jaialdi is concerned – our interviewee is finalizing details and is attentively waiting for this week to begin, D-Day, the moment of truth, when two years of preparation, effort and work is realized.

I understand that your commitment to the Basque community in Boise began precisely with the first Jaialdi in 1987.

-I became an Oinkari right after the first Jaialdi, 27 years ago…

Who would have predicted then the success and the size that the event has gained over time.  Or that you, who was just 15 then, would become one of its directors…

-We were talking then about a much smaller festival, first at the Old Penitentiary, which later moved to Expo Idaho, the fairgrounds where it takes place now with a larger participation and projection….More days have been added, it's expanded….  In 1990 the Basque Block was inaugurated in Boise and without a doubt it has contributed much to the Basque life of the city and also to Jaialdi….  We have keep growing and amending from one edition to the next. On the other hand, Dave Eiguren, who directed the first six editions very successfully, announced in 2010 that he wanted to pass the baton to another director.  Ana and I had collaborated on various editions and we have this experience in our favor, just like another couple Rod and Amy (Hormaechea) Wray, along with whom we took over.  Basically we have maintained the previous template, since we believe that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, unless we can improve upon something in particular. 

How would you present Jaialdi to someone who has never participated in it before?

-Different people perceive Jaialdi in different ways, but maybe the response would be that it is an opportunity to experiment, not only the Basque culture, but also different aspects of traditional Basque culture, above all in its most festive side, its music, sports, gastronomy, dance…thanks to Basque-Americans as well as invited groups from the Basque Country.  Another point of view, maybe complementary, is to present Jaialdi as a reunion, a meeting point that brings together Basques and local friends of Basques, along with those from the rest of the United States, and other countries in the Diaspora as well as the Basque Country with a more personal element that prevails, that of meeting new and old friends all within the festive framework of the festival. 

How many people are part of its organization besides the quartet that you have already mentioned?

-There are 25 different committees that have been working since 2013; each one is in charge of a different area, along with nearly 800 volunteers.  Many of these are part of the Basque community, but there are also non-Basques from Boise who also participate, and volunteers from other Idaho Basque clubs such as Homedale, Mountain Home and Gooding.  As far as artists this year, there are 21 groups and artists from both the US and the Basque Country.

How would you make a last call for Jaialdi?

-I think that Jaialdi is a fantastic opportunity to travel and realize what Basque consists of, that it is alive and it is important for many, and in many more places than one might think..  It is an opportunity to celebrate and share our culture with Basques from other countries as well as with people who feel comfortable with us.  Many also see it as a tribute to those who came before us and planted the Basque seed that today, over time, is still germinating and is alive, eager to endure and keep sprouting.  It is a festival that Basque-Americans participate in from what we are, where we go as a family, because we want it to endure in our children.  It is an invitation to our house, from the bottom of our hearts, because as we were taught, and the old Basque adage says “Geure etxea zeure etxea da” (our house is your house).