DIASPORAREN EGUNA DAY OF THE BASQUE

Lehendakariaren hitzaldia – Discurso del Lehendakari – The Lehendakari’s Speech 2020-09-8 Ormaiztegi 8-09-2020 Public authorities and representatives, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon.

Today, for the third time, we celebrate the Day of the Basque Diaspora, this year in Ormaiztegi.

Firstly, we would like to thank the Mayor of Ormaiztegi and the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa.

The Zumalakarregi Museum masterfully combines the history of our people in a small space. Inevitably, the exhibition is also a testament to the parity with the reality we live in today.

The theme of the exhibition is migration: both those who went abroad and those who came.

It is a universal history of migration that we all know well.

Today, September 8, is the Day of the Basque Diaspora: a day to lay claim, make known, and give value to this great asset that we as a Country have.

We are a People that is present throughout the world thanks to a Basque community that is committed and active.

This Day of the Basque Diaspora has a two-fold aim:

–to simultaneously activate the great human potential we have all over the world through our Euskal Etxeak or Basque Centers; and

–to make this reality that we enjoy abroad known to the Basque citizenry and to show the value it represents for Euskadi.

The Basque People have their own place in the world, and this world is also a part of our reality in the Basque Country.

We have been and will continue to be a migrant people, we might say that it comes in our DNA.

Throughout history, there have been many reasons for leaving our Country: wars, economic crises or poverty; as well as adventurousness or a passion for discovering the world.

Now, in the age of globalization, or, in other words, “since the world got smaller,” getting training or finding work are the main reasons for going abroad.

At the same time, today we welcome people from all over the world in our cities and towns.

An indicator of this is Ormaiztegi itself: in this town, people from 25 different countries make their homes.

______Translated by John R. Bopp 1

There are no outsiders here. Here, and as evidenced by the Museum’s initiatives, a commitment to the inclusion of new citizens prevails.

The museum's exhibition covers the 1843 voyage of the Leopoldina Rosa.

This ship set sail from Bayonne for with 240 men aboard.

But as soon as she left, she made a stop in Pasaia and took on another 62 passengers, taking on that “extra load”.

The ship was unlucky and sank before reaching Montevideo.

A total of only 72 people survived that horrific trip.

Even today we only know of such unfortunate events; Thanks to this exhibition we will better understand them.

History offers us great lessons that we must not forget, that we must take into account. The lengthy history of Basque migration, the history of our People, must serve for us to understand to moves made in our times. Different Peoples are knocking at the door of our house and we must take them in; just as we have been taken in by other Countries before.

I mentioned Uruguay, and that brings to mind the memory of José María Iparragirre, whom we honor. His song “Gazte, gaztetatikan herritik kanpora” (Far from home from a very young age) illustrates the feeling of living far from one’s own home, the nostalgia, the connection to the place one was born, the experience of migrating, the commitment to a language and a culture abroad…

This year, we celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Iparragirre, a person who deserves to be remembered and honored.

Last Saturday, I swore the oath of the President at the Meeting House in Gernika, under our sacred oak tree. My commitment is to continue working for this People, for all the Basques in the Basque Country and the world.

The hard times we are living through because of the coronavirus pandemic have brought us closer, because we are all suffering the same reality in every corner of the world.

We share the challenge of adapting and fitting in the Government’s actions with the new migratory realities we face. We also support and foster the network of Euskal Etxeak to continue spreading the “fruit” Iparragirre was referring to.

Go forth and spread the fruit in the world.

Finally, my greetings to all the Basques in the world.

Five days ago, I was appointed Lehendakari, or President, of the Basque Country for the next four years.

From the Basque Government and the Basque Country, we will continue to help all those who live abroad, join with you, and weave and strengthen the worldwide network of Basques.

We have the tools and we have learned the way.

Now it is up to us to continue down that path.

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We will move forward even in these difficult times.

We thank those who opened the door for us to act and, on the same token, we open the door to those who call out to us.

On this Day of the Basque Diaspora, we greet all the Basques abroad and "go forth and spread" our heartfelt gratitude; we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Thank you Ormaiztegi and congratulations to everyone on this Day of the Diaspora!

______Translated by John R. Bopp 3