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Day of the Basque Diaspora 2022
As previously reported, this year marks the 5th year that the Day of the Basque Diaspora has been celebrated by Basques all over the world. This year’s institutional event, that included the participation of Lehendakari Urkullu, Secretary General of Foreign Actions, Marian Elorza, and Director for the Basque Community Abroad, Gorka Alvarez, took place in Donibane Garazi in the covered market place. Also participating were Donibane’s mayor, Laurent Inchauspe, and the mayor of Baiona, and president of the Basque Commonwealth of Iparralde, Jean-René Etchegaray. Also attending were many Basques with strong relationships with NABO including Argitxu Camus, and Joseba Etxarri, and Pedro Oiarzabal, as well as former NABO presidents, Pierre Etcharren and Steve Mendive. NABO President Philippe Acheritogaray also participated via Zoom, along with Valerie Arrechea representing the South San Francisco Basque community on the 10th anniversary of the its sister-city relationship with Donibane.
The day was full of recognitions as well as song and bertsolaritza performances, it was also a wonderful opportunity for new and old friends to get together. Our good friend Joseba Etxarri has done a wonderful job of summing up the day with a wonderful gallery of photos and videos that can be enjoyed here.
Susana Saccardi, our friend, from the Anaitasuna Basque Club in Argentina also organized a toast via Zoom to celebrate the day. This event included the participation of folks from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Peru, Venezuela, and the University of the Basque Country, as well as federation presidents from the Federation of Basque Entities in Argentina (FEVA), Arantxa Anitua, the Federation of Basque Institutions in Uruguay (FIVU), Juan Pedro Arin, and Philippe again representing NABO. Also participating were Dr. Oscar Alvarez Gila from the University of the Basque Country promoting the Post-Doc in Basque Studies, as well as Dr. Xabier Irujo, director of the Center for Basque Studies. NABO, Secretary/Facilitator, Kate Camino, was also among the participants. The event was short, but allowed everyone to introduce themselves and the entities they represent. The hope is now with new technology to strengthen our ties with Basques in South America, share more experiences, and learn more from each other. A video of this event is available here.
To get a sense of how big this celebration is becoming, and its impact on bringing visibility to the Basques all over the world, here is a list of the events, compiled by the Basque Government that took place all over the world.
9/22/2022
