Towards Independence and Socialism
EUSKAL HERRIA BASQUE COUNTRY STEP BY STEP
ASKAPENA's Informative Service N. 172
Euskara, this is Basque is the oldest living language in Europe; it is older than French, Spanish, Latin and previous to any Indo-European language within Europe. Even if so passing from mother to son or daughter up to the 21st century has not been an easy 4adventure. For centuries this ancient language has been prosecuted, forbidden to be used in public, and even the children who spoke it in the schools were beaten and humiliated. It was cut from official documents and publications, being considered by some intellectuals like some kind of "dog's barking"...
Euskal Herria (the nation were Basque spoken) was more vast than the territories occupied by the actual seven regions, but as a result of a centuries lasting linguistic and cultural repression, The Basque Country has lost a lot of its original area.
In the sixties of the former century, at a time when repression was at its most in the hands of Franco's regime at this side of the Pyrenees and with the French Jacobinism at the other side, there was the birth of a movement in favour of the Basque culture and language.
The very first achievement of this peoples' initiative was to self-convince the Basque people that despite the attacks against the language, the existing repression, the lack of prestige, its absence in the schools, at work and at the universities... it was possible not only to avoid its extinction, but also to assume its recovery in all the territory and its normalization as the language of a nation: Euskal Herria.
That is the reason why we say... back to our language and culture!
Ez dok hamairu, Bai euskarari, euskaraz eta kitto! (We are not "number thirteen", yes to Euskara, let us speak just in Basque!)
In the sixties the first Basque schools for children, which in Basque are called "ikastolas". It was not easy for the parents to take their children to clandestine flats so that they should learn properly their own language. It was also then when the first 'gau-eskolas' (nocturnal schools) did appear. Those schools were for adults who did not either know how to write in their mother tongue, or else they had no knowledge of that tongue: euskara. They used to go in a clandestine way in order to learn, after their working hours. At that time there was also the beginning of cultural groups, musical instruments were also recovered, folk singers were born... Basque language, Euskara came out of secrecy, not without suffering harassment, and it did conquer the streets, becoming a popular cry "bai euskarari!" (yes to Basque language!).
In the popular culture "Ez dok hamairu!" (literally "we are not thirteen"). This is, we, the Basque people are not bewitched by a spell that makes impossible that our language, our nation should survive), a massive people's movement of ideological struggle "Euskal Herrian Euskaraz" ("let us use Basque in the Basque country"). Before this social movement the only existing institution was the Academy of the Basque Language: Euskaltzaindia, at the time immersed in the "modernization" of the language. In order to face the challenges of the near future. These initiatives were born under its protection.
Korrika and popular celebrations in favour of our language: Euskara.
In previous reports we have mentioned how popular celebrations, fiestas are used in the Basque Country to support ideological struggle and people's struggle. This very same has happened with the movement for the recovery and the normalization of the Basque language at the time of organizing huge events that seemed pretty crazy at the very beginning, but after some years those very events have become mass phenomena.
In every region of Southern Euskal Herria there is a fiesta to back the ikastolas and the normalization of Euskara, while in the Northern Basque Country there is a fiesta of the three regions. As for the education of adults, the most important event is the Korrika.
The Korrika is organised by AEK, the coordinator organised alter the grouping of the different 'gau-eskola' (night schools for adults) present in the whole Basque Country.
Korrika is a sort of race in favour of Euskara which goes through the whole Basque Country without stop in 10 days, day and night, with a baton that goes from runner to runner. Inside that baton there is a message in favour of the language which is read at the very end of the race. The aim of that race is to make the people conscious to use our language and to get funds in order to carry out that work day to day in the centre that AEK owns.
Its first edition was in 1980 from Oñati (Gipuzkoa) to Bilbo (Bizkaia), and in these last years it has become one of the cenral events in favour of Euskara, basically due to the amount of people which is able to agglutinate. With this last edition there have been 15 korrikas in the last 26 years.
On this occasion the race, so to call it, will last 10 days and it will go throgh 2.356 kilometres along Euskal Herria. Night and day with no stops. It is expected the participation of more than 600.000 people of different ages and condition, as it has happened in previous editions. (It cannot be forgotten that Euskal Herria has a population of 3 million people).
In every village at which the korrika arrives, people, asotiations, trade unions, political parties, popular movements give some of their money in return for carrying the baton along one kilometre; besides there are celebrations because the Korrika has arrived at that place.
Some attacks against the Korrika.
Despite its popular and festive character, there has been more than fiesta for the Korrika. To begin with, the weather mistreated the event, but there have also been police and military pursuing and controls, as well as some mass media boycott, the most famous of which by the public television channel controlled by the PNV (the Basque right wing). In spite of this all circumstances, nothing has been able to stop the Korrika increasing its popularity edition after edition.
AEK the coordinator in charge of organising the event, has equally suffered some attacks, since some of the teachers who work within AEK have been accused of being the "ETA's cultural vanguard" and consequently they have been applied the counter-terrorism law and they have been taken into prison, the bank accounts of the coordinator have been blocked, money helps for AEK have been rejected while they have been given to another institutions, in order to strangle economically this movement... They have not been able avoid that thousands of adult people have been able to learn the language that we did not know when young: nowadays we are "euskaldun-berris" (new-Basque speakers), an essential ingredient for the normalization of the language in Euskal Herria.
From this report we want to recognise the work of all that people who make possible the Korrika, of all those untiring teachers who devote themselves to teach Basque, and very especially the courage of the Basque women, who generation after generation have saved and transmitted Euskara and Basque culture and who faced punishments, prosecutions and secular oppressions. This is the homage that the Korrika has made on this year, something we join to from these lines.
Finally we do know that the Korrika goes through the borders of the seven Basque territories, and in the eighth territory, this is where the Basque live abroad many of you take part in it. A big hugh, "ongi ibili!" (have a good way!).
