Sabrina Otegui, Buenos Aires, Argentina / Michigan, USA. Martiniano Etchart is a Basque Argentine that has lived in the US since 2018. Despite the distances, he maintains a strong relationship with the Denak Bat Basque Club in his hometown of Cañuelas, and during these two years, he has participated in the majority of its initiatives. "Taking advantage” of the pandemic situation, during 2020 he hasn’t missed one activity held virtually in Argentina, and has also begun studying Euskera, on line with Euskaltzalteak of Buenos Aires.
Going virtual has also allowed Martiniano to get closer to the Basque American community and participate in the “Coffee Break” organized by the Basque Museum and Cultural Center in Boise in July as well as in the virtual “Happy Hour,” with Philipp Acheritogaray, president of NABO in August, activities that he learned about as a faithful reader of EuskalKultura.eus, always in hopes of “geting to know Basques in the United States.”
Even if he hasn’t had the chance to visit Euskal Herria, he is sure that it will be his first destination once he can travel again to get to know Donibane Garazi, among other towns, where his great-great-grandfather Etchart left to go to Argentina in the middle of the 18th century. Mila esker, Martiniano, zure historia gurekin partekatzeagatik!
[Interview with Martiniano Echart in the US with EuskalKultura.eus; in Spanish with Basque subtitles]
[Without a doubt, Martiniano contiues being part of the Denak Bat and that is why he is “at” all of their festivities…for example at Semana Vasca 2018, where he also watched the gala and the recital by videoconference]
Send to a friend
Add comment
