euskalkultura.eus

Buenos Aires, Argentina.  FEVA president, Ricardo Basterra, has unveiled, on behalf of the entity, a text in defense of the Basque language, as a result of recent events in Euskal Herria.  The full text is provided below:

EUSKERA, LANGUAGE AND LAW

The Federation of Basque Entities in Argentina – FEVA – as a legitimate representative of more than 100 euskal etxeak in the Argentinean territory; entities formed by Basques and descendants of Basques from the seven historic provinces of Euskal Herria expresses its displeasure over various decisions that limit the right of Basque citizens to express themselves in their language, to learn it in a framework of respect and decisions regarding its proper promotion and the contribution to its development.

• regarding the decision by the Sub prefect of Baiona in the Department of the Pyrenees Atlantiques, in France that affects Basques living in Iparralde, and all who, residing there, exercise their right to learn Basque.  The aforementioned official has argued that this is the result of application, presently, of an law dating from 1850 that states that public funds cannot be used by private institutions; and since the French state doesn’t incorporate Basque instruction in public schools, and that anyone who would like to learn has only one choice to organize non-state educational institutions, called Ikastolas, to guarantee a Basque education, and are obliged to consider private schools, because the French state doesn’t recognize Basue as an official or co-official language in Iparralde.
• We also express our displeasure over the Government of Navarre’s decision to deny citizens to have access to Basque language radio and TV, with deniying once again to Euskalerria Irratia a broadcast license.  We should add that the Council of Europe itself has been very clear on the right of Navarrese citizens to to be served by media in the Basque language, within the framework of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.

In a world which is declaiming and recognizing the value of promoting the survival of languages, as a manifestation of cultural pluralism and against monopolistic, hegemonic and authoritarian visions of culture, the referred decision is an attack against the rights of citizens to their language, severing the pluralism and resorting- in one case - to the past to sustain an attack on the right to identity and free expression confusing the public with State; and on the other, ignoring the recommendations of the European Union.

-FEVA’s website, here

-To Support the Ikastolas in Iparralde go to Seaska’s website: www.seaska.net