- Last week, the Bagera Association organised a round table on the Linguistic Policy of the City of Donostia-San Sebastian, in which representatives of the PNV, EH Bildu, Podemos, Popular Party and PSOE-PSE were present. When public Question Time came, I asked Miren Azkarate (PNV), a Basque councillor of the Municipal Government, about the courses that Donostia Kultura organizes every year. On paper, although these courses can be carried out in Basque or Spanish, in practice, most groups in Basque do not form, as the number of registrations is not enough. That's at least the reason I've been given at Donostia Kultura's office in the last three years. Every year I have been sent home with a “study”, every time I have asked them what the Basques can do in the face of this unfortunate situation.
That is what I asked Mrs Azkarate, to see what measures her team was proposing to solve this problem. “We must insist, we must insist,” he said. When I complained that he did not answer the question, he replied: “What do you want me to take you by pulling your ear?” No, look, that's not what we want. What we want is for our linguistic rights to be respected, in practice, and not just in theory!
I do not understand that such a disillusionment really is a disillusionment. Because what is it about a city council proposing a lot of courses and that, for the most part, when they are cancelled, nothing is done? What did this mean? That the Euskaldunes have learned that to be able to take a course they like in Donostia you have to register in the Castilian group (if not, because there is a great chance of staying in the street).
Have you been studying the problem for three years? At least we have not seen any change. Somewhere there is a lack of ideas...
It is not so difficult to support groups in Basque. I said to them, “I don’t want to put them in Basque because I don’t want to put them in Basque because I don’t want to put them in Basque because I don’t want to put them in Basque because I don’t want to put them in Basque because I don’t want to put them in Basque because I don’t want to put them in Basque.” Amazing!
No, look, we do not want the Basques to pull their ears away, we want the Basques to help us, only the Basques to support us.
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