A couple of months ago, I had the following interview with my 4-year-old daughter:

- Aita, Frozen doesn't know Euskera, right?

-Yes, dear. How couldn't I know? It’s a magical fresco and knows all the languages…

"No, father." So why do you sing only in Spanish and English?

After learning that we were talking about this anecdote and that in Catalonia it has been possible to put the Disney+ platform in Catalan, a month ago several parents and Euskaltzales decided to launch a campaign that has had the accession of almost 5,000 people on the website avaaz.org. https://secure.avaaz.org/community_petitions/es/the_walt_disney_company_disney_euskaraz/

The request we made was as follows:

“On March 24, 2020, Disney+ reaches the Spanish State, an online video platform with content produced by Disney itself and its affiliates (Pixar, Marvel, Starwars,…). With this new platform, the spectators who are Vasco-speakers have once again seen our linguistic rights violated, as Disney has chosen that the digital versions of the company’s films, like cinema, have no Basque version.

The Basque Government recently responded to a journalist’s question that when Disney was suggested to release the films that were being premiered here in Euskera, the US multinational showed no interest in it. However, it is not a question of interests, but of rights.

The parents and Euskaltzales that we have launched this campaign believe that just as Basque producers are required to have children’s film premieres in Basque, external companies should also be asked for.

That is why we want to make a double request: on the one hand, we ask Disney to offer its productions in Euskera both in the cinemas of Euskal Herria and on the Disney+ platform, and to stop discriminating against the Basques. On the other hand, the Basque Government, the Government of Navarre and the Basque College should contact Disney to ensure that the rights of Basque children are guaranteed.”

The fact that so many accessions have been gathered in such a short time has shown concern about this issue in Basque society. It should be borne in mind that the way television and film are consumed has experienced a great revolution in recent years, and that digital platforms and social networks have “devoured” the audiovisual market. There are platforms that offer content in Euskera and a few Youtube channels (3txulo – plataforma de ETB3, and the Youtube channels Enekantak and Katxiporreta..), there are also initiatives of dubbing and subtitling in auzolan (EuskalEncodings and azpitituluak.eus, but the reality is that the presence of Euskera in the main audiovisual platforms is more and more widespread.

We feel that this situation is particularly serious in the case of the content aimed at children, since the way in which they live free time directly influences the construction of their linguistic habits. The critical view of the contents of Disney and the values it diffuses is widespread, but its influence and diffusion is undeniable. If in the future we want the children of Euskal Herria to be able to live in Euskera, it is essential that they also have the opportunity to receive in Euskera those contents that are most disseminated worldwide.

We therefore call on all those with competence in this area to take steps in this direction. If there are legal obstacles, changes in the law are put in place to ensure the linguistic rights of our children. If the reasons are economic, the Disney+ platform is requested to offer in Euskera at least all the content that is already translated into popular initiative, free of charge. If the reasons are political, let the political parties use their ability to influence to change the situation.

If Elsa from Frozen does not speak Basque either, most children in the Basque Country will never live in Basque.

*Alex Aginagalde, representing the fathers and mothers of Disney+ Euskaraz