argia.eus
INPRIMATU
1,200 people gathered and 1,100 books and records were sold at the Ziburu Fair
  • On 3 June it was held on 4 Ziburu. The Basque Book and Record Fair and the organisers – Baltsan Elkartea and ARGIA – have made an overall assessment. The fair has been growing at its pace, step by step, confirming year by year the potential and capacity demonstrated in that beginning of 2019.
ARGIA @argia 2023ko ekainaren 20a
Argazkia: Dani Blanco / ARGIA CC BY-SA

According to the organizers, the success of this year shows that the Fair of Ziburu has stabilized as the main event of culture and creation in Euskera and has become an essential date on the agenda of the Euskaltzales of the entire Basque Country. The assessment of each section is given in the following lines:

In the first edition, the tent housed the market with 150 m2, three times more (450 m2). Each edition has been enriched with four other spaces: presentation, music, children and exhibition. It is clear from the beginning that the organizers have to be in the village square, so this year’s organization and configuration have given it a measure for a bulge. The plaza and its surroundings have been fully exploited and cannot be further expanded, because the goal is that everyone, visitors, professionals, creators, live a pleasant, close and enjoyable day.

We started with 16 publishers and this year 36 have met in the Plaza de Ziburu, 90 novelties at the counters and more than 25 writers, comic writers or musicians: Basque literature and music are an annual event for professionals and creators of the current sector. 700 visitors in 2021, a thousand last year and 1200 this year. 1014 books have been sold this year (726 last year): here too there is progress and numbers have stabilized, although fewer records have been sold, 84 this year, 118 last year. Going into detail, the characteristics of the books sold were as follows: In 1,014 books, 61% are adults, 23% of whom are comics, 20% novels, 13% stories and essays, and 9% are poems.

Since its inception, Euskal Kultur Erakundea and Euskal Irratia have joined Ziburuko Herria, Bertsularien Lagunak and Euskal Hiri Elkargoa. It should also be noted that since the beginning we have given the Fair of Ziburu the character of Euskal Herria, among other things because the organizers are working beyond the borders: this year a step has been taken this way through the creation of the Doinuele network, an association that brings together squares entirely in Basque from all over the Basque Country.

This year the program has been more complete: round table, book presentations, spectacular for the little ones, sketches and humor, as well as short concerts, because the fair intends to be a window to creation in Basque. The dimensions of the plaza, like those of the day, limit and the same day no more events fit. Therefore, in the month of May, as in the previous tasting, two successful quotes were organized: The Ahairera act of words and the Invisible. The presentation of Miren Azkarate’s book can give the trend of the following years.

The young people have not been forgotten: during the previous weeks there were two interventions at the Piarres Larzabal School of Ziburu (presentation of the comic book magazine Xabiroi entirely in Basque and from the fair itself) and on the same day there were exhibitions at the entrance of the Casa Consistorial created by students of the school and the Etxepare lyceum. It's also a line for working in later years.

Plaza de Ziburu was fully covered in Basque

All day, from morning to morning, only words and melodies, words and soles, languages and sounds have been heard in Basque. Many have thanked and congratulated us for feeling at least one day in the Basque people, boasted of living, enjoying, not being forced to translate what they spoke and why they did so in Euskera, without the need to argue or defend.

We have filled the square of Ziburu entirely in Basque for a whole day and in it we have breathed with tranquility, normality and naturalness: commenting, asking with writers and creators, sharing, discussing with friends, finding acquaintances, showing interest, ridiculing and thrilling in different acts.

We thank all the writers, comiceros, musicians, artists, editors and workers, participants, sponsors and collaborators who have made this possible and started the 5th edition on 1 June 2024. We will refill the plaza only in Basque and it will be a good day to take the place in Basque.