euskadi in asia - basquecountry.eus · 6 gure ohiturak gure gaia euskal jendea 83 2008 / 2 16 24...

EUSKADI In ASIA

BASqUE mEn for EqUAlIty,

thE BASqUE GovErnmEnt SEt UP thE GIZonDUZ

nº 83 zka. 2008/2

euskal etxeak

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EGILEA/AUTHOREusko Jaurlaritza-Kanpo Harremanetarako Idazkaritza NagusiaBasque Government - General Secretariat for Foreign ActionC/ Navarra, 2 • 01007 VITORIA-GASTEIZ • Tel.: 945 01 7900 • [email protected]

ZUZENDARIA/DIRECTORJosu Legarreta Bilbao

ARGITARATZAILEA/EDITEDBYEusko Jaurlaritzaren Argitalpen Zerbitzu Nagusia / Servicio Central de Publicaciones del Gobierno Vasco

ARGAZKIAK: Mikel Arrazola, Jon Bernardez

DISEINUETAMAKETAZIOA/LAYOUTANDDESIGNDidart

AZALEKOARGAZKIA/COVERpHOTO:Mikel Arrazola

INpRIMATZAILEA/pRINTINGmccgraphics

ISSN: 1579-4229L.G./D.L.: BI-1090-01

83

4 Albiste lAburrAk/ NeW brieFs

Gure GAiA/ tHis issue's' subJeCt 6 "euskadi in Asia" 9 "We can affirm that nowadays practically all basque industrial structure has direct or indirect links with China." (Miren Madinabeitia)

12 basque men in favor of equality

bertAtik-kANpotik14 Alfonso Dubois, Euskadi Prize for relief work.

15 Meritxel Relaño, Basque relief worker in Mozambique .

euskAl JeNdeA/ people16 "We have to work hard and in the right direction to someday be an international research benchmark." (Mari Carmen Gallastegi)

kANpo HArremANAk/ oFFiCiAl ACtiVities AbroAd18 trip by a delegation from the directorate for relations with basque Communities to south America

euskAditik20 text in full of the lehendakari's speech presenting the legal project

euskAl etxeAk22 Centro basko euzko etxea de la plata

Gure oHiturAk / our Customs24 basque musical instruments

sukAldAritzA/ CuisiNe27 burzako restaurant Oxtail in red wine.

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GURE GAIA

EUSKAL JENDEA

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EUSKADI In ASIA

nº 83 zka. 2008/2

euskal etxeak

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newsthE lEhEnDAKArI DEmonStrAtED thAt hE wAS ConvInCED 2008 woUlD BE thE yEAr of ‘PolItICAl UnloCKInG” In an interview given to Radio Euskadi, the Lehendakari, Juan José Ibarretxe, assured that 2008 would be the year of “political unlocking” and a very important year for “attaining peace and pol it ical agreements for Euskadi and Spain to l ive alongside each other and continue governing.” At the same time he showed that he was willing to talk to the Spanish president José Luís Rodríguez Zapatero.

thE BASqUE GovErnmEnt CrEAtES thE IntEr-InStItUtIonAl forEIGn ACtIon CommISSIonThe Basque Government Council gave the green light to creating the Inter-Institutional Foreign Action Commission. This new commission is a cooperation and collaboration body between the different Basque institutions and aims to unify foreign affairs. Participants will include representatives from the Basque Government, from the three provinces, the three Basque capital cities and the Basque municipality community, EUDEL.

thE joUrnAl of orAl trADItIon DEDICAtED An ISSUE to thE BErtSolArItZA

MARcH The American publication on oral traditions, the Journal of Oral Tradition, dedicated issue no. 22 to bertsolaritza. The Center for Studies in Oral Tradition from the University of Missouri created this digital edition. It includes participation from the bertso expert Joxerra Gartzia who assured that “it is a worldwide reference.”

laburrakalbisteAssociation, for their work in favor of female economic empowerment. In his speech, the Lehendakari considered that “learning processes are behind all ideas, projects and dreams of equality between men and women.”

thE lEhEnDAKArI ADvoCAtED rE-EvAlUAtInG hUmAn rIGhtS Both SoCIAlly AnD PolItICAlly

The Lehendakari, Juan José Ibarretxe, presided over the presentation of the “Dignity and justice for all of us” campaign promoted by the UN on the occasion of the 60th Anniversary of Human Rights which in Euskadi is entitled "What if they didn't exist?" During his speech, the Lehendakari assured: “in Euskadi we also have the need and the urgency to defend and promote Human Rights as a supreme value, because some people are prepared to violate them on the pretext of other causes.”

APRIL

thE lEhEnDAKArI PrESIDED ovEr thE AwArDS CErEmony for EmAKUnDE, thE BASqUE womEn’S InStItUtEThe Lehendakari, Juan José Ibarretxe, presided over the awards ceremony given every year by the Basque Women’s Institute, Emakunde. This year’s award went to the Bagabiltza

Izaskun Moyua during the Emakunde awards gala.

briefs


A BloG hAS BEEn SEt UP EntItlED “thE BASqUE wIth thE whEEl BArrow”The Fundación Sur Argentino and the Hegoalde Argentinarra Basque Centre in Santa Cruz set up a blog entitled "the Basque with the wheelbarrow" to share experiences on this famous journey. Two years ago, the director Roberto Arizmendi made a documentary entitled "¡Gora Vasco!", reliving the journey made by Guillermo Larregui from Pamplona in 1935 in the figure of the young Basque-Argentinean Martin Arizmendi. The address of this blog is as follows: www.vascodelacarretilla.blogspot.com.

ElíAS AmEZAGA thE “wrItEr for thE BASqUES” hAS DIEDThe Vizcaya writer Elías Amezaga Urlezaga, also known as the “writer for the Basques” died aged 86. Considered to be one of the most prolific Basque authors writing in Spanish, his bibliography includes Sabino Arana, "Yo, demonio" (1957), "Van Gogh y el más allá" (1959), "Auto de fe en Valladolid" (1967), "Guía del perfecto inquisidor" (1968), "Enrique Quarto" (1974), or the four volumes of "Los vascos que escribieron en castellano" (Basques who wrote in Spanish) (1977-1993), a work which compiles a wide-reaching list of writers.

wrItEr BErnArDo AtxAGA AwArDED thE monDEllo PrIZEThe Basque writer Bernardo Atxaga received the Mondello Prize for literature in Italy. This ‘asteasuarra’ was very pleased with his prize and joked “it always makes me happier to know that they’ve given you a prize despite not having a cousin on the jury.” Atxaga is currently preparing his two new books, which will be released over the next few months.

MAy

thE KonPonDU InItIAtIvE BroUGht toGEthEr CItIZEnS AnD PolItICAl rEPrESEntAtIvESKonpondu, Basque Government initiative which aims to promote citizen participation in building peace, brought together 275 people, who have debated in the municipal forums over the last few months, face to face with political representatives. The Lehendakari, Juan José Ibarretxe, was in attendance, and he assured that: “If we continue doing the same as we have up to now, we will not be looking for solutions, it’s clear that we’ve got to come up with something new.”

thE lEhEnDAKArI StAtED thAt AGrEEmEnt IS "nECESSAry, ConvEnIEnt AnD PoSSIBlE"In his statement following his meeting with the Spanish President, José Luís Rodríguez Zapatero, the Lehendakari, Juan José Ibarretxe, assured “we still have time to start down this new path together.” The Basque president found that the Spanish President was “on the

defensive in terms of political debate” and has a “deep-rooted plan concerning his negotiating position.”

GEtxo ArtEA womEn’S rUGBy tEAm IS qUEEn’S CUP ChAmPIon for thE SEConD tImE In thEIr hIStory.A fine finish for the Getxo Artea’s girls’ amazing season. The ‘gualdinegras’ have polished off their great year by winning their second Queen’s Cup title, emerging victorious from a well-fought, hard-won match against INEF Barcelona, champion for the last three consecutive years and favorite to keep the title. The Barcelona team tried every which way to get through but they barely managed to find a chink in Getxo Artea’s impressive defensive wall. Time ticked by slowly as supporters agonized but in the end victory was sweet. When the referee, Paloma Loza, blew the whistle to finish the event, all the players hugged each other in the middle of the pitch.

Konpondu meeting in the círculo de Bellas Artes in Bilbao.

7euskal etxeakeuskal etxeak6 7euskal etxeakeuskal etxeak6 euskal etxeak

Despite being on the other s i de o f the wor ld , Basques have also made the i r mark in As ia throughout history. Two

Basque characters in particular made a name for themselves: St Francisco de Javier and Andrés de Urdaneta.

Andrés de Urdaneta from Gipuzkoa was a key figure for developing the economy and society in the Philippines. Urdaneta was born 500 years ago in the village of Ordizia in Gipuzkoa. This sailor, astronomer and humanist discovered "the tornaviaje", the name he gave to the route between the Philippines and the American continent through the Pacific Ocean. Another outcome of the relations between Basques and the people of the Philippines is the existence of a province with the name New Vizcaya, the only one in wor ld . Th i s route was fundamental for progress in the

Philippines, where he is considered a national hero. During 2008, 5th centenary of his birth, numerous events are being held both in the Philippines and in his birthplace. We should also mention the head of state visit that the president of the Philippines, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, made in Euskadi last December.

St Francisco de Javier also left his imprint in Asia. His friendship with St Ignacio de Loyola led to them jointly founding the Company of Jesus, religious congregation also known as “Jesuits.”

The Navarran priest took off for Asia to spread his doctrine. His first stop was India, but he really became popular in Japan. This country had been described only a few years before and had been discovered thanks to Marco Polo. He was one of the first Westerners to explore these lands. In the land of the rising sun he visited the cities of

Kagosima, Hirado, Kyoto, Bungo and Yamaguchi. He won great popularity and became the western prototype among the Japanese.

DESt InAt Ion Ch InA Basque emigration currently choosing Asia as its destination is very different from the start of the last century to other continents. It is focused on China and linked to the Asian giant’s economic recovery and our own. Basque residents in China are mainly young with management positions in Basque companies, who have gone over to manage production in this country.

Economic relations with the Asian country have really taken off in the last few years. From 2000 to 2007 Basque exports to China grew 480% and imports increased by 272%. Up to December 31st 2007, 83 Basque companies had set up in China. A little more than half (47) have their own

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EUSKADI In ASIA Euskal Herria eta Asiaren arteko harremanak beti existitu dira. Francisco Xabier jesuita Japonia barrena sartu zen lehenetariko europarra izan zen. Urdaneta Filipinasen garapenean oso garrantzitsua izan zen, “tornaviaje” itsas bidea deskubrituz. Gaur egun hainbat gazte Txinara joan dira, euskal enpresek bertan irekitzen dituzten lantegiak kudeatzeko. Baina gaur eguneko harremanak arlo kulturalera ere zabaltzen dira, Japonian batez ere. Bertako hainbat unibertsitatetan euskal kultura eta euskarazko klaseak ematen dituzte eta sortu berri dute Euskal-Japoniar Elkartea, bi herrien arteko harremanak estutzeko asmoz.


production plants and the rest have commercial set-ups. We should also add the SPRI office, the Basque Government Promotion and Industrial Reconversion Society, which aims to make work easier for these companies.

The majority of these companies are located in cities such as Beijing, Jiangsu and Shangai. Shanghai houses the only Euskal Etxea on the continent and the SPRI office.

Shangaiko Euskal Etxea opened in 2004 with 17 members. Today, the majority of the Basques living in this country are members, in addition to the majority of Basque companies. Among the events organized by this Basque centre, we should highlight the ‘mus’ Championships, the Korrika in favor of Euskara, in addition to typical lunches and dinners.

Jokin Laspiur is a Basque who has lived in China for the last four years and is a member of the Shangai Euskal

Etxea. He is the director of the Mondragón Cooperative delegations in Shangai and Shenzhen. Jokin did not think twice about going to China, “it was a pretty easy decision, as I’d been traveling to China frequently for the same work reasons for some time.”

One of the things that Jokin would highlight about China is the speed that things are achieved: “it is a country which moves very fast and means we have to adapt to this situation quickly to not get left behind, so that teaches you to be much more flexible.” Although there is always time to organize a few dinners in the Euskal Etxea. The major differences for Jokin are, without a doubt, the language and the culture. Despite this, he comments that “actually everyday life isn’t that different, despite the great contrasts.” But there can be no doubt that what he misses the most is “our landscapes and the cuisine, along with my family.”

Iñigo Mendiburu is another Basque living in China. He’s been in Asia since 1989, when he received a grant to live in South Korea. This gave him the

chance to visit China. Since then, with a couple of years’ break in between, he has always lived in Asia. He is currently a partner in iGeo Investment & Consult ing, a consultancy and investment company specialized in s u p p o r t i n g c o m p a n i e s i n internationalization processes related to China. The majority of his clients are from Euskadi.

Iñigo defines his life there in one w o r d : i n t e n s e . “ Wo r k i n a n international consultancy firm is very intense, frequently traveling around China and abroad. And on the other hand, the social life in a city like Shanghai is also very lively….”

Regarding the greatest differences between the two cultures, Iñigo recognizes that after 15 years he has lost his perspective a little. Although he clarifies that people are “much less direct, less focused on the target than on relationships, less legalist, in as much that they think more in the long term and about the family group as a broader aspect than about individuals.” But fo r th i s Basque , desp i te

«Txinan bizi diren

euskadun gehienak

euskak enpresen

kudeaketa lanetan

diharduten gazteak dira»


globalization, the differences continue to be large explaining why he believes: “It is necessary not only to get to know them, but to try and take it all on board as much as possible.”

jAPAn AnD thE CUltUrAl ExChAnGE With another large country in Asia, Japan, there are different types of relationships, more specifically cultural. Despite the fact that St Francisco de Javier led the way, there are few Basques living or who have lived in this country. The majority of them are missionaries who have come to the land of the ‘rising sun’ to help and work alongside their congregations. This is why relations are basically cultural.

This very year the Euskal-Japoniar Elkartea/Basque-Japanese Society has emerged, in Japanese Nihon Basuku Yukoukai. Its main objective is to create a meeting place for fans of the Basque culture and forge links between the two populations. It already has more than 50 members, most of whom are Japanese.

Tomás Eceizabarrena is an 85 year old Jesuit who has been living in Japan for 60 years. This explains why, when he’s asked where he comes from, he replies that he is “a fellow-countryman of St Francisco Javier.” Tomás says that everyone knows the founder of the Company of Jesus in Japan, “his name appears in all the school text books because he was the first person to

teach Christ's doctrine here, in the 16th century.” He arrived at the tender age of 24 and has lived there ever since. He was one of the first Jesuits to go to Japan after the war. A large part of his life has been dedicated to his work at the University and nowadays he is chaplain in the Jesuit Old People’s home. He lives in a peaceful spot on the outskirts of Tokyo, but twice a week he visits the city centre to help out with University archiving. Merely getting to the center of a city with twelve million people is an odyssey, so when Tomás visits his native Donostia he thinks: “Where is everyone here?”

There can be no doubt that what strikes Tomás most has been the city’s progress since he arrived up to the present day: “I’ve seen Tokyo almost completely destroyed, where the people had nothing to eat or wear, with poor huts as homes, growing little by little based on silent and constant work to create an enormous city in a few years.”

Despite not being born Basque, Sho Hagio loves Basque culture and particularly its language, Euskara. He is linked to Euskal Herria by many things. Right now he is working at the Nagoya Institute of Technology, in the foreign action area. Although for more than 20

years he worked at the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, promoting scientific studies.

At university Sho discovered that the letters written by St Francisco Javier were written in Euskara. This made him wonder “What is Euskara? What is Basque?” At the time, a professor of his, Suzuko Tamura, started to give Euskara classes at the university and he signed up. After this first taste he visited Euskadi and signed up to several euskaltegis. Talking about this experience he says “you Basques made me grow up like just any other Basque.” Nowadays he studies two basic aspects of our language. On the one hand, the relationship between language and personality and on the other hand the politics and linguistic rights.

The University of Woaseda in Tokyo is currently offering Euskara classes. What started off as a an individual initiative from professor Suzuko Tamura, nowadays receives help from HABE, Institute for Basque Culture, Language and Adult Literacy. The University of Kansas Gadai in Osaka offers courses on Basque culture and the University of Kobe has a joint work agreement with the University of the Basque Country for student and teacher exchanges.

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«Aurten Euskal-Japoniar

Elkartea sortu da, japoniarrez

Hihon Basuku Yukoukai eta 50

bazkide baino gehiago ditu»


«We can affirm that nowadays practically all Basque industrial structure has direct

or indirect links with China»

Miren Madinabeitia worked in the SPRI International Department in charge of North America and Asia Areas from 2003 to 2007. In 2007 she was transferred, as managing director, to the SPRI Representation Office in Shanghai which supports Basque companies developing their projects in China.

Between 2000 and 2007 Basque exports to China grew 480% and imports grew in parallel by 272%. What has this progress been like and why?I should state that, traditionally, Basque exports have mainly been sold to European countries, with Germany and France mainly receiving products manufactured by Basque companies. The increase in economic relations between Euskadi and China has grown in both directions and the Basque business structure has managed to cover China’s needs for industrial products with a high added value to continue its unstoppable growth.

Our competitive advantage revolves around the quality of the manufactured products, innovation and the strategy to join this Asian market, all making Euskadi a popular country to do business with for this great Asian giant. Products that Euskadi imports from China include: machinery (office equipment, electrical machinery, telecommunications

Miren Madinabeitia SPRI Managing Director in Shanghai


equipment, 40%), manufacturing products: metals, paper, wood (16%), textiles (12%) and the products it exports to this country are mainly machinery and transport equipment (40%), manufacturing products: leather, paper, wood (16%) and chemical products (12%).

What advantages does China bring to the companies?China’s spectacular industrial development over the last thirty years is a unique phenomenon in the modern history of the economy. Even though its worldwide leadership position was not so clear until the end of the 1990s, there can be doubt about it nowadays.

Low production costs, enormous human capabilities to absorb jobs and an increase in sea and air transport between different continents have been determining factors in getting Chinese products to the most remote corners of the world.

For the fourth consecutive year, China continues to be the top Machine-Tool purchaser, this year they will manufacture more than 10 million cars in the country, consume half the cement that is made in the whole world and a third of the steel. These are parameters, as an example, which cannot be ignored and in this respect, it is necessary to have a strong presence on this market.

The advantages which China offers Basque companies are, on the one hand, supplying raw materials, parts or subassemblies of manufactured products at a very competitive price and on the other hand the market opportunity which has opened up through internal consumption with greater purchasing power for Chinese consumers.

What disadvantages are there?China’s disadvantages can be summarized by saying that it is a tremendously complicated market. The sheer size of the country and therefore the distances between different locations, the complexity of a very traditional society which is very different from the Western world, in addition to the language barrier, are the most difficult obstacles for anyone trying to get a foothold in this massive market.

Could China be the first step in a wide expansion of Basque companies throughout asia?

China is currently the Asian country with the highest presence of Basque companies set up commercially or productively. There are approximately 100 companies implanted in this market and we can affirm that nowadays practically all Basque industry has direct or indirect links to China.

Many of these companies make the most of their strategic location in China to tackle other Asian markets, although each one requires specific attention. India is another large country offering opportunities in some sectors, although working under very different parameters to China.

What steps does a company have to follow if they want to set up in China?Any company considering coming to China must be fully aware of the steps to be taken before they make a definitive decision. You need to analyze the why and the how of this question.

Some companies are obliged to come to China by their own clients. Others are making a desperate attempt to maintain their industrial activity in an environment which has lost competitiveness due to high production costs in Europe. And there are other companies that see China as a great sales potential, thanks to its economic development and consequently increasing consumption habits now they represent one fifth of the world’s population.

The steps to take would be:1. Run an analysis on which critical factors make it necessary for us to set up in China.2. Draw up a study on the most suitable way of setting up for each case: representation office, sales office, 100% own set-up, or through a joint-venture agreement with a local partner.3. Have the right human resources at both ends.4. Have the necessary financial resources, in line with each company's capabilities and size.5. Have a support structure and continual monitoring in the mother company, making sure that the structure operates correctly abroad.

What is guanxi?The majority of foreign companies find it complicated and sometimes frustrating to penetrate the Chinese

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market largely due to not knowing about guanxi and its important implications for business.

The word guanxi means: relations, social connections, contacts, access to… everything leading us to achieving certain targets. It is made up of two characters: guang and xi; guang means door or exit and xi means link. In a broad sense, this term refers to relations or social connections based on mutual interest and profit.

In addition to the network of social connections, it is very important to maintain close relationships with local, municipal, provincial institutions or higher levels for business to be successful.

What type of relationship will we see in the next few years in economic relations between euskadi and asia?The force of the Asian economies has moved the development and growth nucleus to this place in the world. Also, taking into account that indicators predict a recession in the American economy, this could point to our goals being centered on planning fast actions for this continent. Euskadi has to overcome a great challenge and to do that, it needs professionals who are ready to make a great effort to tackle it.

Chinese companies are preparing to move into Africa, Europe and America through large foreign investment projects.

Our success or failure in Asia will largely depend on how well prepared we are for this transformation which is really just around the corner.

GuRe elkaRRizketa

SPrI’S worK In ChInA

AnD ItS ChAllEnGES In ASIA

The SPRI office in Shanghai was set up in

February 2003. Over these five years it has

supported different projects by Basque

companies that have made the decision to set

up there or run occasional business

development actions.

Our actions are centered on providing:

1. Information and analysis of the target

market, with a product/sector focus and with

direct source resources.

2. Commercial introduction: Advertising for

and recruiting agents, representatives and

distributors.

3. Assistance for commercial and production

implantation abroad.

4. Temporary location on the SPRI-Euskarri

Office business platform and support from the

local professional team.

5. Organization of individualized prospecting

trips with work agendas and “in situ” liaison.

6. Assistance in processing and monitoring

technical certificates, homologations, licenses

and other administrative procedures.

7. Assistance in registering industrial

intellectual property (brands, patents,

inventions, designs and industrial models).

8. Contact with local authorities and

administrations abroad and with other

economic and institutional agents.

9. Access to financial grants for foreign set-up

projects (Gauzatu Implantaciones Exteriores).

Regarding the rest of Asia, SPRI is opening a

new representation office in India, specifically

in Mumbai and we are present in other

countries through Agents in: Vietnam, Japan,

South Korea and Thailand.

«Gure arrakasta

Asiarekiko epe

laburreko aldaketarako

egokitze gaitasunaren

araberakoa izango da»


BASqUE mEn In fAvor of EqUAlIty

The Basque Women’s Institute, Emakunde, has been working for 20 years in favor of equality for men and women in Euskadi. To promote this work, at the end of 2007 the Director of Emakunde, Izaskun Moyua, and the

Lehendakari, Juan José Ibarretxe, presented an initiative called Gizonduz, promoted by the Basque Government from Emakunde, aiming to implicate men in this area.

In the 1970s, equality plans were centered on a single issue: women, but equality policies were redefined in the 1980s encouraging men to take a more important role to boost equality.

The first step was made in the 4th World Conference on Women held in 1995 in Beijing, whose conclusions encouraged men to guarantee equality. However, the first

internationally accepted conclusions came in 2004 in a session of the United Nations Women’s Legal and Social Condition Commission.

Among the measures proposed to the different governments we should highlight applying programs aimed at men and children to encourage them to participate in favor of equality in school and at work, looking after and supporting other people and preventing and eliminating all forms of violence. A special mention was also made for men in leadership positions and the attitude which they should adopt in these policies.

The European Union, in its “road map for equality 2006-2011,” offers a reflection in the same respect and establishes that men’s participation in family life should be stimulated, particularly regarding paternity leave.

Emakundek emakume eta gizonen arteko berdintasuna lortzeko Gizonduz ekimena jarri du martxan. Helburua nagusia gizonezkoak berdintasunaren politikan mugiaraztea da, parte aktiboa bilakatuz. Horretarako administrazioarekin batera hainbat dinamika jarriko ditu martxan.

Benan Oregi: «I know what’s important in life».

Andoni Martin: «Starting domestic tasks from early years».

Benan Oregi and Andoni Martin, technicians from the Directorate for Relations with Basque Communities Abroad and Josu Legarreta, Director.


Euskadi has not stepped aside from these international directives and so has implemented the initiative entitled Gizonduz, as greater participation from men also represents strengthening women’s social-labor situation and greater equality. This is the main idea of the Equality Law approved by the Basque Parliament in 2005.

The Gizonduz initiative, in this respect, was set up in a favorable environment and at a historic moment. The issue of men and their relationship with equality has been gaining momentum over the last few years. When it was still unexplored territory, they were already talking at Emakunde about new models of masculinity in the international Congress entitled “Men in the new social order” organized in San Sebastian in 2001. And the topic has made a strong return to the arena, at the SARE international congress entitled “Masculinity and everyday life” held last November, which analyzed the incidence of traditional masculinity models on the everyday life of men and women.

Gizonduz has set three major targets. The first is to raise awareness among more men concerning equality between men and women. To do this, awareness raising campaigns will be carried out and an Internet site will be set up which is specialized in men and equality. In this field, we should highlight drawing up the “Basque men’s charter for equality and against violence towards women,” which it is hoped that all Basque men will follow, all over the world, to show their commitment to equality. The charter will be available on the www.euskadi.net site in four languages and it can be signed over the Internet.

The second major challenge is to increase the number of men who are trained in female equality. Men must be

made to understand the negative consequences of “traditional masculinity.” To do this, it is proposed to boost their participation in courses organized by the IVAP (Basque Public Administration Institute) and in specialized university postgraduate courses.

The last major target set by Gizonduz is to increase men’s responsibility for housework and caring for other people. This involves giving administration workers more free time for this type of work in the event of paternity or if they have people in their care. These measures will attempt to broaden the rest of the production sectors.

It must be taken into account that a new, more egalitarian, model of cohabitation not only benefits women but also society in general and men. The current situation also affects men negatively. Their life expectancy is currently lower, they are more likely to suffer dependencies, they suffer the most serious work-related accidents, etc, etc,

Finally, equality plans which implicate men must have a main player: the men themselves, each person’s implication in the tasks which traditionally have been done exclusively by women goes above and beyond the governmental programs.

Accompanied by twenty six men and the director of Emakunde, Izaskun Moyua, the Lehendakari presented the Basque men’s charter for equality on 23rd April. The men signing the charter included representatives from the world of culture, sport, media and some who had created reflection groups over the last few years revolving around equality and new masculinities.

In his speech, the Lehendakari expressed his wish for Euskadi to be known throughout the world “for Basque men’s degree of commitment working jointly with women in favor of equality.” Because, in his opinion, no society can boast democracy without effective equality, nor can it solve domestic violence problems without achieving this equality.

The Lehendakari, Juan José Ibarretxe, presided over the signing of the Basque men’s

charter for equality

Josu Legarreta: «I do it everyday. It’s worth just as much as a top executive’s job».

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BeRtatik

the Hegoa institute, associated with the university of the Basque Country, was set up more than twenty years ago, in 1987. it was founded out of concern for international development and cooperation issues to form part of the university’s research activity and training programs. at the same time, it wanted to build up a more fluent, two-way relationship between the university and society, so that people would find out about the real situation of the problems faced by countries as they strive for development.

Hegoa works along with other people and institutions in our country and other countries to: a) obtain better knowledge of the circumstances of different societies and the people in our world which will mean we can denounce and help to overcome situations of poverty, injustice and inequality which are creating obstacles for human development; b) research the causes of these situations; c) distribute the knowledge derived

from the aforementioned sections to Basque society; d) train people who want to work professionally or intensely in research, training or running projects in the field of development; e) work on promoting and researching new international cooperation development initiatives which meet the objectives of human development and greater integration of people to run them; f) offer training, information, documentation and consultancy services.

in meeting these targets, one of Hegoa’s identity signs has been assuming human development as a reference. this development centers on human beings and establishes that wealth does not lie in resources but what resources can manage to do for people.

the Hegoa website (www.hegoa.ehu.es) contains a description of its main activities, and the virtual library specializing in international development and cooperation issues.

«One of Hegoa’s identity signs has been assuming human development as a reference»

Alfonso Dubois

Basque Relief Worker of the Year 2007

Doctor of Economics and Professor at the University of the Basque Country

Currently president of the Hegoa Institute

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GAZTEMUNDU 2008 COMING

SOON

II gazt txokoa

Another year on, the Directorate for Relations with Basque

Communities abroad has commissioned the Gaztemundu program, which has been held since 1996.

This is a 15 day trip to Euskadi for youth members of different Basque Centers throughout the world.

This program has two objectives: on the one hand for them to discover the land of their ancestors and on the other, and maybe more importantly, that they are trained to be able to continue work in their respective centers and take over from older members when the time comes.

Young people who wish to take part in this initiative have

to meet certain requirements: be aged between 18 and 30 years old, have been a member of a Basque Government recognized Euskal Etxea for at least 3 years, live outside the Basque Autonomous Community, produce a piece of work or study on the topic which is proposed in the annual resolution and have not benefited from this grant or competition previously.

This 2008 edition, Gaztemundu will be centered on traditional Basque musical instruments and 30 young people will take part, from six countries (Argentina, United States, Peru, Chile, Uruguay and Colombia) and 20 Basque Centers.

The courses will be organized by the Municipal Folklore Academy from Vitoria-Gasteiz. There will

be three leading instruments: the txalaparta, trikitrixa and txistu which are also the most popular traditional instruments.

Four clear objectives

Vitoria-Gasteiz Municipal Folklore Academy has set the young participants four objectives:

Firstly, find out how traditional music and dance stands in Basque society today.

Secondly, understand traditional music’s evolution process, from the 18th century to the present day, analyzing its evolution, transmission and maintenance in traditional music and dance.

Thirdly, analyze work and participation systems in traditional

GAZTEMUNDU 2008 COMING SOON

III

Basque music and dance in the Euskal Etxea environment, sharing different models and analyzing new proposals.

Finally, study and find out about current resources for work in traditional music and dance.

Workshops, conferences and concerts

In order to meet these objectives, the two week stay will involve workshops, talks and conferences, musical demonstrations-exhibitions, promoting participation and exchange forums, visits with a musical flavor and, of course, recreational trips to different parts of Euskal Herria.

The most important part of Gaztemundu will be the workshops where participants will be divided into different groups based on their prior musical knowledge and training. These groups will work on euskal dantza, txistu, tambourine and percussion, txalaparta and traditional singing.

Conferences will be given by experts, each presenting a specific topic. There will be five talks: “traditional clothing” by Ane Albizu, “txistu, and its evolution over the last thirty years” by José Ignacio Ansorena, “dantza taldeak, historical review and current situation” by Oier Arazola, “la alboka” by Sabin Bikandi

and “euskal musika tresnak (Basque musical instruments)” by Juan Mari Beltrán.

As far as the demonstrations-discussions are concerned, they aim to stimulate discussion between Gaztemundu participants and different musicians on the pieces played in the demonstration. They will be performed by Gasteizko Folklore Eskola, Gaiteros de Elciego, Bilbao Txistulari Band, Aiko taldea and Joseba Tapia.

Participation forums will analyze the current situation of dance and music groups in Euskal Etxeak. Different documentation will be studied looking at existing methodological and didactic possibilities.

In order to get more in-depth knowledge of Basque music, the young

participants will make a series of visits with a musical flavor: they will go to Herri Musikaren Txokoa in Oiartzun, run by Juan Mari Beltrán, they will visit the Alava towns of Larrea, to see Soka Dantza by the people of Hermua and Larrea and Elciego, for the festival of Santa Isabel.

But they will also enjoy other more recreational-tourism trips to get to know the land of their ancestors better. In Rioja Alavesa they will visit the wine museum, in addition to enjoying the classic visit to a local winery. In Donostia they will visit the city and go to a concert given by the Municipal Txistulari Band. In Iruñea they will have the chance to take part in the San Fermín festival. Finally, in Vitoria-Gasteiz, they will visit St Mary’s Cathedral.

gazt txokoa

Gaztelumunduren parte garran-tzitsuena tailerrak izango dira. Bertan euskal dantzak, txistua, panderoa eta perkusioa, txalaparta eta kanta herrikoiak landuko dira.

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How many young people have participated in the Gaztemundu Program since 1996?Exactly 500 people have taken part in Gaztemundu since 1996.

According to the survey carried out recently among former participants (answered by 24%), Argentina has been the best represented country, with 63%, followed by United States and Uruguay, with 9%; As far as education levels are concerned, most participants are university-educated and are currently working. As participants are mainly fourth (39%) and third (28%) generation, the program meets a very important goal: helping these young people today get to know the land that their ancestors left. They all maintain important links with it because, let’s not forget, they are all members of a Basque Center, most of them since they were born.

How many of them have continued to take part in initiatives in their respective euskal etxeax?Despite only visiting Euskadi for a short time on this program, this experience makes a big impression on the participants. In fact, not only do they continue participating in the Basque Center as members, but they tend to take on greater responsibilities, implicating themselves and running certain programs (29%), or even as members of the Governing Body (35% of those answering the survey). In short, we can say that, even though young people in Basque Centers tend to distance themselves from their Basque Centers for a few years to go off and study, depending on whether their home cities have a University, etc., we have also seen a return to the institution once they form their own families and start to have children.

are there any young people in this program who are now involved in managing their centers?Without the shadow of a doubt, we can say that current or future managers of the majority of the current 161 Basque Centers have participated in an edition of Gaztemundu.

Why is it worth continuing this program?It is a training program, especially since 2002, giving topic-based courses around areas proposed by the Basque Centers themselves. The training topics for the Gaztemundu trip have been set for the next four years. This decision was taken during the 4th Basque Communities Congress which was held in July 2007, and it appears in the Four Year Institutional Plan of Action 2008-2011. As they are “custom-made” courses it would be impossible to find such high quality training in their own countries. It is therefore an opportunity which young people should not miss out on.

Apart from this program giving access to excellent quality courses, it is also useful to set up mutual knowledge platforms. Many other initiatives and exchanges have sprung up from Gaztemundu.

«Don’t let this opportunity pass you by»

gazt txokoa

Benan OReGi, technician for the directorate for Relations with Basque Communities abroad

The courses are topic-based and meet the Basque centers' needs

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kanPOtik

My international experience started in 1999 in Colombia,

aged 26, thanks to a Basque Government Grant for Work

experience in united nations Organizations. at the time i

was working as a coordinator for nGdOs in euskadi which

i loved, but i had already experienced working in the third

World thanks to the nGO Bateginez, from durango, where

i had been a volunteer. this took me to Guatemala twice

to see with my own eyes that life was very different from

back home. i was already hooked…

so, the Basque Government and the Basque uniCeF

committee gave me the chance to fulfill my dream, discover

other cultures and develop my career in the area of

development cooperation. i arrive in Bogotá in January

’99 with two suitcases and bags of enthusiasm to learn. i

was incredibly lucky that the Regional uniCeF office for

latin america and the Caribbean took me in and taught

me much of what i know today. as an intern, my work was

to support the regional education consultant, who had only

been in the job 5 months, so i had to learn his job and my

own, in a 'sink or swim' type situation. after a great effort

and with a lot of support and guidance from other experts

in the office, my work paid off and in a year and a half they

took me on as a civil servant, expert in education, for the

united nations Mission in West timor. that was a tough

experience which taught me about another part of the

world and a complicated humanitarian situation. From

timor i went to Panama, where i worked for 2 years and

from Panama to Mozambique where i have spent the last

5 years in charge of the education and Hiv prevention

program. it’s a fascinating job, with great challenges and

the chance to learn and innovate. Over these 9 years, uniCeF

has given me great opportunities for training and furthering

my professional career. i’m currently at one of those points,

taking a sabbatical to finish my doctoral thesis at the uPv,

in the department of international Relations. i come home

at least once a year and i find it hard to leave every time

because i’ve got my family and friends there. However my

career abroad has brought me great joy and moments of

solitude, whilst also preparing me professionally to now

be able to contribute to euskadi in terms of cooperation,

all thanks to the opportunity i was given in 1999 by people

who wanted to invest in youth and in their professional

development seeing the possibilities for success in that

company. For this trust, eskerrik asko.

«My career abroad prepared me professionally to contribute to today’s

Euskadi in matters relating to cooperation»

Meritxell Relaño Arana

Official for the Panama City Education Program, Panama

(Regional UNICEF Office for Latin America and the Caribbean until 2003

Specialist in Education Maputo, Mozambique (UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) today.


«We have to work hard and in the right direction to someday be an international research

benchmark»

MARI cARMEN GALLASTEGI comes from Bergara in Gipuzkoa. She holds the chair for Economics at the University of the Basque country and she was the first woman to receive the Euskadi Prize for Research. In the 1990s she was Minister of the Economy, when Euskadi was going through significant industrial changes. Nowadays she is the director of Ikerbasque, a foundation created by the Basque Government to promote research in Euskadi.

Your years as a Minister were important as euskadi was in the middle of its economic and industrial recovery. How do you remember that

period?I remember the time when I was Minister as a hard period economically because the 91-93 crisis was looming, the macro-economic variables were teetering, unemployment figures were a cause for concern and we were not growing enough to be able to converge with the most advanced European economies. On the other hand, it was a time that I remember fondly because I was fascinated by the analysis and compressing the economic situation and could see that economic theory could be used to explain it all. In addition, I got on very well with all the members of the Government, even though that Government ended up toppling for a matter which nowadays we would consider almost trivial. The Government was dissolved and some of us went back to square one overnight. I also had the opportunity to be the only female Minister in the first three-party Government. It was an interesting life experience.

and in 2005 you became the first woman to receive the euskadi Research Prize. What do you remember about that moment and how would you rate being the first women?I was really excited about the Euskadi Prize because it recognized the work I’d put into an academic career which demanded a lot of energy and passion. It also came after receiving the National Lucas Mayada Prize for Economics and the Environment which proved to me that I’d made the right choice to move into that area after finishing my doctorate in the USA. Being the first woman was a fantastic plus and I have to thank my parents who made a great effort when we were girls (I have two sisters) to instill in us that knowledge is exceedingly valuable and that the effort it takes to acquire it will always pay off. Obviously without support from my husband and without a major effort to combine family and academic life this would not have been possible.

You have always defended the fact that economic prof it is compatible with respecting the environment…The environment is an impressive asset without which we could not run the vast majority of our economic activities. As humans we leave an ecological footprint merely by living on the Planet but obviously this footprint can be minimized if we are conscious of it and if we don’t act like an invading species. We must be aware that our quality of life depends on how we care for the environment and that we cannot maintain economic activity profits continuously unless we look for a system which takes the serv ices provided by the Planet into consideration properly. But yes, I believe that if we do things properly we don’t have to stop growing, in terms of environmental quality of course.


euskal Jendea Over the last few years you have become the visible head of ikerbasque. How did that come about?I believe I am in charge of Ikerbasque because it is an idea which has been going round my head since Catalonia created Icrea, an institution with similar goals to Ikerbasque. Whenever I could, I commented to political and university bigwigs that creating a solid institution capable of attracting research talent to our scientific system should be an absolute priority. I suppose that this interest and the fact that the project was approved at a time when the people in charge knew me well were determining factors.

What are ikerbasque’s main challenges?Ikerbasque has a primary goal to attract excellent researchers to join the different Basque university system centers and groups or the scientific system, not necessary linked to the University. The second is to create flexible institutions where high level research is carried out to be able to compete with international benchmark centers. The Research Centers that we are creating – the Climate Change center has been set up and we have approved the creation of a Mathematics Center which we are actively working on – are configured as nodes which carry out excellent research generating synergies for the whole research system. There are other Centers, not yet approved by the Board, which are also taking shape. It is a matter of finding capable people and flexible institutions, well connected with the international network and generating important synergies for the research groups which already exist in our university system. The third goal, more abstract, is for Ikerbasque to become the benchmark for research excellence. This is a matter of working earnestly in this field and not being distracted from our main proposal. Generating skills to improve research, we will meet the challenge of achieving excellence and we will participate actively in the second great transformation. There would be no innovation if there was no knowledge and therefore creativity and research.

do you believe that euskadi has the right conditions to become a worldwide reference in research?We have to work hard and in the right direction to someday be an international research benchmark. In addition to investments in this activity, we need to design incentives mechanisms properly, new institutions, inter-relations with existing institutions and a policy to attract researchers. We want to become a reference point but we’ve still got a long way to go.

What role does research play in new economic challenges?New economic challenges emerge from the globalization process, energy and environment-related problems and the need to develop what some economists call the “weightless economy”. These challenges require innovative agents, creative people, basic and applied research in technology, processes and managing people and institutions (public and private). Science and research are used to diagnose problems clearly, design actions to resolve them and generate innovative instruments capable of putting these actions or policies into practice. In our country, innovation is going to be fundamental to maintain our economic and social wealth, to maintain and improve the quality of life that we are currently enjoying and there is no innovation, as I said before, without high quality research, without creativity and without human and financial effort.


aMeRiCa

BRussels

Between April 23rd and May 2nd, the director of the Basque Com-munities, Josu Legarreta and the technician Andoni Martín met wi-th representatives from the Basque Centers in Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay.

The trip aimed to present the Four Year Plan 2008-2011 appro-ved by the Advisory Council for the Basque Communities, present re-formulations of the rules and the new website project for Basque centers and Federations.

The meetings were well atten-ded by numerous representatives and there was lively debate on the topics which were raised.

Another two specific programs were run during the trip: the event commemorating the Bombarding of Gernika held around the fledgling Gernika Tree located in a Montevideo park and participation in the International Book Fair in Buenos Aires, including an impor-

tant conference given by the Vice President of the Bogotá Basque

center and editor, Mr. José Vicente Katarain, who has released 2020 different publications in 31 years. The lecturer was presented by Josu Legarreta.

The Lehendakar i , Juan José Ibarretxe, made an official trip to Brussels where he held different meetings with European and Flemish officials. The Lehendakari visited this Central European city with the Minister for Education, Universities and Research, Tontxu Campos and the Culture Minister,

Miren Azkarate. Among meetings attended by the Lehendakari, we should highlight his first port of call visiting the President of the Regions Committee, Luc Van den Brande, with whom he tackled the issue of the role of the European regions and communities within the European framework.

In his second session he met the President of Flanders, Kris Peeters. Both presidents advoca-ted working together to put Eus-kadi and Flanders in the innova-tion and education “top 5” by 2020. Before this meeting, the Lehendakar i held a work ing breakfast with the Flanders Fo-reign Minister, Geert Bourgeois.

Trip to South America

Josu Legarreta and José Vicente Katarain in the Basque Government Delegation in Argentina.

The Lehendakari visited Brussels


laBuRRak

kanPO HaRReManak offIcIAl AcTIVITIES ABRoAD

The Basque Government officially recognized the “Santa cruz Hegoalde Argentinarra Basque center”

In its weekly meeting, the Basque Cabinet of Ministers officially recognized the “Santa Cruz Hegoalde Argentinarra Basque center” in Rio Gallegos, province of Santa Cruz (Argentina). This Euskal Etxea will therefore become join the official Basque Center register.

The Basque cabinet of Ministers approved the decree which regulates grants to Euskal EtxeakThe Basque Cabinet of Ministers approved the Legal Decree regulating the concession of grants to different Basque Centers. These grants can be used for the Centers own operating costs or to run annual programs or specific non-profit making activities.

Presentation of the Euskara Munduan program

The Basque Government presented the Euskara Munduan 2008-2011 program. Over the next few years, this program aims to train 28 irakasles from Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Brazil, Peru and Colombia. The HABE institute (Institute for Basque Culture, Language and Adult Literacy) is coordinating the whole project with special help from the different Basque centers, particularly the FEVA, FIVU and NABO federations.

Iñaki Aguirre, Secretary General for Foreign Action in the Basque Government, spoke before the European Regions committee

The Basque Government Secretary General for Foreign Action, Iñaki Aguirre, spoke before the European Commissioner for the Information Society and Media, Viviane Reding, during the 74th plenary session of the Regions Committee. In his speech, entirely in Euskara, the Secretary defended the role of regions in reducing the digital gap.

Official reception for the representative of the Tibetan people, Thubten WangchenThe Lehendakari, Juan José Ibarretxe, gave an official reception for the re-presentative from the House of Tibet in Barcelona, Thubten Wangchen. The Lehendakari conveyed the Bas-que People’s respect for Tibetan iden-tity and supported their cause. He said that he did not understand “that such large populations could be so afraid of such small, humble and pa-cifist populations like Tibet or the Basques.”

The Euskal-Japoniar Elkartea/Basque-Japanese Society visited the Directorate for Relations with Basque Communities on April 8th. The Delegation for this group was received by the general manager, Josu Legarreta Bilbao.

This association has more than 50 members , most of them

Japanese, and it tries to provide a space for people interested in the Basques, their culture and language. It also advocates closer relations between the two countries.

During the reception Josu Legarreta received a picture showing the word “Basque” in Japanese.

The Euskal-Japoniar Elkartea/ Basque-Japanese Association visited

the Directorate for Relations with Basque communities

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itik

Egun on!The Cabinet Meeting we are holding today is a truly historic event for this country, for Euskadi. It is a meeting held in an atmosphere of hope, the kind of hope surrounded only by the desire to bring our dreams to reality.

We have put forward a Referendum Bill. Why? Because we wish to convey to society a sense of legal security; be-cause we wish to convey to Basque so-ciety that as the government of this country we have a political com-mitment to do so, a commitment to gi-ve Basque society the final say in the matter openly, with full transparency.

Why?Because the offer I made to President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero last Octo-ber with an outstretched hand to reach

apolitical agreement has been perma-nently rejected.

The only response we have received has been "No." It's always "No"! We find ourselves up against a wall that permanently obstructs any political ini-tiative in this country. And we are not willing to live in a never-ending spiral with no hope for a solution. As Lehen-dakari and on behalf of the legitimate and democratic institutions of the Bas-que Country, I am even less willing to accept a situation whereby the Spanish government and the Spanish president are willing to negotiate political agree-ments with ETA and with Batasuna but are not willing to negotiate and sign agreements with democratic Basque institutions. We are not willing to ac-cept a strategy which places all the political power in the hands of ETA.

We said that we were not going to accept a refusal to dialogue and search for solutions, and that we rejected the idea that the matter was finished with ETA's decision to end the ceasefire fo-llowing negotiations with the Spanish government. We said that democratic Basque institutions had to take action, that we had to take responsibility and that we were going to take the initiati-ve. First we would express our willing-ness to reach a political agreement wi-th the Spanish president and if our offer was rejected, we would take steps to break the stalemate. We do not want to go back in time. We, the democratic institutions of the Basque Country, do not want to return to a destructive past characterized by the cruel and in-human violence of ETA, or the lack of political dialogue between Basque and

In a speech following the extraordinary session of the Basque cabinet of Ministers, Lehendakari Juan José Ibarretxe unveiled the two questions to be put to the public by referendum in October of this year. At the session, the cabinet passed a bill calling for a referendum for peace and coexistence and laying down the specific regulations of the law.

The first step in the procedure will be to win approval from the Basque Parliament. The day after the public announcement, the Lehendakari himself brought the referendum bill before the Basque Parliament, accompanied by council members Joseba Azkarraga and Javier Madrazo.

Full text of the Lehendakari's presentation:

Juan José Ibarretxe Lehendakariak Gobernu Batzordearen ez ohiko bilerara deitu zuen. Bertan urrian ospatu behar den galdeketaren Lege Proiektua onartu zen. Bi izango dira luzatuko diren galderak: "Ados zaude indarkeriari elkarrizketa bidez amaiera emateko prozesu bat bultzatzearekin, baldin eta ETAk aldez aurretik erakusten badu zalantzarik gabeko moduan indarkeriari behin eta betiko amaiera emateko borondatea?" eta "Ados zaude euskal alderdiek, bazterketarik gabe, Euskal Herriaren erabakitzeko eskubidea gauzatzeari buruz Akordio Demokratiko bat lortzeko negoziazio-prozesu bati ekitearekin, eta Akordio hori 2010. urtea bukatu baino lehen erreferendumera jartzearekin?"

«We want to exercise the right to decide in order to improve the well-being of Basque society»


Spanish institutions, nor between Bas-que political parties. ETA must not be allowed to turn the conversation on and off like a light switch, to dictate when we can and cannot talk, by decla-ring a ceasefire or by declaring an end to its ceasefire.

We, the democratic institutions of the Basque Country, want to lead this country in the search for solutions in order to achieve peace and political agreements. We are determined to keep our word to Basque society!

What do we expect?

• From the Basque Parliament, we ex-pect all of the political parties to vote 'yes' on this law. We expect a yes vote, naturally, from the three parties that make up the Basque tripartite govern-ment. We also expect a yes vote from Aralar, the PP, EHAK and the Basque Socialist Party, because we are convin-ced that no political party, no Member of Parliament, will refuse to allow Bas-que society to have the final word. We have taken this decision calmly but we are firm in our resolve.

The idea that determining the opi-nion of the people will divide the people is incomprehensible. It is just the oppo-site. What divides a people is doing things without knowing what they rea-lly want; we cannot understand the ar-gument that by determining the opinion of our own citizens divides the society in which we live.

• What we expect from the citizens of the Basque Country is for every man and woman to take 45 seconds to read two simple questions, and for just one moment to act in consequence, rising above the noise and insults so common in political circles and the media.Don't let anyone decide for you!

What do we want?• We want peace. We want to put ETA in its place … by demanding that it abandon violence once and for all.

• We want agreement between Bas-ques.

We want to break the political stalema-te by calling on all Basque parties to negotiate and reach an agreement be-fore the end of 2010.

• And we want Basque society to start the process on October 25, 2008 and complete this process in a referendum in 2010. In short, we want Basque so-ciety and only Basque society to be the ones to legitimize the entire process – from beginning to end.

etHiCal PRinCiPal:"Do you agree to support a negotia-ted end to violence, if EtA unequi-vocally declares it wishes to put an end to violence once and for all?"

What for? Why?1• Because we want peace. Because we need peace. Because the Basque people deserve peace. We want to put ETA in its place, by demanding that it abandon violence once and for all.

2•Because we want Basque society to make an ethical commitment to oppose ETA violence in similar terms to those put forward in the Ajuria Enea Agree-ment and the Spanish Congress in May 2005.

This stated expressly, "that the de-mocratic principle that political issues must be resolved only through the legi-timate representatives of the people cannot be waived" and that "while res-pecting this principal at all times, if the appropriate conditions arise for a nego-tiated end to the violence, based on a clear wish to put an end to the violence and on unambiguous evidence leading to this conviction, we support a process of dialogue between the competent au-thorities of the State and those who decide to abandon violence."

3• Because, in accordance with these commitments, the most convincing and effective way of rejecting ETA and vio-lence is to demand that it disappear, once and for all, by telling ETA that po-licy-making is done by elected politi-cians, the legitimate representatives of the people.

deMOCRatiC PRinCiPle:"Do you agree that Basque political parties, without exclusions, should initiate a negotiation process to reach a Democratic Agreement on the right of the Basque People to decide their own future, and to put the agreement to a referendum before the end of 2010?"

What for? Why?1• Because we want an Agreement between Basques.

Because, contrary to what has been the case so far, we want Spain to res-pect the agreements made between Basques. The Statute of Gernika, the agreement between Basques, has yet to be fulfilled 30 years on and the promise made to the Basque people is still un-fulfilled 30 years later.

2• Because we want to break the poli-tical stalemate by calling on all Basque parties to negotiate and reach an agre-ement on the right of the Basque People to decide their future.A right to decide at all levels – econo-mic, social, and cultural decisions at the self-government level; decisions on re-lations with other Basque communities and territories; and the right to decide on the political relationship we wish to have with Spain.

3•Because we must be able to decide to live together.- If there is no freedom to decide, co-existence is not free, it is imposed!- Coexistence and the right to decide are inseparable concepts.- We want to have the right to decide and the right to freely coexist.

4• Because we want to exercise the right to decide in order to improve the well-being of Basque society, the well-being of each and every one of the men and women who live and work in this country today. However they think and whoever they vote for.- In short, because we want to exercise the right to decide so that we can live better lives.

CEntro BASKo EUZKo EtxEA In lA PlAtA

Our center was founded in 1944 by a group of Basque immigrants who set out to fulfill their dream of

taking a piece of their homeland with them to Argentina, the country that welcomed them with open arms. That year over 100 founding members approved the organization's bylaws and decided to buy a place where the various activities could take place. Four years later the governing board decided to buy the property used by the club today as its headquarters. Located on the corner of 14th and 58th streets in La Plata, the building features a trinquet court, making it possible to realize the dream of playing ball right on the premises.

Our club has undergone a number of changes over the years. Most recently, an assembly hall and multi-sport gymnasium were added, bringing the total amount of covered floor space in the club to 2500 square meters. As well as expanding the building itself, we have also sponsored social, cultural and sports-related activities in the city, encouraging the entire community to take part. Today our euskal etxea accounts for nearly one thousand

members and plays an important role in keeping Basque culture alive. The txikis, medium, senior and zaharrak dance troupes, participate in all the Center's festivals, promoting dance in institutions and events in the city and in other euskal etxeak throughout the country.

Euskara has been taught at the center since the 1970s. Today we have over 40 members of different levels being taught the language by qualified young teachers. An agreement was reached between the La Plata euskal etxea and Argentina's National University of La Plata to create a special Basque department. As a result, for over 15 years significant names from a different areas of Basque art and culture have made this department a point of reference for the Basque people, sponsoring conferences, film cycles featuring Basque directors, encounters with other communities and many other activities throughout the year.

As for Basque music, our center sponsors adult and children's choirs, both of which boast a wide repertoire of songs in Euskara. The choirs give performances at

EuSkAl ETxEAk

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EuSkAl ETxEAkdifferent events in the city and sing at all of the festivities organized by our club. Two years ago a group of young musicians and members of our organization came up with the idea o f put t ing together a string quartet. They now play a variety of classical pieces written by Basque composers. Our members also have access to our library, which offers a significant collection of materials covering both historical and current information about Euskal Herria.

For the past ten years, our members have kept up on the var ious c lub a c t i v i t i e s t h r o u g h "Hargatik," our club's free newsletter. Additional sources include AM Radio U n i v e r s i d a d , w h i c h broadcasts a one-hour radio program cal led Euskaldunon Hitza, and our website, which has been serving the Internet community for over ten years.

Our c lub houses one o f Argentina's three trinquet courts, painted green for better television viewing. Every day the court is used to play different varieties of Basque pelota: bare-handed, leather ball & bat, Xare and "Argentine Paleta," played by both men and women with a shorter bat. Each variety is supported by a school dedicated to training youngsters, thereby making sure the games are passed on to the

next generation. We are proud to say that our organization provides the greatest number of players to the Argentine team in competitions sponsored by the International Federation of Basque Pelota. After signing an agreement in 2006 with the Government of Buenos Aires Province, we now have a 36-meter fronton, which allows us to play all varieties of this emblematic sport.

In addition to traditional Basque sports, we also sponsor a women's hockey team with 120 players aged 12 to 17 who take part in local and

regional tournaments. This past April saw the launch of Athletic Club Bilbao de La Plata, a school for young football (soccer) players, officially sponsored by the Athletic Club of Bilbao. It is a great honor for Argentina to be represented by such a p r e s t i g i o u s f o o t b a l l organization from Euskadi.

Mus and canasta are also very popular among both men and women at our center, some of whom have won awards at both national and international events.

Our most immediate plans for the future revolve around National Basque Week 2008, t h e b i g g e s t e v e n t i n Argentina for the Basque c o m m u n i t y . W i t h participation from young people from Basque clubs country-wide, Argentine a u t h o r i t i e s a n d

representatives from the B a s q u e G o v e r n m e n t , National Basque Week is

the most important single event in Basque culture.

Our Euskal Etxea has drawn up a Strategic Plan for 2008-2011 which describes the various projects we will focus on in the upcoming years. The most ambitious plan involves developing a 63-hectare sports area on property located near the city center, providing a sport and recreation area for members of all ages.

All of this information and a lot more about our club is available on our website: www.centrovasco.com

23euskal etxeakeuskal etxeak22

The Basque-Argentinean Aitor Aramaio dancing an Aurresku in La Plata.

/////////////////////////////// traditional Basque musical instruments (Photos: M.aRRazOla)

Gu

RE

oH

ITu

RA

k

Alboka Txilibrin

Txistu-silbote

Ttunttuna Tronpa Txalaparta zaharra

Xirulak

PanderoakString instruments Danborrak

Zengotitaren akordeoia

Alboka Bilbao Alboka Gorrotxategi

/////////////////////////////// traditional Basque musical instruments (Photos: M.aRRazOla)

Adarra Toberak Txalaparta berria

Danbolina-txistua Atabalak Atabala

Akordeoiak Lautea

Sunpriñua Txanbela Dultzaina-gaitak


Remove the oxtails and allow them to cool.

Strain the liquid mixture and reduce it to half its volume.

An hour before serving, place the oxtails on an oven tray, add the sauce, and bake until oxtails are well braised (about 40 minutes).

Serve on a bed of potato purée and sprinkle with finely chopped parsley. Enjoy your meal!

I N G R E D I E N T S

(serves 6)

-4 kg oxtails

-2 cups olive oil

- 1 head of garlic

- 1 carrot

- 1 sprig parsley

- 1 bay leaf

-1 liter good red wine

-1 liter beef stock

17

Burzako Restoran

COLLECTIBLE

Specializing in traditional Basque food, Burzako was founded in 1998 by Leandro “Koko” Egozcue and Daniel Rincón. Both co-owners are highly experienced chefs trained in Spain, France and Argentina.

The restaurant is located in the San Telmo neighborhood of Buenos Aires, in a house with the original 1895 structure still intact. The food served is traditional home-style cooking incorporating new techniques and carefully selected ingredients. Some of the favorites served at Burzako are based on fish, seafood and season fresh vegetables. Below, you'll find a recipe for one of their top classic dishes – oxtail braised in red wine.

Oxtail braised in red wine

Mexico 345 - San Telmo - Buenos Aires,

Argentina

n e w b a s q u e C u i s i n e

P r e P a r a t i O n:

Cut oxtails into even sized pieces. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Brown the oxtails on both sides in olive oil and set aside.

Chop the vegetables in large pieces. Place in a pot and braise. Add the oxtails and pour in the red wine and beef stock. Bring to a boil and lower to minimum heat. Add the head of garlic, parsley and bay leaf. Cook slowly over a low heat for five hours.

Photo album

Do you have a picture for the photo album?if you do, and would like to see it published here, attach it to an email and send it to us at: j i-arreguiej-gv.es

this is my father, Señor Don fernando tena vildarraz. he was born in Donostia, Gipuzkoa, on february 15th, 1935. rumor has it that when he was an amateur boxer he fought with luis folledo and won (when they were both amateurs).

elizabeth tena

euskadi in asia - basquecountry.eus · 6 gure ohiturak gure gaia euskal jendea 83 2008 / 2 16 24...

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