San Francisco, CA. NABO has reported its difficult decision to cancel the celebration of the Bertsolari Omenaldi Berezia (Special Bertsolari Tribute) honoring Basque Bertsolaris in the US on Saturday, March 14th at the San Francisco Basque Cultural Center. The decision is the result of the Coronavirus situation, further aggravated by the European Travel Ban put in place by President Trump yesterday, making it impossible for the Bertsolaris from the Basque Country to attend.
Let's remember that NABO, the North American Basque Organzations had organized for next Saturday in San Francisco an 'Omenaldi Berezia' (sic), 'Special Tribute' to the Bertsolaris who have kept the bonfire of US bertsolarism, personified in the figure of the five who have lavished themselves most in their work to contribute with their practice of this form of popular oral literature to the success of numerous Basque events and festivals in Basque America.
The bertsolaris honored were Californians Gratien Alfaro, Jesus Arriada and Johnny Curutchet, from the San Francisco Bay Area, Martin Goicoechea from Rock Springs, Wyoming and Jesus Goñi from Reno, Nevada. From Euskal Herria two other bertsolaris, Sebastian Lizaso and Aitor Mendiluze, were coming as guests, and also bertsolari Xabier Paia was going to be in charge of the presentation / interpretation tasks from Basque to English, Franxua Bidaurreta, from San Francisco, was' gai-jartzaile 'or subject mapper and Joxe Mallea, from Reno, was going to make an introduction to bertsolaritza. In the musical section, accordionist Mercedes Mendive, arriving from Elko, Nevada, was in charge of enterteining.
-Information about the event in NABO's Nabasque.eus website
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