The documentary Emak bakia directed by Oskar Alegria, is enjoying a successful international tour. The most recent showings took place in California: first, as part of the San Francisco International Film Festival; and later at the Basque Cultural Center sponsored by the local Basque Educational Organization. The documentary tells the story of the search for a mysterious house in Lapurdi and the director was thrilled by so many Basques from Iparralde attending the BCC showing.

The University of California-Santa Barbara (UCSB) held a Symposium on Iberian Studies last week that dedicated a section to Basque topics. The event was attended by Mari Jose Olaziregi from the Etxepare Basque Institute that gave a talk on the situation of Iberian Studies. Accompanying her were experts Unai Nafarrate and Diana Palenzuela (Basque language and culture lecturer at UCSB) who gave talks on Basque radio and the bilingual education in Euskadi.

The truth is that we generally don’t notify friends and readers that win our sweepstakes, organized by EuskalKultura.com, we usually just send the prize to your home. In the following article we include the last two winners of the camera, Maitena Etcheverry from La Plata, Argentina, and the weekend at a Agro-tourism in Euskadi, that went to Beatriz de Elguezabal from Caracas, Venezuela.

The Basque Government’s Director of the Basque Communities in the Diaspora, Asier Vallejo, participated last week in the Global Diaspora Forum in Dublin, in the European section as part of an international initiative supported by the United States. At the gathering, Vallejo participated in meetings where the experiences of countries like Ireland and Scotland, who work with their US Diasporas to obtain investments and projects for their homelands, were studied. Following his interview with Deia.

In 2009, a group formed mostly of members of Centro Navarro of the South in Mar del Plata, decided to form a dance group, “Sexta Merindad.” The decision was made as a response to requests that had been addressed to the board of directions, among which, and according to members of the new club, not allowing some youth to enter the clubhouse. Since then, each group took different paths, even though the “Navarrese Center of the South” was soon truncated: in 2009 their headquarters were sold. Due to this situation, members of “Sexta Merindad” decided to reestablish the Centro Navarro in Mar del Plata in order to continue to be able to continue spreading the culture of their ancestors in the area. They continue to do so and invite everyone to participate in San Fermin again this year. The event is scheduled for July 7th on the beach.