euskalkultura.eus

Geneva, Switzerland.  Korrika is gaining more participants every year, and this year it broke borders and arrived in new countries and cities.  One of these is Geneva Switzerland, where it came last week thanks to a group of euskaltzales there.  The race took place on Sunday, but prior there were many other activities that served as a warm up.

On March 20, the documentary Bertsolari was shown with Amets Arzallus in attendance.  The bertsolari from Lapurdi, who also participated in the film, gave a short talk about the art of Basque improvisation.

The following day the film was again the protagonist with the screening of another documentary Apaizac Obeto with its director, Xabier Agote, in attendance.  On Friday march 22, more than 100 people gathered at the Basque festival that took place at the Le Consultant Café.  “There were Basque songs of every kind and periods, that we sang accompanied by guitars and DJs,” said the organizers.

[Amets Arzallus presented the documentary Bertsolari in a screening at the Uni-Mail (photo BRalla)]

Saturday, March 23, was a big day with Korrika 18 racers starting their animated race throughout the city at 11am.

[Euskaltzales in Geneva after running Korrika 18 (photo BRalla)]

Finally the participants sang bertsos by Amets Arzallus, from Geneva for all the Basques in the world:

"Euskal Herria izan daiteke Miarritzen naiz Tuteran,
Paris mintzo da zubereraz ta, Boise Bizkaiko hizkeran,
ama hizkuntzak erditzen gaitu nonahira euskaldun eran,
ta lekukoak segitzen badu eskutik eskura hegan,
Euskal Herria, portu berria, izango duzu Genevan".

Translation:

Euskal Herria can be in Biarritz or in Tutera
In Paris they speak Zuberoan and in Boise in Bizkaian
Our mother tongue makes us Basque anywhere
And if the witness continues to fly from hand to hand
Euskal Herria you have a new port in Geneva.

-More photos on Facebook