euskalkultura.eus

A group of Basques living in the southwest of the United Kingdom (mainly Bristol and Bath, but also Cardiff, Exeter…) have created the Bristol Basque Cultural Society that will be officially presented tomorrow.  The event is open to anyone who would like to become part of the group.  The Basque club is mainly comprised of young Basques who have immigrated to England to work.  Its goal is to acquaint those in the area with the Basque culture and help Basques who come to the country. 

Bristol, England.   The Bristol Basque Cultural Society will be officially presented on Saturday with an open meeting for anyone who wishes to get involved.  The event will begin with a meal, followed by dancing, games and surprised, according to the organization.  The event will also take advantage of the gathering to elect a board of directors.  The club will also launch a contest to create its logo that will be open to Basques all over the world (more information here).

According to Basque club sources, one of its goals “is to be the showcase of Basque culture for people in the area. Anyone who wishes to learn more about the Basque culture is invited to come to the meeting that like any other Basque club, won’t lack good food.”

All in the Southwest

The club starting organizing a year ago when some Basques in the area started getting together via Facebook.  Enjoying themselves and organizes things did the rest, and little by little more people became involved.  Currently, besides Basques in Bristol, there are also Basques from Bath, Cardiff, Exeter, Plymouth and other places in the area.

Members of the group are primarily young Basques who immigrated to the UK for work.  Some have come temporarily and some have been there for more than 16 years.

Children of the War

The city of Bristol already has a historic relationship with the Basque Country as it welcomed 49 children from the war who were evacuated during the Civil War.  In fact, the grandparents of one person in the group was one of these children, even though they eventually returned to the Basque Country.

The new Basque club also has a good relationship with the “Basque Children of 37” group and some of its members have participated in some of its activities.  The Basque club is working to participate in the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the arrival of these children of war.

Basque weekend

The idea of the new club is to continue to organize smaller activities over the coming months, and once a dynamic is created, to begin preparing more ambitious ones.  For starters, they will organized one activity a month: Santa Ageda, Donostiako Estropadak, Sagardotegi, Mus Tournament....  In addition to this, they would also like to organize one Basque weekend a year, with music, film, and literature, for Basques and non-Basques alike.  “A kind of Eisteddfod like the Welsh do but much smaller,” they added.

Ongi etorri Bristoleko Euskal Etxea!

Bristoleko Euskal Etxea on Facebook.