Tuesday, December 31, 2002

Last Post of 2002

This is it.

As the year draws to an end I seat in front of the screen and I think on those twelve months left behind. I think the balance this year is positive, compared to the five years before it is by far a year where I did not have to struggle to survive.

There was dark times like always, that is life, but this time the fear element was removed and that is a plus by itself. This year was also very important when it came to consolidating a few things on which I had been working for a while now. I did not make new friends but the few true friendships that I have grew deeper, they are more solid, more mature.
I was also able to leave behind relationships with all the "drag you down" people around me, I do not have the time nor the will to waste my energy with people so empty that have little or nothing to give, people that will take from you but at the same time is very capable of denying you a hello if they feel like it.

I met one great person in 2002 and I think that was the highlight, to meet Julia Butterfly Hill was so inspiring that today I feel like it was just yesterday when her words, the love and compassion in her eyes and her passion for life lifted my soul and my mind to a whole new level.
It was a year where I finally saw the fruits of my three years labour of love on the internet defending my people through information and dialogue, now I have Basque friends all over the world, people with a dream, people that shares that love for a land that has been raped, love for a culture under attack, love for a people with so much dignity that they refuse to drag themselves into the cicle of violence generated by mental and moral dwarves that today cling to the glory of their colonialist past.

I miss my family and friends I left behind, they know I had to do it, and they support my decisions and keep a possitive attitude when they talk to me even when their hearts ache. Only the companionship of my friends help me to stay focused, their kindness keep me from losing my mind.

Tonight I will toast to life, tonight I will toast to all of you out there, my family and my friends, that make me a better human being and make this life worth living.

Thank you all.

Happy New Year!

Urte Berri On!

.... ... .

Monday, December 23, 2002

Christmas Present

What you are about to read is what I call true solidarity:

Zuzen and Demo members get into La Santé to demand transfer of Basque prisoners to the Basque Country

Eleven people climbed the wall and three of them, two Father Christmases and an assistant, went inside the jail

Nora Arbelbide, Special Correspondent/Paris

A total of 11 people climbed the wall of La Santé Prison in Paris. One dressed as Olentzero, two as Father Christmas and the rest in T-shirts of the Demo and Zuzen Ekintza Taldea action groups. They demanded that Basque prisoners be transferred to the Basque Country like the Corsican prisoners, who are being taken to Corsica. They climbed the wall at about 11.30 hours and stayed there until 14.00 hours. Two Father Christmases and an assistant managed to get inside. They had the chance to talk to the prisoners. Below, 25 members of "Demo" and "Zuzen" danced and sang to the accompaniment of music.

Those below were taken to the police headquarters at 12.00 hours. The others were taken at 14.30 hours. The 36 detainees spent the afternoon there and at 17.00 hours the 25 who had remained below were released, the rest two hours later.

It was the third time that a similar event had been staged at La Santé prison. There are about ten Basque prisoners there. "It's a symbolic prison. One of the oldest in the French State. Moreover there have been many reports, medical ones in particular, that show that the prisoners are in a bad situation," said Peio Etxeberri Aintxart, the spokesman for "Demo."

At around 11.15 hours a van stopped outside the main entrance to the prison. 10 metres from there they quietly took out two 10-metre long ladders. Both were put against the wall and 11 members climbed to the top of the wall step by step with the police looking on. There were a couple of police officers there, but all they did was watch. As soon as the other "Demo" and "Zuzen" members who had remained below had switched on the music next to the wall, the melody of "Hator Hator" could be heard, and the 25 who had stayed below danced to the music. With a microphone they cheered on the prisoners and those on top of the wall.


.... ... .

Saturday, December 21, 2002

Zorionak!

To all of you my dear friends!

A Christmas Postcard to celebrate the Holidays!

.... ... .

Tuesday, December 17, 2002

Udalbiltza : Conference's Declaration

This declaration by Udalbiltza came to us thanks to our friends of Basque Diaspora:

The final declaration of the International Conference for the Rights of Peoples that took place in the Kursaal, in Donostia, from the 6th to 8th december 2002.

You can read it also in Udalbiltza's web page.

We, citizens of different peoples, assembled in Donostia from 6th to 8th December 2002.

Whereas the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) is an instrument guaranteeing the rights and fundamental freedoms of all persons,

Recalling the purpose of the United Nations proclaimed in Article 1.2 of its Founding Charter (1945), "to develop friendly relations among nations, based on respect of the principle of equal rights and self determination of peoples, and to take other appropriate measures to strengther universal peace",

Acknowledging the United Nations Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples (Resolution 1514 (XV) of the General Assembly of the United Nations, 1960),

Recalling that the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966) recognise the Right to Self Determination of all peoples without distinction or discrimination of any kind among them,

Acknowledging Resolution 2625 (XXV) of the General Assembly of the United Nations (1970), and particularly the paragraph concerning the principle of equality of rights and self determination of peoples,

Recalling the Final Act of Helsinki of 1975 which declare that "all member States will respect the equal rights and self determination of Peoples",

Acknowledging the Charter of Argel adopted the fourth of July 1976,

Bearing in mind General Commentary N. 12 of the United Nations Committee on Human Rights, regarding Article 1 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (21st Session, A/39/40, 1984) which states that the right of self determination is an inalienable right of all peoples, and a necessary condition to effectively benefit from all other Human Rights,

Whereas the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Recalling the Covenant of Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation of 1991 and the Universal Declaration of Rights of Peoples of 2001,

Whereas the Vienna Declaration and Plan of Action (1993) emphasises the universality, interdependence, interrelationship and interconnection of all Human Rights (UN Document A/CONF.157/24 (Part I) at 20 (1993), (1993) 32 I.L.M. 1661, paragraph 5),

Likewise taking into consideration the Durban Declaration against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance (2001), that reaffirms the principles of equality of rights, of the free determination of peoples, and that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights,

Whereas Resolution 56/151 of the General Assembly of the United Nations (2001) manifests the importance of the principles of impartiality and objectivity in the promotion and protection of Human Rights, including the Right of Self Determination,

Recalling the Declaration on cultural diversity adopted by UNESCO in its General Conference in 2001, Recalling Resolution 2002/72 of the Commission on Human Rights of United Nations (2002), which stresses that a democratic and just international order requires, inter alia, exercising the Right of Self Determination,

Likewise noting that:

* The right to equality of all persons and peoples is inferred from the different international instruments above mentioned,

* The Right of Self Determination is a human right recognised in the different international instruments,

* Coexistence among different peoples is a necessary condition for the preservation and development of cultures, tongues and spiritual traditions, as well as for world peace and security, and becomes conditio sine qua non for the progress of the civilisations that form the common heritage of Humanity,

* The diversity of peoples, cultures, tongues and traditions, as recognised in the Durban Declaration, constitutes the genuine wealth of human existence and a valuable asset for the promotion of tolerance, pluralism, respect for diversity and development of inclusive societies,

* Human Rights cannot be comprehensively implemented without the recognition of the right of individuals and peoples to their national, cultural and linguistic identity,

* Processes of cultural and identity forcible assimilation of peoples have originated, and still originate, violations of Human Rights that are contrary to the United Nations Charter, and jeopardise the cause of world peace and co-operation,

* The procedural mechanisms of the Right of Self Determination have become obsolete and are seldom applied,

* The recognition of the Right of Self Determination of peoples becomes an effective instrument for the prevention and resolution of conflicts, in particular and for the promotion of Human Rights in general,

Hence, we declare that:

* All peoples have the Right of Self Determination, by virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development,

* All peoples, like all persons, are equal in rights and dignity, without distinction or discrimination of any kind among them,

* All peoples and their citizens have the right to the full and effective benefit of all Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms,

* All peoples have the right to know, learn, preserve and develop their own culture, language, customs, and spiritual traditions, and to establish the juridical conditions for a pluralism compatible with this right,

* All peoples have the right to a fair life and to dispose of the riches and natural resources of their own territory, and to the recognition of the full ownership, control and protection of their cultural and intellectual property,

* All peoples have the right to own, develop, control and use the lands and territories, including the total environment of the lands, air, waters, coastal seas, sea-ice, flora and fauna and other resources which they have traditionally owned or otherwise occupied or used,

* All peoples have the right to security, to peace and to international legal protection,

* All peoples have the right to desmilitarisation of their territory, and to disallow the production, storage, transport ant use of weapons for mass destruction,

* All peoples have the right to organise and constitute legitimate representative bodies for the whole of their territory,

* All peoples have the right to participate, as such, in international life in the framework of intergovernmental structures and of the non governmental international organizations(NGO).

And we appeal,

* To the collaboration and solidarity among peoples of the world, to promote equality and to guarantee diversity and cultural plurality, Humanity’s common heritage,

* To the promotion of a new, effective and safe mechanisms in the United Nations and other continental organisations, through permanent dialogue among peoples, states and inter-governmental agencies, for the settling of demands and conflicts concerning the Right of Self Determination.

* To the international community, that it may fulfil current International Law in regard to peoples with full rights to Self Determination.

* To peoples, to use processes of self determination to prevent conflict and to build a freer, more just and more democratic world.


.... ... .

Monday, December 16, 2002

Olentzero in Four Languages

Olentzero

Euskal Herriko basoetan,jendeak ikusi ezin dituen mota askotako izakiak bizi dira.

In the forests of the Basque Country,there are many diverse classes of creatures who people cannot see.

En los bosques de el País Vasco,hay muchas diversas clases de criaturas que la gente no puede ver.

Dans les forêts du Pays Basque,il y a beaucoup de classes diverses des créatures que les gens ne peuvent pas voir.

Honako hau izaki hauetako baten historia da, Olentzeroren historia, benetazko ala alegiazko izaki guztien bihotzetan sartzen den gizon apala.

This is the history of one of those beings, the history of Olentzero, the humble man who with his love enters into the heart of all the creatures, true or imaginary.

Ésta es la historia de uno de esos seres, la historia de Olentzero, el hombre humilde que con su amor entra en el corazón de todas las criaturas, verdaderas o imaginarias.

C'est l'histoire d'un de ces êtres, l'histoire d'Olentzero, l'homme humble qui avec son amour entame le coeur de toutes les créatures, vrais ou imaginaires.

Olentzero egunero goizetik gauera aritzen da lanean, ikatza egiten.

Olentzero works every day from morning to night, making coal.

Olentzero trabaja todo el día hasta la noche, haciendo el carbón.

Olentzero fonctionne chaque jour de matin à la nuit, faisant le charbon.

Eguberriak heltzean, Olentzerok jostailuak banatzen ditu Euskal Herriko umeen artean.

Every Christmas Olentzero distributes toys between the children of the Basque Country.

Cada Navidad Olentzero distribuye juguetes entre los niños y niñas del País Vasco.

Chaque Noël Olentzero distribue jouets entre les enfants du País Basque.

Zenbaitek ez du sinisten Olentzero esistitzen denik ere. Baina bada esaera zahar bat, zera dioena: "Izena duen guztia omen da".

Some people do not think that Olentzero really exists. But there is an old phrase that says: "Everything what has a name exists".

Alguna gente no cree que existe Olentzero realmente. Pero hay un viejo refrán que dice: "Existe todo lo que tiene un nombre".

Certains ne pensent pas qu'Olentzero existe vraiment. Mais il y a une vieille expression qui indique: "Tout ce qui a un nom existe".

Abenduaren 24an zuen etxeetan izango naiz opariak banatzen.

The 24 of December I will be in your houses distributing gifts.

El 24 de diciembre estaré en vuestras casas repartiendo regalos.

Le 24 de décembre je serai dans vos maisons distribuant des cadeaux.


Zorionak eta urte berri on!

Merry Christmas and happy New Year!

¡Feliz Navidad y próspero Año Nuevo!

Joyeux Noel et Bonne et Heureuse Année!

.... ... .

Saturday, December 07, 2002

Nevada's Basque Art

Nevada is more than fancy casinos in the middle of the desert.

Here you have a pretty interesting article about Basque thing to see and admire when you're in Nevada.

Hope you like it:

Basque Art in Reno, Nevada

by Carmelo Urza

Basque art, as defined for purposes of this article, refers to public art created by Basques or public art which reflects the image of Basques. Reno is fortunate to have several important pieces: the National Basque Monument at Rancho San Rafael, the Shepherd sculpture at John Ascuaga’s Nugget, the Orreaga sculpture in the main library at the University of Nevada, Reno, the Lertxundi sculpture in front of City Hall, the triptych at the north end of the main UNR library and a number of paintings, sculptures and carvings at the Basque Studies Program itself. This article will describe each in turn.

Monuments to the Basques

By far the two largest art pieces are the National Basque Monument and The Shepherd. Both represent the Basque sheepherder and, through that occupational archetype, they honor the Basque immigrant to the American West. Both are major bronze sculptures by major artists. Besides these similarities, however, they couldn’t be more different.

The National Basque Monument was born as an idea in 1984 and was unveiled on August 27, 1989. It was proposed as a public project, evolved over time, and enjoyed the participation of many public and private organizations. The official overarching organization in charge of the Monument project was the Society for Basque Studies in America, which worked in conjunction with a local committee in Reno. The project was funded by public subscription, with significant funding coming from official Basque entities (governments, banks, etc.) from the Old World as well as significant individual contributions in the New. The Monument stands today at the northern edge of Rancho San Rafael, a 490-acre regional park.

Perhaps typical of this type of project, there were a few false starts before the project jelled. The committee decided that the monument should represent some specific aspect of the Basque presence in the United States. While Basques had been involved in many occupations, their strongest group reputation had been developed as sheepherders in the West, and as a result, that archetype was chosen to represent the whole. A dozen artists from the United States and from Europe were invited to submit proposals which would express this concept. Nine proposalswere submitted, and three artists were selected to submit maquettes. A panel of Reno-area artists and cognoscenti made the final choice. Old World Basque artist Nestor Basterretxea’s submission Bakardade/Solitude was the winner. With a concrete project in hand, a brochure was designed and fundraising started in earnest. So began the controversy.

Those of us who were involved in the project were soon to learn the diversity of the other players and of the audience, and how they were to play a central role in the project. Unwittingly, we had stumbled into a major breach of who “the Basques” were and of how they wanted to be viewed. As it turns out Nestor Basterrechea was a Basque artist from the Basque Country whose work had long explored Basque character and beauty. He was also a modern artist, one of the vanguard in Europe. For the Old World supporters of the Monument, the fact that he was from the Old Country was an asset, for they would get to showcase one of their own. Basterretxea’s status as a modern artist was also beneficial on a different front, since the Basque Government was anxious to project an international image of the Basque Country as a modern place in which businesses should invest. And indeed, the Basque Country is a very modern part of the world, equipped with the latest technology, a first-rate educational system and a highly qualified and sophisticated labor force. Old World governmental entities were probably not thrilled to have their culture presented on the world stage in the archetype of a sheepherder. And yet, they tempered their objections and provided important financial support.

In the American West, however, the image of the Basques which had been evolving for the last quarter century emphasized the antiquity of the people (a possible remnant of the original Cro-Magnon population of Europe), the uniqueness of the language and other associations that set the Basques apart from the rest of the world. The best known Basque figure in the New World was that of the sheepherder and indeed, many Basques in the American West currently hold in common a herder ancestor, due to the historic realities of employment opportunities that were available to early immigrants. Most of those who had come to the U.S. originated from isolated Old World farmhouses; they were largely uneducated and had emigrated to the U.S. to herd sheep as very young men. And yet, they spoke Basque and embodied the cultural icons which had been collectively selected as those that made the Basques different. Furthermore, the last important wave of immigration ended in the 60’s and so they represented, in a sense, the authentic baserri-based culture of a former era, frozen in time in the American West. They were precisely the group which had been selected to be honored by the National Basque Monument, and these Basques didn’t see themselves as sophisticated Europeans.

The resulting controversy of this project was probably no different than that of other public art projects. Representational or figurative art went head to head against abstract art, the modern against the traditional. In fact, Basterrechea’s sculpture is probably classified as postmodern in that it represents a partial return towards realism. That is, it had an outside referent - something “real,” the figure of a man, although that figure was distorted or abstractly represented.

To many supporters of the Monument, and to Basque immigrants and former herders, the sculpture was not a faithful reflection of themselves, a hard-working, straightforward, uncomplicated people. Furthermore, they argued, the figure of the sheepherder was a biblical icon, and the Basques themselves an ancient people. Shouldn’t traditional stories be related in traditional styles?

For Nestor Basterretxea, and for others, the question was not so simple. Basterretxea believed that the external elements of dress were not the most important dimension of the Basque sheepherder. Rather, Basterretxea found the Basque essence in the sheepherder’s character.

Sheepherding in the West was a tough, lonely occupation, and it took a strong man to withstand the hardships, unfathomable loneliness, dangers, and deprivations. Furthermore, for the Basques, both physical and psychological strength was a cornerstone of their culture. Basterretxea attempted to externalize this essence of strength in his Monument sculpture. Some supporters were not bothered that the project was controversial. Indeed, many found controversy to be a benefit. It was better to be hotly debated than ignored. Nor did it bother them that the sculpture was a difficult “read,” that is, that its meaning was not easy or obvious to the casual viewer and that it would require the onlooker’s personal interpretation and involvement to understand the message.

The debate raged during the fundraising stage and echoes of the discussion have lasted a decade. However, even among the most vocal detractors of the sculpture itself, there was support for the project. People understood that the project had developed momentum, and that it had the potential to become a reality. Although they may have had aesthetic differences, everyone understoood that collectively they had an opportunity to make a major artistic statement about the Basques in the United States. For that reason, most of them set their personal differences aside and supported the project. In return, the contributors or those they wished to honor were memorialized on bronze plaques at the site.

Fortuitously, for those who preferred a more literal and representational sculpture, the 4th of August 1998 was a happy day. For that was the date of the public unveiling of The Shepherd, a seventeen-foot-tall bronze sculpture by Douglas Van Howd, commissioned by John Ascuaga and his wife Rose, owners of the Nugget Hotel and Casino in Sparks, Nevada. Both are Basque Americans, and the sculpture was commissioned, according to the news release, to “honor their parents and all Basque immigrants who left their homeland for opportunities in the American West,” as well as the “way of life and indomitable spirit” of Basque culture. “People don’t realize the hardship they faced coming over here, not speaking a word of English, going up in those hills,” Ascuaga said. The August inauguration of The Shepherd was scheduled to coincide with the opening of the Restaurante Orozko, the new Basque and Mediterranean restaurant at the Nugget. The name of the restaurant comes from the name of the village in the Spanish Basque Country from whence John Ascuaga’s father, Jose, originally emigrated in 1914.

Coincidentally, the Van Howd sculpture was one of the finalists of the original competition for the National Basque Monument. Van Howd has several public art pieces in Reno, including the wolves at the entrance to the University football stadium and the skier at the entrance to the airport. Van Howd is highly regarded in the Reno area. Little did anyone anticipate a decade earlier that we would wind up enjoying both sculptures. Van Howd’s work is a classic piece of realism which depicts a sheepherder picking up a lamb to hide it from the elements under his open coat. The figure is replete with all the accoutrements of a herder, including a sheep hook, a hat, and a trusty dog by his side. “This is a realistic version,” Van Howd said, comparing his work to the Basterretxea sculpture. “The spring winds we get here are pretty cold. He’s pulling his coat up and he’s sheltering a lamb under his coat.”

Zenbat Gara Dance Ensemble, from UNR, performed at the unveiling. Many other local Basques attended as well with a satisfied look on their faces, as if they had finally gotten the sculpture they wanted. This sculpture is a welcome addition to other Basque-related art projects in the Truckee Meadows, and a welcome contrast to the modern Basterretxea sculpture in Rancho San Rafael. Now, both sides of the debate have “their” Basque sculpture.

Other Works in Reno

Orreaga is the Basque name for the Pyrenean Valley known as Roncesvalles in Spanish or Ronceveaux in French. It is also the name of the sculpture in the lobby of the UNR library. It commemorates the battle in which Basques attacked Charlemagne’s rearguard early in the Ninth Century. Roland, Charlemagne’s nephew and the captain of the rearguard, was killed in that battle. His death inspired the famous epic poem, “The Song of Roland.”

Orreaga is a large oak sculpture that spans an area eighteen feet high and ten feet wide. Although highly abstract, the two-piece oak sculpture alludes to the narrative of the battle. The lower piece is in the form of a large U, suggesting the canyon walls trapping the forces of the invading Franks. In the center, a complex oval structure represents the doomed army of the invaders. An aggressively shaped discoid hangs from the ceiling above and represents the attacking Basques swooping down on them like the bird of death. The author of Orreaga was Nestor Basterretxea, the same artist who created the National Basque Monument.

Path of Equilibrium is a piece created by Basque artist Mikel Angel Lertxundi. It was installed in the summer of l994 in front of Reno City Hall. Lertxundi used the main elements of the earth for his materials: stone (granite from Nevada), wood (oak from California) and iron. The 9 x 6 x 6-foot sculpture, in its composition and materials, is designed to reflect the life processes of birth, life, and death.

The offices of the Basque Studies Program contain several pieces of original art, including a three-foot bronze maquette of the original design of the National Basque Monument (the final sculpture was modified from this first version).

In 1990, Mikel Lertxundi held an exhibition of original art at the University in Reno. After the show, he donated one of the pieces to the Basque Studies Program. The piece is called Orekaren bila-VIII (In Search of Equilibrium-VIII) and is composed of three separate pieces, one made of wood, the other of stone and the third of iron.

On the staircase leading to the Basque Studies Program, there is a triptych painted by Spanish artist Enrique Linatza. The piece is entitled Buruauste (Puzzle), and is composed of a series of squares which, in muralist tradition, depict an epic scene taken from the journey of the Basque immigrant traveling from the Old World to the New.

The BSP also exhibits a number of tree trunks decorated with original carvings by sheepherders. The carvings are representative of the thousands of arborglyphs throughout the American West carved by bored Basque sheepherders who wanted to leave a human mark on an otherwise lonely landscape.

If the samples of tree carvings in the BSP do not satisfy your interests, you may go into the countryside around Reno to see the living originals. There are a couple of groves that can be accessed most of the year over dirt roads on Peavine Mountain just north of Reno. For instructions on how to reach them, please call the Program.

Finally, there are three oil paintings by Virginia de Rijk Chan in the Basque Studies Program. Virginia was the Assistant Coordinator of the Program for many years and, although she now lives in Amsterdam, she has painted portraits of three individuals who have played prominent roles in the Program: the late Jon Oñatibia, a teacher of Basque dance, music and language; the late Jon Bilbao, a bibliographer and collaborator at the BSP for 25 years; and William A. Douglass, founder and Director of the BSP.

We invite you, the next time you are in Reno, to take a few hours to visit some of the Basque art that can be found in the area.


.... ... .

Friday, December 06, 2002

Ibarretxe Q&A

Lets give him the benefit of the doubt, here you have Basque president Juan Jose Ibarretxe defending his proposal at ePolitix:

Juan Jose Ibarretxe, President Basque Country

Thursday 5th December 2002 at 00:00

Question: Madrid believes the Ibarretxe plan follows ETA, but on the other hand ETA says you are following Madrid's way? Why the confusion?

Juan Jose Ibarretxe: Well, obviously things have to be either black or white, they cannot be black and white at the same time. The proposal I have made is an open one, it's a proposal that has a totally legal and democratic basis to it. It's a proposal that aims not to break away from the Spanish state but to co-exist with the Spanish state, and it is a proposal that aims to get the Basque people to be able to freely decide how they want to co-exist with the Spanish state and within Europe.

Question: Critics say why don't you condemn and isolate the terrorists and their supporters?

Juan Jose Ibarretxe: It is grossly unfair to say that Basque institutions need to condemn terrorism. We have always condemned it. We categorically condemn ETA's terrorism, amongst other reasons because Basque institutions have always condemned all kinds of violence. We have condemned all the dictatorships that have existed in the Spanish state. Firstly, Primo de Rivera's dictatorship, then Franco's dictatorship, and now we condemn ETA's dictatorship. We have always done so and we always will do. And it is a terrible mistake to try to get across to the world the idea that Basque people and Basque institutions don't condemn violence, especially ETA's terrorism. Amongst other reasons, because this gives the wrong picture of the Basque people. The Basques are not a violent people. They are a peaceful and hard working people. We realise that all ideas, whether you agree with them or not, as long as they are defended democratically, are valid. Basque society is not asking Batasuna to give up their ideas or to forget them. What we demand from Batasuna and all other political parties is that all ideas be defended peacefully and democratically. There is no society that is so categorically against violence as Basque society. No institution anywhere in the world has ever been so utterly against and has condemned so strongly ETA as has Basque society and its institutions.

Question: Since September 11 Aznar wants Basque terrorism to be dealt with in the same way as international terrorism. What do you think of that?

Juan Jose Ibarretxe: Obviously terrorism is extraordinarily negative wherever it occurs in the world. You simply cannot kill. There is absolutely no justification for killing. You cannot kill to defend any ideal. The 21st century is not a century in which ideas or projects are defended through killing. Referring specifically to ETA's violence and ETA's terrorism, obviously action has to be taken. We have to take steps using police measures and legal tools. We attach a great deal of importance to European policing tools and European legal tools to help us in the fight against ETA's terrorism. Nevertheless, it is vital that political problems be given a political solution. And obviously between the Basque country and Spain in addition to the absurd, inhumane, barbaric violence we have to eradicate, a political problem still remains. We have got to find a political solution, a political agreement between the Basque country and Spain, and we have to do that democratically. We have to do that based on the decisions the Basque people take and to do so I have proposed and I have put on the table this new political agreement to eradicate ETA's violence once and for all and to try and reach some kind of agreement so that the Basque Country and Spain can co-exist in mutual respect.

Question: In your plan you talk about a referendum which will decide if the Basque people want to be an associated state inside Spain. What's the difference between that and full independence?

Juan Jose Ibarretxe: Firstly I want to clarify to you that in my proposal I don't propose that the Basque country be a 'state' that is associated to Spain - that is not part of the proposal, amongst other reasons because really the proposal that I have made and the proposal that I hope should be openly debated is by no means based on 19th or even 20th century ideas, but rather it's based on 21st century ideas and concepts. And these concepts of the 21st century are not independence but 'interdependence'. We don't talk about 'independence' we talk about 'interdependence' in the 21st century, we don't talk about absolute sovereignty in the 21st century but rather shared sovereignty. There have been people who have tried to distort the proposal, especially those in Spanish government and they have used the media, and especially the international media, to try to relate my proposal to some kind of 'state' that would be freely associated to the Spanish state. But that's not it. What I've proposed is that there be an agreement, an agreement of free association of the Basque country with the Spanish state. What I have proposed is not to break away from the Spanish state but rather to co-exist with the Spanish state, however obviously based on the decision that the Basque people take.

Question: And to coexist how would you define boundaries of financial autonomy?

Juan Jose Ibarretxe: Just as they are defined today in Europe. Obviously, when you talk about economic policies, to an increasing level these are in the hands of European Community institutions. In fact, tax policy (within some limits of harmonisation) is really the only thing that is left in the hands of European Union member states. So the only possibility left is to set taxation levels and to collect these taxes. But, this is something that Basque institutions are already doing today as a result of the economic agreement that we already have. You may know that Basque institutions use this economic agreement and have very far-reaching competencies and powers to actually set our taxes and also to collect all those taxes the Basque people pay. So where do I see a scenario at an economic and financial level? Well obviously within those political, legal and financial tools we are all building together in the European Union.

Question: Basque business organisations said that if you go on with your plans, many of them and their enterprises will leave the Basque country. What is your message to them?

Juan Jose Ibarretxe: Firstly, I should say that amongst the Basque business community there are many different points of view. And moreover for me it is tremendously satisfying, as President of the Basque Community and representative of Basque society that 7 out of 10 Basques are interested that my proposal make progress.

The Basque people, Basque entrepreneurs and the Basque business community have thought a great deal about all of this. What would our country be like without ETA's violence? We think about that a lot, and there is not one single business person in the Basque country who doubts that a violence-free Basque country, free of the violence of ETA, that a Basque country with some sort of political agreement - a strong and sound political agreement that would normalise the political relationships between the Basque Country and Spain, would set an unbeatable political and economic scenario.

This is something that is debated a great deal in the media, but there is not one single person in the Basque country, not one man or woman who doubts that a violence-free Basque country with political agreements would be unbeatable and would be far better from an economic and social point of view than the society we are in today. It is important that you know that Basque businessmen and women - what they are saying today is "we've got and excellent standard of living, and all we need is peace. And we have to do something to obtain peace, we cannot carry on as we are today". And that is why they appreciate the proposal that I have made and realise that it is really an honest proposal to make progress and to eradicate violence from our lives and set some sort of framework in which economic growth and social balance are possible.

Question: Madrid supported a referendum with Gibraltar. How confident are you that they will accept a referendum with the Basque country?

Juan Jose Ibarretxe: I have no doubts about the respect Madrid has for democracy. I am sure that it will be the Basque people who will finally decide what they want to be. I find it unimaginable to think that the Basque Country will be something other than what the Basque people want. I find that difficult to understand as I find it impossible to understand that Scotland would be something different to what the Scottish people want. Or in other countries or other nations and regions in the world. But I will go further than that. In recent years in Madrid people have been saying time and time again "you Basque people, why don't you reach some kind of an agreement" - so I do not think there will be any problem on that front if we Basque people are able to reach an agreement and if Basque society ratifies a determined project with specific ideas. This would be naturally totally accepted because this is exercising democracy.

Question: Do you detect that Spanish people who see a referendum in Gibraltar, see that there is a discrepancy that Basque people aren't allowed a referendum?

Juan Jose Ibarretxe: Firstly, Basque society is going to decide where its own future lies. I have no doubt about that. I think that in the 21st century, nobody can oppose the consultation of a people when it is their future which is at stake. Because if people do not accept that, then we really would have a big problem because that would mean that democratic rules weren't being accepted nor was the right to decide one's own future. I think that respect for democracy is one of the main principals upon which we have to build the European space and all those countries that form a part of the European space in the 21st century.

The 21st century is not a century in which wishes are imposed, it is a century in which there is free association and free inclusion. A few years ago and unfortunately this normally happened in the case of women - women had to live alongside their husbands in spite of the fact that they were being maltreated. But fortunately those times have past. In fact normally people's children don't stay at home if they don't share the project of their parents. The 21st century isn't a century in which people are able to impose their ideas, it is a century based on free association and that is what I am proposing on behalf of the Basque government.

Question: A lot of times Spanish politicians have compared the conflicts in Northern Ireland with the Basque country. One key feature of the Ulster peace process was the decision to free convicted paramilitaries from prison. Would you like to see this happen in Spain?

Juan Jose Ibarretxe: Firstly, I ought to say that sometimes we are tempted -through pure good will and the wish to fix things- to try to apply magic recipes - because that is what bad economists and bad politicians have done throughout history. They have taken a magic recipe from a different place and from a different time and tried to transfer that to one's own situation and country at a different time. I am convinced that we are going to have to apply our own model to solve our own problems. And I think that as things stand today what is really important when we talk about ETA's violence and when we talk about the possibility of achieving a political agreement is to act using the tools and rule of law for us - that is police and legal measures, but above all we need political debate. For it will be political debate that will finish off ETA's violence. It is going to be Basque society that is going to finally wipe ETA out of our lives. Now it's the time for solutions and for political debate. I think that political debate on the proposal that I have put on the table, and any other proposal that somebody may want to put forward is what really can eradicate violence once and for all.

Question: There are no magic recipes from elsewhere but are there any lessons to be learned from the Northern Ireland peace process?

Juan Jose Ibarretxe: Of course. There is one excellent recipe for solving all the problems around the world and that is acceptance of dialogue as the key tool to solving our problems. The main tool, and weapon for the 21st century shouldn't be resorting to war to solve problems, it should be dialogue. Dialogue is the true key element that is going to help us solve problems and conflicts in the 21st century. And really, the process in Northern Ireland, if there is something we can learn from it, it is precisely the road of dialogue, the advancement of communication is the main starting point to actually make progress and reach solutions.

Question: What kind of relationship or representation does the Basque government want to have in the EU in the 21st century?

Juan Jose Ibarretxe: This is something that we are currently debating. In fact it is being debated in the whole of the EU. What we want is for different nationalities -in our case the Basque nationality- to have a presence and a role in the European constitutional process. In this regard, the first thing that I ought to say is that there is nothing new to be invented, there are federal countries within Europe that have already resolved the means of representation before institutions at a European level. In fact, Germany and Austria have already made constitutional modifications, as has Belgium, so this can happen.

So we are not asking for the Basque country anything that isn't already happening in other countries and other nations in Europe. Last week, 74 constitutional regions met together in Florence - stateless nations. And there we jointly asked for (and by the way we represent 56 per cent of the European population) the Inter-Governmental Conference which will be opening in the year 2004 and which is going to have to draw a draught European constitution, to consider within its treaty, within its own constitution some sort of special status for nations and regions that have legislative powers but aren't states within Europe. Specifically, in first place this status should recognise legislative regions' right to become electoral constituencies or electoral districts when holding elections to Europe. Secondly, according to Article 203 of the Treaty we could have, without any problem - and we should have, a presence in the European Council of Ministers meetings. This already does happen in some nations and regions around Europe. And thirdly, we should be able to go to the European Constitutional Court to defend our own competencies and powers. What I am proposing in the case of the Basque country is fortunately already solved in other pluri-national states or federal states around Europe.

Question: So what is your message to EU leaders who say that the EU shouldn't be the place to resolve these nationalist issues within member states - it is a matter for the member state to sort out themselves?

Juan Jose Ibarretxe: Our proposal for this agreement is made to the Spanish state and we propose to the Spanish state an agreement for co-existence. And I am especially interested to get across not just to EU leaders but the different people that live throughout Europe like us, the Basque people, that what we want is just to co-exist because that is what we want to do and that is because that is what we have decided to do as Basque people within the Spanish state and the Spanish state in Europe. And that's all we want. We are a people with its own personality and identity, and we want to live and we want to have this relationship of affection with the Spanish state and with Europe. We want to share our future in Europe. And all we want is for people to respect what we are - we are Basque people. We are a small people within Europe, with its own culture, with its own language, the oldest language in Europe.


.... ... .

Monday, December 02, 2002

Demonstration in Donostia

This article comes to us thanks to Basque Diaspora:

Itziar Lopategi: “Neither Garzon, nor Balza, nor the rain will stop this people”

Thousands of people converged on Donostia to demand democracy and self-determination for the Basque Country

I. Etxeberria – O. Elduaien/Donostia (San Sebastian)

Thousands of heads under a canopy of umbrellas. A single aim: to demand the Basque Country’s right to self-determination. “Neither Garzon, nor Balza, nor the rain has managed to stop this people!” This is how Itziar Lopategi summed up the wishes and intentions of those who came together in Donostia (San Sebastian) yesterday. This is “the feeling of the majority of the Basque people,” she said. The response was a round of applause.

There were thousands of people, well-known and unknown, accompanied by the rain. Young and old alike, along the streets. With umbrellas, anoraks, walking boots, etc. many had come prepared for the rain. But some got drenched, for example those who were carrying the banner with the slogan “Demokrazia Euskal Herriarentzat. Autodeterminazioa orain!” (Democracy for the Basque Country. Self-determination now!). However, they didn’t get wet for the same reason as in the demonstration of September 14 in Bilbo and they were in a good mood. In fact the Ertzaintza or Police force of the EAE did not stand in the way of the demonstration at all.

And Judge Baltasar Garzon didn’t issue any rulings on this occasion, even though Javier Balza, the Interior Minister of the EAE, had said that might happen. The Basque Government had banned the demonstration on the basis of Garzon’s ruling banning the Bilbo march, and this very week the High Court of the EAE quashed the decision. In the end the demonstration went ahead normally.

At the front of the march were Xabier Amuriza, the “bertsolari” (extempore poet); Itziar Lopategi, member of the Basque trade union LAB; Fito Rodriguez, lecturer at the University of the Basque Country (EHU); Alex Marañon, of “Ikasle Abertzaleak” the Basque nationalist students’ group; Pantxoa Belin, member of “Askatasuna”; Pello Zabala, the weatherman; and Joseba Permach, among others, representing all areas of the Basque Country.


.... ... .

Tuesday, November 26, 2002

Bit of Bad News

Bad things happen to good people.

A couple of hours ago I received terrible news, they affect me to certain degree, but it is the shattered dreams of a good friend what bugs me. The next couple of weeks are going to be critical, I just hope I can be there till the end.

.... ... .

Sunday, November 17, 2002

Piperade

I have Gerald Hirigoyen's cook book titled The Basque Kitchen, so I am glad they published this article about him at The San Francisco Chronicle:

Piperade: Basque at its best

Chef Gerald Hirigoyen returns to his roots and cultivates another winner

Michael Bauer, Chronicle Restaurant Critic
Sunday, November 17, 2002

Agreat chef needs two qualities: talent is the most obvious, but passion is what gives him the edge. If a chef has both, he can transform gruel into a feast.

Gerald Hirigoyen proved himself at Fringale, but now he's rediscovered his passion for cooking by returning to his Basque roots. He made the change in cooking styles a few months ago, after he bought out his partner at Pastis and changed the restaurant's name to Piperade.

Hirigoyen is still a partner in Fringale, which he opened in 1991, but he's spending most of his time at Piperade, which he owns with his wife, Cameron.

It's taken a while to settle in, but on each of four visits the food improved, showing that the chef is finding his groove. Hirigoyen is reinterpreting his native culture for California tastes, much like Charles Phan is doing with Vietnamese food at Slanted Door and Mourad Lahlou is doing with Moroccan cuisine at Aziza.

Basque country, half in Spain and half in France, has a unique culture with an ancient language and a rustic style of cooking. Many traditional dishes are long simmered, infused with an intense earthiness. The satisfying piperade ($15), for example, is a stew of bell peppers, tomatoes and garlic served with thin slices of Serrano ham and topped with a poached egg. Other dishes that show the character of the cuisine include Hirigoyen's sauteed sweetbreads ($8) with thin caramelized slices of Jerusalem artichokes, and a clear garlic soup thickly clouded with bread and egg. Rock shrimp are stirred in at the last minute, adding a fresh note to the heady blend.

Pork daube ($17) is a chunky mountain of meat and potatoes, strewn with onions, salsify, parsnips and sunchokes, a soulful blend that's perfect at this time of year. It's not fancy, but like an everyday dish you'd enjoy in someone's home.

As the breast of chicken ($15) is crisply sauteed to order, tarragon jus with bacon, pearl onions and fingerling potatoes provide a gutsy element that's the antithesis of the quick-cook combinations produced by many California chefs.

One of the most interesting combinations features a saute of squid ($16) bathed in a foie gras sauce punctuated by grapes. Fingerling potatoes, cooked to a creamy sweetness, help soak up the sauce. It's so decadently rich you'll end up sopping it up with bread until the plate is clean. I wanted to do the same with the sauce that surrounded the whole prawns awash in garlic, parsley and zesty lemon.

The food here is driven more by technique than by ingredients. A good example is the warm terrine with at least a dozen alternating layers of sheep's milk cheese and ham ($9), sauteed to a warm crunch and set on a knob of frisee that adds mild relief from the salty intensity of the terrine. Kind of like a grilled cheese sandwich, it has a flavor that is much better than its separate parts. Another unique concoction is crab Txangurro ($8), flakes of crab bound with mayonnaise and fresh herbs in a phyllo-like pastry. The brick-shaped package is crisply sauteed in a little olive oil and served with a refreshing mango and red pepper salsa.

Even the lighter dishes have an intensity not often found in Bay Area restaurants. The delicate steamed Pacific snapper ($17) is drizzled with a vinaigrette dense with caramelized slices of garlic. A chilled mussel-and- bread salad ($8), glistening in a red wine dressing, is yet another rustic example of the chef's ability to coax the maximum punch out of ingredients.

Many people don't realize that Hirigoyen was a pastry chef until they try his desserts (all $6.50). They may not reflect his refined training, but they fit well with the heartfelt savory courses: a wedge of cake gritty with cornmeal and paired with a pool of creme fraiche and quince; a dense almond cake topped with crisp sugared almonds, set on the plate with honey ice cream; a gateau amatxi, centered on a thick, cool pool of creme fraiche to counteract the slightly bitter chocolate. There are also orange blossom beignets, airy fried doughnuts with just the hint of perfume; and one of the creamiest custards around, similar to a Spanish flan.

To reflect the homey quality of the food, Hirigoyen and his wife de- emphasized many of the sleek warehouse appointments of Pastis by putting in a hardwood floor and playing up the brick walls and ceiling beams. Panels of acoustic material between the beams keep the noise level in check. Stylish sconces hang from the beamed walls, and two impressive canvases of Basque images decorate the areas on both sides of the kitchen.

The focal point of the 85-seat dining room is a sheepherder's table set under a wrought-iron chandelier made from an antique bottle-drying rack. The large table can accommodate a party of eight or be used as communal seating for walk-ins. A small covered patio, which seats 16, is used year round.

The entire restaurant is infused with Hirigoyen's personality, from the staff at the front desk to the bus people. The chef and his wife make frequent forays into the dining room to greet guests, lending a warm, personal touch to the place. Service is a pleasant fusion of American casualness and French efficiency.

During his years cooking in San Francisco, Hirigoyen has developed a devoted following that continues to support him here. But Piperade should be attracting a new generation of diners. In this uncertain and often cold world, warm and nurturing places like this are just what we need.


.... ... .

Friday, November 15, 2002

Research on Vibrating Tables

I love this article!

Besides the information it contains about the technological development in Euskal Herria, (something often denied by the anti-Basque crowd) the author mentions that Navarre is located in the Basque Country, here you have it:

Improvement and Optimisation of vibrating tables used in agri-foodstuffs sector

15.11.2002

A research team of the Public University of Navarre (Basque Country), under the supervision of professors Jesus Zurita Gabasa and Jesus Mª Pintor Borobia, from the department of Mechanical, Energetic and Materials Engineering, is working in a project to improve and optimise vibrating tables that are used in the agri-foodstuffs sector. The project is being done by the request of the company Tecnologia Alimentaria Urtasun from Navarre (Basque Country) , manufacturer of this kind of machinery.

The company Tecnologia Alimentaria Urtasun focuses its activity in the design, production, commissioning and control of the whole production lines for the food industry. That includes the production line of vibrating tables. These tables are the machinery used to transport fruits and vegetables. They are called vibrating tables, because they actually function by vibration, so that the product moves with small jumps through the table, so that it reduces the damage. That way, by operators located at both sides of the table or in a totally mechanised way, the damaged parts can be removed or the product can be selected or distributed.

The main problems of these tables are related to their vibrating character. These machines must vibrate, and the more they vibrate the better it is, because the product moves faster forward and they can transport higher amounts of load. However, that causes greater deformations, and as a consequence, there can be problems of rupture or fatigue due to the presence of oscillating loads. And that causes a damage, which is accumulated in the material.

Validated virtual model

The researchers have developed a theoretical model for the company Urtasun, based on the simulation for finite elements, which allows characterising the dynamic and structural behaviour of a model of a vibrating table to be used in the food industry.

This work has been carried out in the test bench for fatigues and vibrations of the University.

Actually, they are developing a knowledge tool that allows optimising the machine. In addition, they believe that it would be interesting to work on the introduction of new materials and new technologies, which would allow, among other objectives, automating maintenance tasks for this kind of machines. For example, providing the machine with devices that allow knowing their state by recording a series of parameters. In those cases, the company Urtasun, via modem, could know the operating state of their machines, regardless of where they are installed. And that is very important, if we consider that the 40 % of the turnover of this company derives from export.


.... ... .

Wednesday, November 06, 2002

Bilbo's Renaissance

Yes, they say a lot of it has to do with the Guggo.

But what was first, the egg or the chicken?

To bring some light to this issue, here you have the essay by Dr. Zulaika about how Bilbo is on the way to become one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world.

Enjoy it:

Postindustrial Bilbao: The Reinvention of a New City
by Joseba Zulaika

First it was the “medieval Villa” (founded in the year 1300 by Don Diego López de Haro); then it was the “commercial Villa” (after the establishment of its Consulate in 1511); then, since the second half of the last century, it was the proud regional “industrial city” we all know. But a new millennium is dawning. And now in the 1990s a new “postindustrial Bilbao” is being reborn from the ashes of its industrial ruins.

A massive infrastructural transformation and urban regeneration process is under way to turn Bilbao into a service-oriented and culturally attractive city. The flagship of the entire redevelopment, Frank Gehry’s spectacular Guggenheim-Bilbao Museoa, has made international news lately. But the goal is to effect the postindustrial reinvention of the city. As it undergoes the painful yet exhilarating metamorphosis from industrial ruination to architectural rebirth, Bilbao presents singular opportunities for tourism-based industries, as well as unique challenges for students of Basque society and culture.

The Nervión River

You are, Nervión, the history of the Villa,
you her past and her future, you are
memory always turning into hope
and on your firm riverbed
a fleeing flow.

Thus wrote Miguel de Unamuno of his “bochito” - his beloved Bilbao nursed by her River. The foundational charter granted the medieval Villa exclusive jurisdictional rights to the Nervión’s trade. Bilbao was the natural port for the export of Castillian wool to Flanders and her wide window on the world. Ever since, the Nervión has been Bilbao’s history, wealth, and metaphor.

Bilbao was doubly blessed with a seaport and vast mineral wealth. Never was this as clear as during the last 150 years of industrial boom, during which the river’s Left Bank held Spain’s largest iron and steel industries. After the discovery of Henry Bessemer’s converter in 1856, which allowed cheap production of steel in vast quantities, Bilbao’s output of iron ore went from 55,000 tons in 1861 to 2,684,000 tons in 1880, and it jumped again to 6,496,000 in 1898. To have a sense of Bizkaia’s crucial role in the global capitalist system of the late nineteenth century, Great Britain, the world’s imperial power, imported two-thirds of her iron ore from Bilbao (or 65-75% of Bilbao’s annual exports).

But foreign companies came to Bilbao not only as buyers of ore, but also as backers and participants in the exploitation of the mines. Through investment in the iron and steel industries, railroads, and the harbor, international capital was crucial to the region’s industrialization. In fact, the two most important foreign companies, the Orconera Iron Ore Co. and the Société Franco-Belge des Mines de Somorrostro, were multinationals. Foreign companies extracted 40% of Bizkaia’s iron during the 1880-1900 period. All in all, there existed a good symbiotic relationship between foreign and Basque capital. Historians estimate that between 60 and 75% of all the gains remained in the pockets of Bilbao’s industrial elite. By 1929, although Basques constituted a mere 3% of Spain’s population, Basque capital represented 25% of Spanish banking resources, 38% of the investment in shipyards, 40% of the stock in engineering and electrical construction firms, 68% of the funds dedicated to shipping companies, and 62% of the monies invested in steel factories.

A wasteland of industrial ruins is almost all that is left now of that fabled industrial period. But the ongoing massive redevelopment is testimony that the dark and generous River is still very much alive. As Bilbao emerges from the mantle of debris accumulated during the last tide of history, the city of 360,000 people has never been as remote from and yet as close to that small town of 18,000 souls that she was only 150 years ago. Already 75,000 people have abandoned the city during the last two decades of decline. But Bilbao is far from having given up her tradition of international business. Her capacity for high-stakes risk-taking remains undiminished. And don’t forget her metaphor - the one that made Bertolt Brecht write “How beautiful, how beautiful, how beautiful is the moon of Bilbao, the most beautiful city of the continent.” Hers is also the aesthetics of the “tough city” that have seduced artists such as Richard Serra and Frank Gehry. This seduction is perhaps Bilbao’s greatest asset at this moment; it is the true arena in which, by architectural spectacle and the sheer will to challenge all odds, she is transforming herself in ways almost unimaginable a few years ago.

Just look at what is happening in Abando-ibarra, right across from the University of Deusto: a grand titanium-skinned white whale has run aground there. Or is it a pirate’s old galleon suddenly resurfaced? It is Gehry’s masterpiece. It is the now undisputed emblem of a reinvigorated city unwilling to fade away with the demise of its blast furnaces - the Altos Hornos de Vizcaya, industrial engine and fiery symbol of the region’s economy until just yesterday. The volcano of the Left Bank is now mostly extinguished, but the sunset’s yellow colors are captured and reflected on the platinum scales of Gehry’s pale cetacean. “A miracle!” proclaimed The New York Times in contemplation of the radiant building. The real miracle, of course, is the resolve of the Bilbainos not to tolerate the extinction of their city’s proverbial fire and flourish.

Ashen debris, white smoke, black water, red slag…a generous supply of dirt of all colors and elements was Bilbao’s emblem. Her distinctive aesthetic force consisted of turning ugliness into a badge of honor, a thing of beauty for those willing to contemplate with eyes uncontaminated by pastoral nostalgia. But now the smoking chimneys are gone, even dirt is in short supply, and the tourists have started to come. The decades of heavy industrial exploitation had turned the Nervión into a black meandering sewer upon which the Bilbainos had long since learned to turn their backs. No longer do they need to avert their eyes from the prodigious River, the very soul of their history and identity. On the contrary, Bilbao is going to transform its riverfront into the real center of the new city. This is as great a historical transformation as one could expect from Bilbao’s fin-de-millenium. It signals the city’s willingness to unburden herself from all the sins of the industrial revolution and the ensuing environmental degradation. The hegemony of mining and iron industries is dismantled, the sky is free from the drifting clouds pumped into it by the now sorely-missed smoking chimneys, and it is no longer taboo to look at the River.

From Industrial Ruins to Architectural Emblems

History is a process of decay and ruin - this is the quintessential perspective that emerges from Bilbao’s fin-de-millenium. Were it not for the spectacular ruins of its metropolitan area of about a million people, Bilbao would be a typical European provincial city that exudes a bourgeois lifestyle. But it is the aesthetics of the “tough city” that sets Bilbao apart.

For months I have walked among the industrial and urban wasteland of Bilbao’s Left Bank - kilometers of silent ruins, hundreds of buildings awaiting demolition, urban neighborhoods with deserted streets and industrial sites with smokeless chimneys, entire valleys devastated by pollution, river banks contaminated beyond redemption, residential zones and garden plots adjacent to the most degraded areas. By 1995 Altos Hornos de Vizcaya - the smoky “tall ovens” of fire that gave a living to tens of thousands of families, the blast furnaces that were the proud emblem of the Left Bank’s entire industrial complex - had shut down. In the municipal area of Bilbao alone there are 52 industrial ruins that comprise 48 hectares of land; the next town on the Left Bank, Baracaldo, has another 25 industrial ruins occupying 100 hectares. Sestao is the next municipality of larger metropolitan Bilbao, and one third of its entire area is occupied by ruins. And so on. Bilbao’s book stores feature prominent photo reports chronicling the destruction of the city’s old factory buildings and chimneys, the enormous steel structures of complex architecture soaring within an apocalyptic landscape like huge, rusty phantoms bespeaking desertion, silence, and drama.

But ruins beckon to new architecture, new beginnings, new millennia. And Bilbao is ready to produce them in abundance. Yes, in the beginning there were ruins but now there is, or soon will be, Bilbao-2000.

By the end of the 1980s Basque officials were beginning to accept the unthinkable: the word “decline” referring to their major city. Bilbao is the political base of the Basque Nationalist Party, the region’s political force since Franco. An economically and demographically imploding Bilbao sounded several alarms. If the city could be credited with having industrialized the Basque region, it was now time for the country to repay it, to assist in its moment of crisis. To begin with, Bilbao and its metropolitan industrial area is home to a million Basques. For historical, sociological and financial reasons, it is impossible to reform the Basque economy without first revitalizing its engine, Bilbao.

Enter now the architect as savior. Gehry, Foster, Pelli, Sterling, Wildford, Pei, Soriano, Palacio and Calatrava - by now household names in Bilbao. They were preceded by the discourse on “urban regeneration,” which received public attention when Mayor José María Gorordo organized (in 1989) Bilbao’s first international congress entitled “Forum Bilbao for Urban Regeneration.” Throughout the 1980s there had been a huge effort to build a new infrastructure, highways and bridges in particular. But a new beginning was needed - a new image, a new postindustrial economic base, in short, an entire reinvention of an ancient, declining city.

The demise of former industries on the Left Bank’s riverfront had left large parcels in a state of ruin. They were close to the center and well-suited for major redevelopment projects. An ambitious $1.5 billion urban renewal plan was soon in place. It focused upon:

1. Expansion and modernization of the port, the central artery of Bilbao’s commercial life;

2. Creation of new transportation facilities that included a subway (designed by Norman Foster; its first phase completed in 1996), expansion of the airport (by Santiago Calatrava), and a central transport hub or “Intermodal” for buses and trains (designed by James Stirling, now espoused by Michael Wilford; it has been postponed indefinitely);

3. A new development on the riverfront. This included a one-million-square-foot office and shopping mall complex in Abandoibarra (by Cesar Pelli), a conference and concert hall (by Federico Soriano and Dolores Palacio), and a museum of modern and contemporary art, the Guggenheim-Bilbao (designed by Frank Gehry).

Of all these major projects two are emblematic of the new Bilbao: Foster’s sleek, costly subway which, besides its practical advantages, symbolized the city’s new infrastructure and regained sense of proud modernity, and Gehry’s voluptuous and optimistic Guggenheim Museum. The museum has overshadowed all other projects by drawing to Bilbao the international attention that it so desperately desires.

Spanning the Globe

A bridge first spanned the Nervión long before the Villa was founded in 1300. That bridge of San Antón was the first Promethean attempt to arch worlds apart: land and shore, river and sea, interior and exterior, past and future, left and right. It is only through a tradition of spanning the seemingly impossible - with suspension bridges floating in the air and drawbridges opening up their mandibles to the sky in a big yawn as the surreptitious cargo files by, structures that were always tenuous and temporary rites of passage, always complicated works of arrogant engineering - that Bilbao has sustained the fiction of a synthesis of warring elements - a historical linkage between the seemingly irreconcilable worlds of the Villa and its hinterland, of the rural and urban economies, of aristocratic and proletarian lives, of Basque and European interests.

After Deusto there were no bridges: fifteen kilometers of right and left riverbanks from the city to the sea uncompromised by any link with the single exception of the suspension bridge in Portugalete. But times are changing, and the River has been criss-crossed by several new bridges (Rontegi, Euskalduna, Zubizuri). Others are in the planning stage. The secret, as everyone knows, is that the one bridge that will really matter must connect Bilbao with entities that are at once far more virtual (so-called global culture) and far more concrete (Wall Street) than anything achieved so far. The lehendakari’s visit to Wall Street to deliver a $20 million check for the Guggenheim Museum franchise is a statement that leaves few doubts in this regard. Bridging the interior’s tierra llana with the port-centered, open Villa was not a small feat (although this, too, dressed up in nativism and provincialism, still continues to be a source of friction). Now, however, the only measure of success is the bridging of transatlantic distances, New York at one end and Bilbao at the other, facilitating traffic in modern art, museum franchises, and monies for the Basque cultural patrimony. The Romanesque arches of the San Antón bridge, medieval symbol of a proud Bilbao, are now complemented by the postindustrial city establishing herself as the key port and fundamental artistic point de repère (landmark) of the so-called “Atlantic Arch” stretching between Santiago de Compostela and Bordeaux. Welcome to the newly imagined global postmodern space of late capitalism.

But there is a lot of bridging to be done at home as well between the two riverbanks, the two languages, and the two millennia. Issues of violence, nationality, class, gender, and language continue to polarize Bilbao society endemically. She appears perched uneasily between a mythology of the past, which successfully deployed an ethnographic identity of premodern Basque enigmatic uniqueness, and a mythology of the future, which looks to global markets and the delirious glamour of New York for the inspiration of a new post-ethnic identity.

The discourse of urban regeneration works particularly well in fostering a sense of new direction. It embraces economic as well as environmental, cultural, social and symbolic components. Leisure activities and so-called “cultural industries” become most relevant in a regenerating urban center. The distinctions among “art,” “communication,” “culture” and “entertainment” disappear. Urban regeneration by leisure and cultural industries has been attempted with uneven results in various European and American cities. Not only yuppie tourists, the discourse reassures, but also Bilbao’s unemployed, its youth, and its migrant and marginal people will benefit from such cultural industries. The argument is that emblematic architecture is the condition for the economic renewal that will bring back jobs and prestige to the city.

In the beginning was architecture - arché, foundation, architecture. In classical aesthetic theory, architecture is the first art. Salvation by architecture is the cornerstone of the new regenerationist ideology in Bilbao. Due to its dependence on public funds, architecture tends to be used ideologically more than other arts. Bilbao provides perhaps the grandest example of architecture as ideology and spectacle. The ideological use of architecture consists of the uncontested assumption that public power must invest massively in emblematic buildings conceived by star architects, “emblems,” that is, of ideas of progress, culture, class equality, peace.

Bilbao’s ruins authorize discourses of brand new beginnings. Let us build a new city and believe a new mythology. The staggering ruins of the Nervión’s left bank legitimize the presence of architecture’s entire star system in Bilbao. The danger seen by some critics is the imposition of a dazzling architecture that becomes the new authoritarian master. Fallen into the narcissistic trap of citizens turned into voyeurs of their politicians’ grandiose projects, truly cultural objectives or even economic needs may prove secondary to the architectonic vision of the millennial beginning.

This is the time to visit Bilbao. Gehry’s masterpiece is an architectural triumph among the postindustrial ruins of the Nervión. If architecture provides cause for celebration, this is it. It has been likened to a whale, a ship, an artichoke, a mermaid, a waterfall, a flower, a fish, Marilyn Monroe, a chopped-up Chinese paper dragon. It has been hailed by the critics as the building of the late twentieth century.

This is also the time for Basque scholars to realize the potential rewards of turning Bilbao into a privileged topic of research and writing. Ruination and rebirth, the end of times and the beginning of time, historical processes deserving urban and cultural studies. The ruined post-industrial city turned into the postmodern model of an architecturally imprinted city. Urban planning and regeneration, architecture, museum culture, globalization, postindustrialism, migration, international art markets, cultural industries, anthropology, and history are some of the obvious discourses deserving attention. For those interested in experiencing the poetics of ruins (“You are, Nervión…memory always turning into hope”) and studying the politics of building (“and on your firm riverbed / a fleeing flow”), Bilbao, “how beautiful” is her unique appearance.


.... ... .

Wednesday, October 30, 2002

Spain's Fears

Here you have another Press Release by the Celtic League in support of the Basques' right to self determination:

SPAIN FEARS 'FREE STATE' OPTION FOR BASQUES

Spain's meddling in the Basque country has once again come unstuck with an overwhelming two thirds of the countries people indicating support for a plan by Basque premier, Jose Ibarretexe, to hold a referendum calling for a new constitutional status (A Free State) within a year.

The move by Ibarretexe is designed to offer an alternative to the hard-line stance by the Madrid government in the face of increased military actions by ETA.

The leader of the moderate PNV nationalist party is attempting to kick-start a peace process which might encourage more radical nationalists to call a cease-fire and embrace more fully the constitutional role.

Despite opposition from Madrid it seems that an overwhelming body of people in the Basque 'Region' favour the referendum and believe Madrid should abide by its outcome. Even the radical political party, Batasuna, whose members are currently being persecuted by the Spanish government and which faces a ban supports the referendum road.

The Celtic League has repeatedly called on Spain and the EU to allow the Basque people to decide their own future and this referendum could initiate that process. However, we are deeply sceptical that the Spanish government will respect the democratic wish of the Basque people and the coming months will probably see provocative actions by Spain in an attempt to derail the new consensus for peace.

Bernard Moffatt
Secretary General
Celtic League
29/10/02

The Celtic League has branches in the six Celtic Countries. It works to promote cooperation between these countries and campaigns on a broad range of political, cultural and environmental matters. It focuses on human rights abuse and civil liberty issues and also monitors the impact of military activity.


The Spaniards are fearful to let go of their genocidal and colonialist past. They are afraid the international community will finally figure out that Spain is today a totalitarian state just like in Francisco Franco's times.

.... ... .

Tuesday, October 29, 2002

Basques Support Referendum

Here you have an update from The Guardian regarding Ibarretxe's proposal:

Basques back poll on free state

Giles Tremlett in Madrid

Monday October 28, 2002
The Guardian

The Spanish prime minister, Jose Maria Aznar, has suffered a blow to his attempt to prevent the Basque country voting on whether it should become "a freely associated state" by an opinion poll finding that two-thirds of the region's people support the planned referendum.

The Basque premier, Juan Jose Ibarretexe, of the Basque Nationalist Party, has said he plans to hold a referendum within a year.

The poll showed that four out of five Basques believe the Madrid government should respect whatever decision is made in the referendum. But a similar number said that they preferred that any new arrangement between the Basque country and Spain should to be agreed by them both.

A significant number were alarmed by Mr Ibarretxe's proposal. Critics have suggested say that his plan will lead to discrimination against people who have moved to the Basque country from other parts of Spain. One in five Basques said Mr Ibarretxe's plan made them "scared".

Support for the plan was not as enthusiastic as Mr Ibarretxe might have liked. Only 43% said they were "excited" by his the proposals, which are seen as a way of ending attempt to end more than 30 years of separatist violence by Eta, which has claimed 800 lives.

Fifty-two percent said that they should be allowed to have joint Spanish and Basque nationality, while 28% percent were opposed to the idea.

Nine out of 10 Basques felt that Eta should call a ceasefire first, if there was to be a referendum. Four fifths of supportingers of the radical separatist Batasuna party, which is in the process of being banned for supporting Eta - agreed that a ceasefire would be necessary.

The poll was criticised by Mr Aznar's People's party, which has accused Mr Ibarretxe of bowing to Eta's demands for independence.


I wonder if Giles will ever mention the thousands of Basques murdered by Spain.

.... ... .

Monday, October 28, 2002

Book About DNA

One of the many lies you often hear about Basque nationalism is that it is a racist movement, Nothing farther from the truth. The modern Basque nationalism is built upon the right of a people to its self determination. A broader description of nation tells us that they are formed by a group of people with similar geographic, cultural, historic, religious and linguistic background. The ethnic composite may play a roll in some places, but not in the Basque Country, let us remember that the Basques call themselves "euskaldunak", the "Euskara speakers"... Euskara being the Basque language.

This is why I present to you this article from the Taipei Times:

Following DNA's footprints makes for a fascinating journey

Racial purity gets little encouragement in a book that sees humanity for all its diversity, as deriving from a primordial Eve

By Bradley Winterton
CONTRIBUTING REPORTER

Sunday, Oct 27, 2002, Page 18

Written history relates exactly how people of European ancestry came to be living in Australia or North America. But how did the Chinese come to be in China, the Indians in India, and the Australian Aborigines in Australia? This fascinating book, by deducing ancient human migration patterns from a study of the DNA of present populations, offers new answers to these old questions.

For over century, ethnographers seeking to understand the histories of different human groups relied on the evidence of old bones and pottery, together with what was shown by language. But for the last 20 years a molecular study of living people has provided a different kind of evidence. Central to such research are what are called "markers" in the Y-chromosomes carried by all males. These are mutations that have occurred at a particular point in time in a single male individual, and are subsequently passed down from father to son. They have been numbered, and a discussion of the significance of the M45, the M175 and so on, all nowadays very extensive, is at the heart of this intriguing book.

It was demonstrated a decade ago by the same means that, astonishing as it may seem, all human beings descend from a single woman, a primordial "Eve," who lived in Africa around 150,000 years ago. Now it is possible to trace the histories of the various human subgroups, and so piece together an understanding of when they migrated from Africa to where their core populations are still found today.

This line of research demonstrates, for instance, that Australia's Aborigines arrived in Australia along a route following the coast of southern Asia 60,000 years ago, long before the present inhabitants of most of Asia got to where they are.

The population of modern Europe, too, can be shown to have arrived, not by a seemingly direct route from Africa via the Middle East, but from Central Asia, and at a comparatively recent date.

The Chinese are shown to have almost certainly arrived in China in two streams, one north of the Himalayas, the other south. Chromosome marker differences can still be detected that separate many inhabitants of northern China from their southern counterparts.

As for the Native American populations, north and south of the equator, it's likely these arrived, crossing from Siberia to Alaska, in two waves. The first penetrated to the south, while the second was content to remain in the north. But neither population is likely to have been in the Americas longer than 15,000 years. And it is quite possible they all descend from a few dozen, or at most one or two hundred, founding individuals.

Many other things are demonstrated by this research. The successful extraction in 1997 of DNA sequences from Neanderthal remains, for instance, proves beyond doubt that this was a separate species from modern man. The claim that Europeans evolved separately, from part-Neanderthal ancestors, is here finally put to rest.

With regard to Europeans, the key marker here is the M137, dated as originating around 30,000 years ago. It is found with exceptional frequency in modern Irish and Basque populations, suggesting the earliest migrants moved, or were later pushed, furthest west.

Nineteenth century studies in language confirm this. Basque, for example, is unrelated to any other European language.

Ideas of "racial purity" get no encouragement from this book. Our common origin is in fact one of its central themes. But such ideas have a long history, and the Nazis were not the only people to embrace them. There was a strong push in 20th century China, for example, both Republican and Communist, to claim a specific Chinese racial identity and history. Rather than descending from African forebears, the Chinese, it was argued, may have evolved on their own direct from Homo Erectus, an earlier hominid whose remains have been found not far from Beijing.

This claim is entirely dismissed by DNA research. The Chinese are no more descended from a regional forebearer than Europeans are descended from a Neanderthal one. We all derive from ancestors who left Africa 10, 20, 40 or 50 thousand years ago.

These minute DNA variations are of outstanding value in the search for mankind's origins, but they have a dark side too. They mean, at least in theory, that DNA-specific biological weapons could be developed, fine-tuned to affect only people of a specific ethnicity. There is some evidence that this terrifying prospect may be only just round the corner.

In one current conflict zone such a weapon would be difficult to perfect, however. The DNA patterns of Arabs and the majority of Israelis are so close that researchers, however fiendish, would be hard pressed to target the other grouping exclusively.

As usual, there are some things to be said on one side and some things on the other. The way many nations see ethnic diversity as an impediment to unity, for example, can be deplored. Villagers are relocated, the language of the majority becomes compulsory in schools, and before long the young from these minorities actually feel embarrassed to admit to their heritage. This is a route on which minority cultures die, and with them all identifiable traces of humanity's diverse origins.

On the other hand, the ethnic mix that is already a feature of urban centers, and that the modern ease of mobility is certain to make more common, rather than being seen as lamentable (as exponents of racial purity would have it) can be viewed as highly desirable. Biological weapons targeted at a specific racial group could only be feasible when the ethnic groupings are separate and distinct. Inter-breeding of ethnicities makes biological weapons aimed at specific groups outdated before they are even a reality.

Such areas of thought, however, are not this book's main preoccupation. Human brotherhood is what it primarily demonstrates. Racial hatred, let alone inter-racial war, is something a contemplation of its contents ought to consign to the garbage collector's wagon.

The book is magnificently illustrated with photographs by Mark Read. What makes his pictures so special is that, rather than being of "tribal" peoples in the way we have become accustomed to in works of ethnography, they are of modern men -- in baseball caps worn back-to-front, broad-brimmed outback hats, or knitted rasta scull-caps. This makes the book's central statements as to who we are and where we came from even more relevant than, to anyone who thinks about it, they are already.

.... ... .