euskalkultura.eus

This event is organized annually by the Euskaltegi Bilbo Zaharra to recognize Basque students’ efforts and contribution to society.  On this occasion, the chosen work was Kresala by Txomin Agirre.  As every year since its inception, a representation of Basque students from Basque clubs around the world participate in the reading, via video, at the event that takes place at the Arriaga Theater in Bilbao. Basque writer, Kirmen Uribe, began the reading that ran 12 hours from 8am to 8pm.

Bilbao, Bizkaia.   The novel was divided into 400 passages, each read by all kinds of people, representing the globality and plurality of the Basque society where writers to athletes, politicians, journalists, students, academics and religious answering the call from Bilbao Zaharra Euskaltegia with the collaboration of Bilbao’s City Hall, the Provincial Government of Bizkaia and Laboral Kutxa.

The reading that was accompanied by videos from Basque clubs from Berlin to Tokyo, from San Francisco to Rome via Santiago, Chile or Sydney, Australia ran over twelve hours at the Arriaga Theater in Bilbao, on Thursday, June 7^th.  Also participating throughout the day were invited readers including writer Mariasun Landa, Minister of Culture, Bingen Zupiria, Deputy of Euskera and Culture from the Provincial Government of Bizkaia, Lorea Bilbao, and singer Natxo de Felipe, mayor of Bilbao Juan Mari Aburto, and President of Euskaltzaindia, Andres Urrutia, as well as the director of the Etxepare Basque Institute, Irene Larraza.

Remember that HABE’s Euskara Munduan program became part of the Etxepare Institute as of January 1^st of this year.  Therefore, the 2018 edition was the first time that Basque clubs participated under the coordination of the aforementioned institute.

Of the 400 passage of the novel by Txomin Agirre, the reading of 16 of those feel to Basque students in the Diaspora who divided those passages allowing 33 students to participate in the event.

Basque clubs that participated including the passage they read:

1 Euskal Etxea - Hogar Vasco - Madrid 16
2 Mexico City Basque Club A.C, Mexico City 16
3 Leipzig University Leipzig Germany17
4 Gure Mendietakoak Foundation - Caldas, Colombia 17
5 Laurak Bat - Valencia 30
6 Gure Txoko Basque Club INC. - Sydney 30
7 Euskal Etxea “Artea” - Palma de Mallorca 33
8 Euskal Etxea - Lima 33
9 Eusko Alkartasuna - São Paulo 47
10 Basque Community of Chile – Santiago 47
11 “Gure Txoko” - Valladolid 51
12 Euzko Etxea  - Valparaíso, Chile 51
13 Euskal Etxea-Cultural Center - Barcelona 63
14 Euskal Etxea Foundation, Bogotá 63
15 “Gure Txokoa” - Azul (Buenos Aires) 69
16 Euskal Etxea - Tokyo 69
17 Eskual Etxea - Paris 75
18 London Basque Society Euskal Elkartea - London 75
19 Gernika Deutsch –Baskischer Kulturverein E.V . - Berlin 89
20 Euskaldunak Association des Basques du Quebec, Montreal 89
21 Basque Cultural Center - San Francisco, California 99
22 Eskualdunen Biltzarra - Bordeaux 99
23 Euskal Etxea - Zaragoza106
24 Basque Navarre Charitable Association of Havana 106
25 Euskaltzaleok - Valencia 114
26 “Iparreko Ibarra” - Rocklin, California 114
27 Euskal Etxea - Brussels 126
28 F.I.V.U – Federation of Basque Institutions of Uruguay, Montevideo 126
29 Eusko Brasildar Etxea – Brazil Basque Club, São Paulo 176
30 Euzko Etxea – Basque Club Santiago, Chile 176
31 “Unión Vasca” - Bahía Blanca (Argentina) 176
32 Associazione Culturale Euskara - Rome 177
33 “Euskal Erria” - Montevideo 177

The novel chosen for this year’s edition was Kresala (1906) by Txomin Agirre from Ondarroa, adding a touch of Bizkaian Basque to what is written.  The event concluded with a dance to the music of Gaztedi.