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The celebration of Euskera Day 2017 organized by the Euskal Erria Basque Club was especially dedicated to commemorate the Bombing of Gernika, on the year of the 80th anniversary of this tragic event.  With historian Xabier Irujo, Director of the Center for Basque Studies in Reno, NV, as special guest an exhibit on the bombing was inaugurated and Irujo gave a series of talks.  In this context, a plaque was also unveiled in Florida.

Montevideo, Uruguay.  The program of activities for Euskera Day began 100 kilometers from the capital.  In Florida, at an event sponsored by the local Basque community, a plaque was placed at the Tree of Gernika plaza to commemorate the 80^th anniversary of the bombing.  The plaque was hung as part of several acts to enhance the site and also included among others, space recovery tasks.  Acting mayor, Guillermo Lopez and the architect Curutchet were present and also Servando Echeverria, representing the local Basque community. The speakers all agreed on the symbolic character of the event in tribute to Basque immigration to Uruguay.

The plaza is linked to the world peace mural “Guernica,” that is located at the city’s exit and was inaugurated in 2015 as part of the “Route of Murals” of the General Direction of Sustainable Development and Tourism.  After the event at the plaza, Xabier Irujo gave a talk entitled “April 26, 1937: the Bombing of Gernika.”

Continuing with the program and after another talk by Xabier Irujo, this time in Montevideo, at the College of Science and Humanities at the University of the Republic, there were three activities on Saturday, December 2.  At noon there was a tribute to the bombing at the Plaza Gernika in the capital city.  In the afternoon the Euskal Erria publishers presented this year’s books including The Road to Defeat by Iñaki Anasagasti: Baba Zula and the White Horse by Sophia Etxebarria: The Basque Culture in Uruguay: Festivities, Music and Dance (1843-1970) by Eneko Sanz, Adriana Patron and Alberto Irigoyen.  The event concluded with dinner hosted at the Euskal Erria Basque Club.

This year marks 80 years since the attack on Gernika.  Before the anniversary year closed, the capital of Uruguay inaugurated an exhibit created by the Museum of Peace in Gernika at the House of Representatives in Uruguay.  The exhibit was made possible thanks to cooperation of the President of the House and the Euskal Erria Basque Club.

The week’s program concluded with professor Irujo giving another talk on December 5, this time about the Armenian Genocide at the CLAEH University.