euskalkultura.eus

Coordinated by Begoña Muñiz, the Department of Basque Language and Culture at the College of the Euskal Echea School in Buenos Aires City and Llavallol, organizes Basque and Basque culture classes in three levels at this traditional Basque-Argentine institution.  The project is backed by FEVA and has a teaching team comprised of Muñiz, Gabriela Mendia, Maite Azkarate, Ioar Oteiza, Aitor Alava and Iñaki Aramayo

Buenos Aires, Argentina.   According to the statutes of the association, “since its inception, the Euskal Echea had as a goal and fundamental purpose to establish, promote and strengthen among the Argentines, Basques and their descendants, a union of friendship and fraternal links, instilling the ideals of service and solidarity in the classroom, and the knowledge and practice of the Basque people, cultural values and traditions, language, history, folklore art as well as other manifestations.”

From the department “the language, is a tool of communication and unity, and is the mirror that reflects the social conditions of a people throughout history. A people who totally disconnects from its language is a people that destroys its tradition and chills its soul.” Euskera is a “main element of the Basque culture, and its human heritage” and that is why, and with the “aim of strengthening ties of the extended Basque-Argentine families, through their traditions and customs,” the institution created a department of Basque Language and Culture, in order to consolidate the work carried out since its inception until present and to formalize a new educational project of teaching Basque language and culture in both institutional headquarters (Llavallol and Sarandi).

According to the institution “the project is developed with the collaboration of FEVA, and isn’t simply looking to disseminate the basics of the oldest language of Europe, but also to rescue and strengthen the traditions of the community that gave rise to the school and the Euskal Echea homes, one of the communities with the largest presence in our region.”

The proposal also includes elementary Basque language classes and an introduction to Basque culture, its literature, notions of geography and an approach to the history of the Basque people from its origins, to present day.  Each of these approaches is carried out according to the age that it is being taught to, since classes will begin at the age of five through the seven years of elementary, followed by the first and second years of secondary school.  

Besides attending curriculum classes, the students at the Eusakl Echea also participate in proposals and activities organized by the Basque community, like Buenos Aires Celebrates, Korrika, the Txikis Get-Together organized by FEVA and the poster contest for Semana Vasca and the celebration of the International Day of Euskera, among others.

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