In the interview Amonarriz says that the challenges for the revitalization of the Basque country have already been modified. The former president of Topagunea, when the challenge so far poses it, refers to the congress held 11 years ago and the foundations that have been set in motion. This is what Amonarriz says: “The situation is changing, the challenges have changed, the pandemic has changed our lives, it is increasingly difficult to create partnerships, spaces… our dream was to stabilize the Euskaraldiak Popular Commissions and create Euskera associations. Some have emerged, but individualization processes are large”. Amonarriz highlighted other challenges: “We are seeing that the pandemic has led to the multiplication of audiovisual consumption in Spanish, with new challenges in newcomers. There is also globalization and individualization.” The Congress will try to set out ways to respond to the new challenges, always in relation to the concrete question: “What should we do so that a movement like the Topagune can make a leap in its use?” This is the main objective of Topagunea.

Iciar explains that the challenges posed ten years ago have become obsolete: “We realized that we had to renew the decisions made ten years ago at the previous congress. Then the marked lines of work were from a field of the time, but our playing field has changed.” They have launched the “Skip to one” dynamic for reflection and the implementation of new challenges.

Use as the main challenge

Through the dynamic “Jump Together”, Topagunea wanted to approach the whole of society. He says: “We have also invited people outside the Basque world. We always say that we have to bring Euskera closer to immigrants, to Spanish… well, we have brought them. We have invited them to our dynamics, and there have also made some proposals to join the congress.”

Iciar, like Amonarriz, has put the emphasis on use and confirmed that the challenge is in this area. The concrete proposal will be presented at the congress: “Someone has to make a proposal, and we are going to make it to all societies, all the agents and all the sectors that are in the Basque world and outside it. (...) We will do it through the dynamic ‘Skip to one’, we will not use traditional molds. We have set ourselves a great challenge, but not only to us, but to Basque society, it is the only way forward. That is our analysis.”

Euskaltzaleen Topagunea will hold the congress on November 18 in Arrasate. You can find the proposal there in the following link.