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Three screenings to a full house marked a before and after for the “Baskos of the Confluence” Basque club.  The event was so well received that the Argentine town of Cipolletti (Rio Negro, Patagonia) invited the club to participate in its book fair October 6-15.  Before this, members of the young club, traveled this weekend to Viedma to the 4^th gathering of Basque clubs in Patagonia. 

Neuquen, Argentina.   The “Baskos of the Confluence” Basque club that gathers Basques and their descendants in the neighbouring cities of Neuquen (Province of Neuquen) and Cipolletti (Province of Rio Negro), have received good news that they would like to share with the entire community.  Over the last few weeks, not only have they begun the process to establish their legal status, that is already on the Ministry of the Government’s desk, but they have also attended the FEVA meeting held in Bahia Blanca, and have begun a huge toy, sweets, food and gift drive to be delivered on the occasion of “Day of the Child,” to various homes.

Without a doubt the activity that made the most impact was the Basque Film Series, organized by the club and coordinated by Carlos Gabilondo, sponsored by the city of Cipolletti.  The event took place at the Music School, made available to them by the city’s department of culture, with a capacity for 60 people. Screenings were held on three days and each to a full house, including people standing.  The local media reported the event and some even interviewed Gabilondo about Basque film production in Euskal Herria.

Oscar Mendiberri, club president, told EuskalKultura.com that “it was a complete success, not just the audience size, but also the debates that took place after the films.  This has encouraged us to repeat the activity next year in Cipolletti as well as continuing it in November, but this time in Neuquen, where the Secretary of Culture has offered us the Fernandez Rego Room.”

But the impact of the series isn’t limited just to film.  “Viewing the way we manage our organization, the Secretary of Culture in Cipolletti has invited us to participate in the Book Fair that will take place October 6-15. There we will have a stand with material provided us by the Basque Delegation in Argentina, FEVA, the Juan de Garay Basque Argentine Foundation, and Lauburu Publishing, plus our own material.  We will also possibly organize a parallel event with elements of Basque mythology,” Mendiberri said.

Activities through year’s end

For the rest of the year, the club is committed to various events: the 4th meeting of Basque clubs in Patagonia, September 29-30 in Viedma organized by the Aberri Etxea Basque Club: a Basque lunch on October 29th, organized by the club’s recently-created Gastronomy Commission; the Festival of Collectivities at the DUAM space in Neuquén, on November 1-12.

In the meantime, the Basque club will continue its radio program, Txalaparta, that is broadcast daily on a rotating schedule on Radio Confluencia FM 94.5 in Cipolletti and can also be accessed on YouTube (here), where it is accompanied by images of the program’s themes.  “This project is probably the most expensive for us in regards to our feelings so we hope to soon be able to broadcast it from a station in Neuquen,” the president told us.