A Basque in Boise

Gure Esku Dago 2015: Jostunak

Jostunak
Most of you will remember last year’s human chain for the right to decide of the Basque Country, a highly successful event organized by Gure esku dago (It’s in our hands), a citizens initiative that began on June 8, 2013. Their main goal is to achieve citizen support for the Basques’ right to decide. The movement is all-inclusive, as it extends to everybody its invitation to participate.

 

As the group gears up for this year’s campaign, they would like to share what they are doing in the Basque Country and would like to invite all of you to participate and organize similar activities in your area.

 

As you already know, last year’s big activity was the human chain. This year’s is going to be a “patchwork”; a patchwork which will be sewn together by all of us on the 21st of June into a massive ballot box. This week we have begun distributing 1ft by 1ft pieces of fabric throughout EH. These individual pieces of fabric will represent your “will” (it’s tricky to translate “borondate” from Basque to English, but an easy way to think about it is “will” as in “the WILL of the people”). On your piece of fabric you’re supposed to write a message, or your “will”, and on April 25th, Joste Eguna(Sewer’s Day), we will get together with our local GED groups to sew our individual pieces of fabric into larger, communal ones. And finally, on the 21st of June, everything culminates with Ehuntze Eguna(Weaver’s Day), where we’ll go to our closest capital city to “sew our future” together. On Ehuntze Eguna, we’re going to fill up the four stadiums from the four capital cities of Bilbo, Donosti, Gasteiz and Irunea, to weave together all of our “wills”. In doing so, we will construct a massive ballot box in the middle of the stadium made from all of our fabrics. For more information: www.gureeskudago.eus.

 

If you look at our Facebook page(https://www.facebook.com/gureeskudago.diaspora) you’ll see that Argentina’s already started. San Francisco is going to start this Saturday. You too can get started by organizing a Sewer’s Day in your own area. If you like, you can first have a showing of our new documentary Jostunak and then afterwards pass out some fabric for everyone to write their “will” on. You can then send us your fabrics for us to use on the 21st of June. Just an idea.

 

The diaspora’s involvement is not welcome, it’s ESSENTIAL. We can’t emphasize enough how important your participation is. We need to do all of this TOGETHER. The diaspora is often said to be the 8th province of the Basque Country. Let’s make that clear by having a big hand in all of this. 2015 is an exciting year for the Basque community with Korrika, Amerikanuak’s 40th anniversary, Ehuntze Eguna, and Jaialdi later this summer. Let’s enjoy these activities and also have an active role in them. Let’s use the opportunities 2015 brings to show everybody, and ourselves, how big a part the diaspora plays in the Basque community.
If you’re interested in participating, send an email to Jon Camio know and he will get in contact with you individually. He prefers to explain the process over the phone and he will help you get started with organizing something in your area.

Thanks for passing by: ↓

Miren Larry Olson Anne Marie

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