Why Jaialdia in Boise is that important?
By Miren Artiach
Here in Boise, Idaho we have just concluded the celebration of the fifth Jaialdi and are very elated to report that the event was the biggest success of all. There are reasons why an event of this magnitude can only be celebrated every five years. Firstly, the planning for such an undertaking takes more than two years. As most of the workers for the event are volunteers, it takes a certain amount of time to find all of the people who are needed to work to make all of the events run smoothly.
One of the main reasons for staging such a celebration so far from our homeland is to express our extreme pride in our Basque heritage. Many of us are the sons and daughters of Basque immigrants who left their beloved Euskadi in search of a better life. For many of them, there were extreme sacrifices but most of them held on to their uniqueness even as they worked hard to assimilate themselves into the American culture. Perhaps the greatest gift they gave their children and grandchildren was a sense of pride in being Basque. For some of us who were even more fortunate, our parents taught us to speak euskera, one of the most unique languages of the world.
In Idaho and the surrounding western states, Basques have achieved an enviable record for being good citizens. In my opinion, this is because their families have instilled in them a sense of pride in who they are. Here in the American disapora, our uniqueness is respected and, therefore, we feel that it is our duty as Basques to share our culture with all those who live around us.
The concept of Jaialdi was born out of this sense of responsibility to share our pride with the Boise community. Now, our focus is international and we welcome everyone who is Basque or non-Basque to share in the richness of our traditions. The activities of the week feature Basque dance, music, sports, food, and educational seminars. For those who are non-Basque, these are opportunities to know us better and to witness the beauty, strength, and uniqueness of the Basque culture. For those of us who are Basque, this is the time when we reach out to our brothers and sisters in the diaspora to forge new working relationships so that we may continue to support one another in our efforts to preserve what is most dear to us.
If it were not for celebrations such as Jaialdi, many people here might believe the slanted news they read in the American press concerning current events in the Basque country. The press would have us believe that the Basques are malcontents who are trying to achieve their autonomy through means that are violent in nature. The arrests and tortures of innocent Basque victims and other human rights violations are seldom given attention in our media. I would hope that the celebration of Jaialdi might be the birth of new understandings. A knowledge of the political aspect of the culture is essential to completing the picture of who we are. Our struggles to preserve our culture have been endless.
It is my opinion that a culture can thrive under two very different conditions. If there are incessant threats to an identity as there are in Euskadi, the will to survive and preserve is strengthened. Oppression has always made us strong! On the other hand, when you have a country that respects diversity for the most part such as the United States, then you have freedom and respect as the elements that foster the preservation of a unique culture.
After a week of celebrating who we are, our hearts are again full and our souls are satisfied. I would measure the success of our efforts by the events that will come about over the next five years until we celebrate again. I know that the connections that were made during this week will inspire renewed efforts to nurture the preservation of who we are in many communities throughout the world.
For those of you who came to us from Euskadi and other Basque communities of the world, I offer my sincerest thanks for your participation in our events. I hope that you left with one important impression. Although we are far from the homeland of our ancestors, you had the opportunity to see just how precious our Basque heritage is to us.
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