euskalkultura.eus

Ander Egiluz Beramendi/USA. “Memoria Bizia” (Living Memory) is a Basque diaspora living heritage project aimed at collecting oral testimonies from the older generations by the communities themselves. “We live in a unique time to be able to carry out this project –according to Oiarzabal− and, for that, we need the communities in the diaspora to collaborate.” EuskalKultura.com asked Nathalie Urroz about her experience at the workshop she attended in San Francisco.

-Why did you decide to enroll in these workshops?

-Actually, a friend of mine told me that I might be interested in this because I have always been interested in our culture and history. I really think that interviewing the older generations, to get to know their history and the stories they have to tell, is very important. Especially because we come from a very small country that very few people know about − that is why it is important to keep these stories alive.

-It is hard to have a future without a past.

-Those stories are a big part of what we are, of what we live, and of what we breathe, and we have to keep them. Plus, ours is a very interesting and unique culture, I believe. So are our language and our values. We have to have pride in them, like other people have in their cultures.

-From the perspective of the Basque-American community, why would you say “Memoria Bizia” is an important project?

-Because I think it could bring our community closer together. I got to know new people, people that might not be involved with any Basque Club but that feel the need to preserve their family’s history and culture.

-Has this one been your first experience in this field?

-It’s been fairly new for me, yes. I’d never had the opportunity to do anything like this and it was really worth it. I have always liked to ask my father and mother questions to know more about their past, but I have never done anything like this and, definitely, I’d like to get more involved.

-What was the workshop like? Was it easy to follow?

-It was very easy to follow. He is a very smart guy [Dr. Pedro J. Oiarzabal], you can tell (she laughs). He told us a lot of anecdotes of how interviews were done before and also how they are done nowadays and everything was very clear. All of us in the course left with a good idea of how to do it.

-Since Dr. Oiarzabal is still offering these workshops in the US, would you recommend them to other Basque-Americans?

-Totally, this is a great project and a great idea. It is very good for younger generations to get to know what older generations have to say. It’s a great way to connect different generations.

For more information on the workshops or if you would like to hold one in your area or participate in the project, please contact the North American Basque Organizations at info@nabasque.org