We have done so! It was a very important Korrika! Although it was a year later, it was very important to recover the wave of the Basque Country, to go to the road, as well as to carry out the course of Korrika with almost total normality since November. Asier Amondo, head of the Korrika, has pointed out that during these months many activities have been organised around the world, and that the Korrika campaign has been very intense and has been spectacular in recent days: What has happened on the roads of Euskal Herria between Amurrio and Donostia-San Sebastián has been very strong. It has run; to begin with, that is the main joy of AEK/KORRIKA, that is to say, doing. One of the objectives of KORRIKA has been achieved: awareness in favour of the Basque country, the popular will, the impulse. “We are a people, we are the people of the Basque Country.”
In addition, Korrika has a second objective, which is still very vivid: raising funds to strengthen AEK’s daily work. Throughout the Basque Country, resources for the promotion of adults are insufficient. According to Asier Amondo, steps have been taken in the last 3 years, but we have to go further, and in the meantime, the effort made by AEK (for example, to continue taking steps on the equality parameters that have taken place throughout Euskal Herria, AEKideak has created the reserve fund, with obligatory contributions from the partners) has organised Korrika to receive the economic support of society. It is early to make a concrete assessment, but there are variables that show that the economic objective of Korrika has also been achieved.
To begin with the end of this general end, Korrika sent a message to Basque society: “We are clearer than ever that we will continue to do KORRIKA; this edition has shown us more than ever the support that the Korrika has had: we have seen that it is the most beloved, the one that has been cared for kilometer by kilometer.” Therefore, in addition to continuing to make new and renewed editions, KORRIKA will be offered to the Basque society to continue to increase the wave of the Basque Country. For AEK, and for society, according to AEK, KORRIKA is a tool to show that the people are alive, in the age of individualism, collective, to reflect the strength of the group, to express that the people want to live in Euskera and, above all, as a tool to take more effective steps on the issue of Euskera. As soon as you rest, you get to work. Preparation of Korrika. Thanks have been paid to all those who have participated in this great auzolan.
For her part, Alizia Iribarren, General Coordinator of AEK, has taken the floor during her speech. As he said, beyond the Korrika, the work of AEK follows; today, for example, Euskaltegis are open in many parts of Euskal Herria, as well as many other activities carried out by AEK. At the end of the following day, firstly, AEK wanted to send a message to the public: “The Euskaltegis are very open to work in the Basque Country, to acquire the appropriate capacity, to use it more.” He has also made a special appeal to those who do not know the Basque Country and participate (or continue with admiration) in the Korrika, invited them to go to the Euskaltegis, convinced that it will be exciting for them to participate in the next edition, as they already know the Basque.
Finally, AEK wanted to transfer a direct petition to Basque citizenship to citizens and public administrations. In the context of Korrika, a dynamic has also been launched that will address the need to universalize free knowledge (Hitzekin. All in Basque for free) The key to the initiative is to stress that citizens who want to learn Basque should have the opportunity to do so for free. Bolder decisions will therefore have to be taken by the administrations: “If we live in Basque in Euskal Herria, the key will be to expand the ability to speak in Basque of adults, as well as to be able to receive the service free of charge in Euskaltegis.
Alicia also wanted to thank every day for the presence of the people in the Korrika joining AEK.