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Paris, France.  The Etxepare Basque Institute, Azkue Foundation and members of Langune, business association from the industrial sector of the language of Euskal Herria, will participate, starting Wednesday, at the Expolangues Fair in Paris, where they will introduce the Basque language and promote their services and materials.  This fair is one of the largest in the world and nearly 24,000 visitors are expected, according to the Etxepare Institute.

The Etxepare Basque Institute stand will provide information on the language as well as several resources on how to learn it including books, teaching materials, dictionaries, references on teaching Basque around the world, catalogues and books written in Basque that have been translated into different languages, as well as an invitation to utter the first words in Basque.  They will also distribute information on the Badu, Bada - Euskara mundu eleanitzean exhibit.

Attending the fair will be the Institute’s director, Aizpea Goenaga, and the director for the Promotion and Diffusion of Euskera, Mari Jose Olaziregi along with Josune Ariztondo and Miren Dobaran (from the Provincial Government of Bizkaia and the Azkue Foundation respectively), Fernando Alana (Langune), Miren Azkarate and Pello Salaburu (Univ. of the Basque Country Euskara Institute), Joseba Ossa (Bakun), Itziar Nogueras (Elhuyar Foundation), and Elena Garcia (Eleka/Elhuyar Foundation).

Basque at the Fair in Paris

Besides participating in the fair the Etxepare Basque Institute has also organized four other cultural activities.  The first will take place on Thursday, February 7, thanks to writer Mariasun Landa and txistulari Garikoitz Mendizabal who will present a literary/musical show entitled, “Fragments of life: literature and Basque Music.”  This will take place at the Sorbonne Nouvelle III at 17:00.  The show will be repeated on February 9, this time in the Cloud Hall at the Expolangues at 13:30.

On February 8, historian Argitxu Camus, once a lecturer of Basque language and culture for the Etxepare Institute at the Sorbonne Nouvelle III University in Paris, will give a talk entitled, “Basque, the Oldest Language of Europe?” This will take place in the Buzz Hall at Expolanguages at 13:15.

Finally, also on the 8, writer Mariasun Landa will give a talk, “The Party in the Room Next Door. Autobiography of a Basque Student in Paris 1968-1969.” This will take place at the Cervantes Institute in Paris at 19:00.