|
Nabarralde | Nabarra Papers
The
Basque Language is a Third Word Country
Koldo Izagirre. October 10, 1997
The
song of equality and of free trade is a falacy much more evident
in linguistic relations. The "non-intervention" does not exist.
States, with their cohercive and repressive umbrellas, make
policy, with regard to language, against multinationals of
monolingualism, imposing only one vehicle of relation and
sheltering Spanish and French under an utmost protectionism.
The whole state apparatus has fallen on one unemployed euskaldun
[Basque speaker] of Gasteiz. First, it refused to understand
him and then, deprived him of the social benefits he is entitled
to by law, and finally, agreed to jurisprudence against our
language.
Neoliberalism
makes miracles: it does impoverish the poor.
The states do not recognize the euskaldunes [Basque-speaking
people]. We have developed bilingual education; in BAC the
competence over traffic has been transferred but the driving
test is only given in Spanish. The states offer us the same
policy applied to the Third World. They can't understand modernism
outside the Spanish or the French languages.
Neoliberalism
makes miracles: it believes that colonialism is the science
of perfume.
The efforts made in the Basque Autonomous Community and the
Foral Community of Navarre these last few years favor only
slightly the cultural wishes of this nation. Cheap humour
or elitist art; it seem we have no other alternative. Culture,
however, is based on the participation of the population;
without that, it turns into mere consumption. Publicity cannot
designate quality.
Neoliberalism
makes miracles: it admires ugliness
Not only the Basque-speaking people. A recent study shows
that the majority of the Spanish-speaking population wants
a future in Euskera [Basque language]. We don't like this
present. We can say that in 1996, with regard to culture as
well as linguistic policy, the Basque-speaking community lives
in a Third World. This is not an exageration; we do not pretend
to make underdog publicity.
- In 1995-96, the general budget of the Basque government
increased by 5.6%. But the budget allocated to the Linguistic
Policy decreased by 1.17%.
- In 1995-96, the general budget of the Navarrese government
increased by 5%. But the budged allocated to the Linguistic
Policy decreased by 3.4%.
- If we add to this the rise in the Consumption Price Rate
(IPC), it would show that the budget allocated to the Linguistic
Policy has decreased by 23.3% in the Basque Autonomous Community,
and by 25% in the Foral Community of Navarre.
Neoliberalism
makes miracles: it saves where there is less money.
This is why we are saying that the rights of Euskera are repressed,
as a society self-proclaimed free, expells the immigrants
looking for work: when humanitarian organizations and the
state's NGOs are campaigning and demanding that the 0.7% of
the budget be allocated to the Third World, how much do you
think the Basque Autonomous Community allocates to the Linguistic
Policy? A 0.7% in 1991; a 0.4% in 1996.
The internationalization of culture demands from us to be
competitive.
Cultural poverty must be eradicated.
Linguistic inequality must be corrected.
We think that government intervention is essential to a development
policy. At the present time the political mechanism of normalization
is based, to a great extent, in investment.
For our language to be able to circulate freely.
For the products of our culture to enrich the world.
Note:
Translation into English from the orginal text
in Euskera (Basque language) published in the Basque daily
Egin on October 10, 1997. The text in Euskera was read by
Koldo Izagirre in front of the Guggenheim-Bilbao museum on
October 5, 1997 during a demonstration organized by the pro-Euskera
grassroots group Euskal Kulturaren Batzarra (EKB, Congress
for Basque Culture) under the slogan "Eman euskarari berea"
(Justice for the Basque language).
|
