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Donostia-San Sebastian.  Academia was also present at the 5^th World Congress of Basque Collectivities where is shared its point of view, especially at Thursday’s session, when the seminar Euskal Herria Mugaz Gaindi was held.  Yolanda Gomez Echevarria, from Bilbao, represented the Directorate General of Spanish Citizenship Abroad, where she serves as its deputy director. She explained the programs and aid available, addressing the issue of returnees as well.  The day in pictures:

[A testimony which has never been broached at the congress: the Spanish Government providing information on aid destined for Spanish citizens and returnees, including data and experiences; information was provided at both the state and regional levels (photo EuskalKultura.com)]

[Yolanda Gomez Echevarria, deputy director of the Directorate General of Spanish Citizenship Abroad, during her presentation (photo EuskalKultura.com)]

[Outside the meeting rooms a sort of “fair of collectivities” took place that included stands by various centers and organizations related to the Diaspora including that of EuskalKultura.com.  Other stands included that of NABO, FEVA, HABE, the Basque-Argentinean Foundation Juan de Garay, Boise’s Basque Museum, the University of Deusto, UPV-EHU (University of the Basque Country).  Pictured Bego Miñaur of EuskalKultura.com with Miguel Fagoaga, president of the Euskal Echea association of Buenos Aires (photo EuskalKultura.com)]

[Even though each Diaspora has its own characteristics, representatives of Catalonia and Galicia shared with congress participants the situation of their citizens abroad, as well as services and policies intended for them (photo EuskalKultura.com)]

[Center and federation representatives followed the presentations intently (photo EuskalKultura.com)]

[Other parallel activities also took place simultaneously during the congress including talks and film screenings.  Pictured as part of the lecture series, Argitxu Camus-Etchecopar, from Xiberoa, spoke about the presence of Euskera in the heart of Basque collectivities (photo EuskalKultura.com)]

[In the third room, activities alternated between talks and documentaries on the Diaspora, the audience here was school students from both private and public schools.  Among the documentaries was “Basques in the West” in English presented by Amaya Oxarango-Ingram, and “Artzainak” in Basque and English by Javier Zubizarreta…these presentations were also in three languages, Basque, Spanish and English (photo EuskalKultura.com)]

[Boise’s Basque Museum also had a stand at the congress with Patty Miller, its director, in front.  The museum also contributed its exhibit “Hidden in Plain Sight: the Basques,” which deals with Basque emigration to North America.  Pictured, Miguel Asqueta, representative from Uruguay, looking at the exhibit. (photo EuskalKultura.com)]

[After the presentations there was debate which included the points of view of the various representatives of the various administrations present, as well as those from the world of academia (photo EuskalKultura.com)]

[A sample of the book presentations that took place throughout the day, pictured: Aizpea Goenaga, director of the Etxepare Basque Institute, presenting the winning authors and works of the Andres Irujo prize: Colombian John Alejandro Ricaurte, first on the left, who spoke about “Navarran Basques in Antioquia (1890-1970): an approach to the history of migrants, religious and exiles” and the Argentinean Fabio Echarri, at the right, on “Eusebio Zamakola Abrisketa: a man from Basauri in the Argentinean Chaco” (photo EuskalKultura.com)]

 (to be continued)