Apantallamiento Euskaraz has organized a week from 11 to 18 November with the objective of consuming and creating audiovisual content in Basque. The initiative will be developed in the Euskaraldia portal, “taking advantage of synergies with this type of initiatives in the Basque Country”, explains the group. You can register to participate in the web of Apantallamiento Euskaraz.

Data on the situation in the Basque Country have given rise to concerns in recent times: According to the measurements of the use of the Cluster of Sociolinguistics street in 2021, in Euskal Herria one in eight people does it in Euskera, 1.1 points lower than in 2006. Apps Euskaraz believes that what we consume on screens directly influences language habits. Therefore, they consider that a week of Shielding may lead to a change in the trend towards audiovisual consumption: “Televisions, cinema, streaming platforms, Youtube, video games… To consume the channels in Basque, the resources, the works of the Basque creators and the international content translated,” the association hopes, as Berria has gathered.

Now that the resources seem more than ever, another objective of the Shielding is to be aware of the difficulties in receiving contents in Basque, and thus to make it clear that the institutions need more and more effective measures. Organizers have asked participants to use the hashtag #SCREENLAZO on networks to expose their experiences and get to know them. It is also proposed to put the project logo on the profiles of social networks. Five people have made a special commitment, one from each territory of Hego Euskal Herria and another from Ipar Euskal Herria, who will actively share their experience in local media and networks, as Berria has gathered.

New activities will also be carried out around the dynamic, such as a protest on 13 November to denounce the “discrimination” suffered by Basques in cinemas. The initiative will also be supported by other Euskalgintza groups: The Council of the Basque Country, Euskaltzaleen Topagunea, Uema, Euskal Herrian Euskaraz, Gazte Euskaltzaleen Sarea, Euskal Encodings and Game Erauntsia.

According to a recent study by the Commonwealth of Basque Municipalities (UEMA), the presence of audiovisual content in Basque in the Basque Country is very scarce, both among young people and among children.

On the other hand, the Apps Euskaraz platform has remembered that it is almost two weeks since Twitter closed the account and that it has known that it is a “final decision”. Against censorship and in favour of freedom of expression, the group is now collecting signatures.