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Sabrina Otegui/La Plata, Argentina. The Basque language and culture lecturer at the National University of La Plata began in 2008 and over the years has grown rapidly becoming, along with the Euzko Etxea Basque club and the Chair for Basque Free Thought at the UNLP, another reference for the culture of Euskal Herria in the city of the diagonals.

In the same line as the previous two years, the 2014 cycle will also be run by a Lecturer from Euskadi.  Taking over for Idurre Lekuona, who served as teacher for three years, Daniel Oiarbide is responsible to teach the courses, since May 5^th.   Daniel is from Idiazabal, Gipuzkoa and studied Basque philology in Vitoria-Gasteiz.

Since his degree he has always worked in the field of Euskera instruction, in Ikastolas, but most of all in Euskaltegis, dedicating himself to adult education.  That is why he came to the euskaltegi-barnetegi Maizpide, in Lazkao, where he worked for the last two years.  This experience as lectuer in La Plata is new for him, but the Diaspora is not.

In fact, at Maizpide in the distance courses provided by the Euskara Munduan by HABE, through the euskaltegi, he was given the possibility to tutor students in South America in Basque.  We spoke about that, and other things in an interview with Dani with EuskalKultura.com.

-What brought you to Argentina?

Through the agreement between the Etxepare Basque Institute and the National University of La Plata, the Basque Language and Culture Lecturer position was created some years ago. Last year they opened some of these and I applied and was selected.  As part of the lectureship, besides teaching Basque I will also teach other topics related to Basque culture, even if the focus of the courses will be language we are not limited to language instruction.

You must realize that students are of various levels in Basque and this also influences how the classes are taught.  In the beginning groups we use more Spanish, to work on Basque and culture; in more advance levels we try to only limited Spanish and for the most advance we only work in Basque in both language and culture instruction.

-You mentioned students who have been studying for a while and the majority of them are have been taught by previous lecturers.  Have you been in touch with your predecessors to get familiar with the courses?

Yes, the lecturer before me was Idurre Lekuona and I contacted her in the Basque Country knowing that her advice and information would be very valuable, especially taking into account that she had been here for three years.  Her advice was very good, not only regarding working at the university, but also regarding life here, the day-to-day.  After all, we aren’t at home, I came with my partner Ioar Oteiza, and there are several customs that are different…

Each lecturer has liberty to apply his/her own touch to the classes, but the focus of the title, is Basque language and culture and their diffusion.  That is why it is important to create links between the Basque Country and Argentina as well as other institutions in La Plata.  There are many who are working in favor of the Basque language and culture and it seems very interesting to me to work together.  As I said before, to know Basque is also to delve into topics like etymology and topology, and Argentina provides a lot of material for this, regarding bertsolaris and the payadores, the comparison of minority languages in Argentina and Euskera, movements that are emerging in Euskal Herria…

-How long are you in charge of teaching?

The job is for three years, however, the contract is renewable annually, and so if we are happy we can stay, and if not, you can leave.  Nevertheless, and from what we have seen so far, and in the way that we have been welcomed, for which we are very grateful, I don’t think we’ll leave anytime soon.

-Teaching classes as a lecturer is something new but your contact with the Diaspora isn’t.

That’s right…as many other Basques I have family in Argentina and I am going to take advantage of my stay here to visit them.  The distance is huge and so we don’t have many opportunities to see them.  On the other hand, at Maizpide, I was in charge, along with professor Jon Urdangarin, for online courses that were being taught to students in South America and so I already knew some Argentinean students before coming here. It’s strange because at the university I was able to meet them face to face, instead of via the internet.  Some others I knew because they had spent time in Maizpide.

-How have the first days of your stay here been?

It was kind of hard in the beginning…being far from home is the most difficult.  We had to find a place to live, get our papers in order…but little by little we’re getting used to it here.  We have also been in various Basque club and we have been very well received.  They helped us find a place to live, an apartment.  We are very comfortable and enthusiastic with the possibility of getting to know the Argentinean Diaspora better, as well as collaborate with them if we can.

-We know that you are very close to the “Gure Esku Dago” initiative and you are its representatives in some way now in Argentina.  Were you able to see the Human Chain last Sunday in Buenos Aires as part of the “Buenos Aires Celebrates” in solidarity with the one that will form in the Basque Country on June 8^th? How did you feel when you saw what it meant to the people?

I was very happy to see that here too there is this popular and broad movement that was born in the Basque Country with great enthusiasm. Seeing so many men and women, of all ages and types so far yet so close to the Basque Country was very cool. We hope that in Argentina a path as fruitful as the one in the Basque Country might be possible.  It is very exciting to do our part towards that as well.

2014 BASQUE CLASS SCHEDULE

Classes will begin on May 5^th and will run through December.  They are open and aimed to the community.  According to the new professor, there will be five groups, classes will take place Monday-Thursday (each group will have three hours of class a week) as follows:

-Advanced: Tuesdays from 18:00hs to 21:00hs
-Intermediate: Mondays from 18:00hs to 21:00hs or Thursday from 18:00hs to 21:00hs
-Beginners (from zero in June): Wednesdays from16:00hs to 18:00hs or Wednesdays from 18:00hs to 20:00hs.