Despite being a small city, Pamplona brings together people from different realities and backgrounds. In the same Old Part we see traces of lived gaztetxes, people who live in the street, popular movements posters, tourist floors, bars, some first rays of gentrification… Few streets separate the plaza from the bars with the largest terraces: Plaza del Castillo. It was full of trees long ago and they were demolished for the construction of a parking lot. Today, in the eyes of many, Pamplona is nothing more than the cement solar that gives for those who only say that. There is the Café Iruña that saw the writer Ernest Hemingway get drunk and the luxurious La Perla hotel where he stayed. Right there, wall to wall, right under the porch, almost invisible until recently, Laba. Since he got the terrace, however, he made his hole in the Basque Country. There we met to talk about the trajectory of the project and the course that comes.

Perhaps because it is the first week of September, or time is also loose, but in a gloomy atmosphere we can say that we are already at the end of the summer. With a few drops threatening, we arrived, even drops, the four people we have mentioned. Laban, someone reads in the heat of the infusion, another visits the press. Two acquaintances meet and decide what to do. We've met with the interview excuse, but we can also have other regular users. Click grabar.El local void

of a neighbor
is delayed to Pandemic times. The world returned to those years as an earthquake. During the months of seclusion, when we started to make crazy, we remained hidden behind the kisses, unable to distinguish our face. Friendships, families, coworkers, felt far away in those days, in just a meter and a half. They were certainly also black months for cultural activity. The pandemic was an earthquake. But in the midst of all that seemed like chaos, a spark ignited between the tectonic plates. It was then that the fire of Laba that we know today began to ignite, a meeting point for the Basques of Pamplona and a commitment to culture. In times of distancing, it begins to be built collectively. Respiratory in the City Lounge jefa.Un neighbor

of Pamplona had an empty place in the plaza, which had been betting house for a long time. The neighbour, Euskaltzale, was willing to give up a space so that an Euskera project could be carried out voluntarily in autumn 2020. Soon, some cultural agents began to articulate a process. We all know each other here, and the levels of invitation to meetings and word of mouth made their magic. Unai Rodríguez came to those meetings "with the guilt" and "the deceit" of a friend who has refused to leave. At first, he said they were going to be about 30-40 people, all of them on a personal level. According to Rodríguez, in this type of project there is usually a specific direction, but the case of Laba was different: "You usually have an idea and then you have to think about where and how to carry it out. In our case it was quite the opposite: we had space, but I had no idea what to do with it." Thus, they began to meet between the Center of Contemporary Art of Huarte and the Biltoki association of the Txantrea, with the objective of shaping the constructive process called Arkupetik.Un team was

in charge of the design of the headquarters. Other members addressed a more bureaucratic party to define the legal personality of the association. The main condition, however, was clear from the beginning: an offer would be made in favor of the Basque Country and the Basque Country, with the aim of opening a new space to the language. Shop, cafeteria, cultural center, creative space, coffee theater. All these ideas were put forward. As they moved forward, they left the store at first. Although I drew attention to coffee, thinking about neighbors, it was not the most appropriate. In the end, there was something among everyone, and it is even open to proposals. "Here you can do anything in Basque," said pension employee Ane Zelaia. In the papers, however, the area has a cafeteria license, which limits the limitations that directly affect Laba’s activity: they cannot sell alcohol, for example, and this significantly reduces customers. As customers, also ingresos.El site name comes from

the undefined nature: Wash. "We didn't know what we were creating, the project itself was a laboratory," explained Rodríguez, who explained yes. Lab is used in English and abbreviations, so it was thought that it could be the representation of a place to experiment. It also played, and we love the word games in Euskal Herria, to play with the lava coming out of the volcanoes. Lava is somewhat flexible, it moves, it's alive, it's red alive. It gives a new extension to the

volcá n.En the streets
of the Casco Viejo lasted for a year the reflection and formation phase, until 9 October 2021 the Seism was celebrated. On that day they traveled the streets of the city center in a festive atmosphere, explained the members that it was a kind of celebration of the work until then and they did it as a showcase and presentation of the project they had in their hands. Among the Euskaltzales of Iruñea there was a great expectation, a project that was being carried out in the plaza del Castillo. For them they organized free tours, when the venue was not yet ready. In the months following the earthquake, the preparation of the space began to grow. In early 2022, at last, the meeting point was presented for the Euskaldunes who had been preparing with such mime. From this same thread, the emphasis on Euskera will be highlighted. From Euskera, in Euskera, to Euskera, and many other case brands. Unfortunately, to date, continuing to make this claim is a form of survival. For the members of the project, it is symbolic that they reach the vicinity of the monolinguans and act from the center, in its broadest sense. Laba alters the linguistic landscape a little and gives visibility to the citizens and visitors who do not even know another Pamplona.En this short but fruitful journey,

Laba has become, at least, a place of reference in culture and Euskera. It's no small thing. In such cases, it is normal for some of the first members to go. They've considered it as a natural process. Rodriguez explains that at the beginning of the project there were people with a very wide age range, but that it has been changing: "Today, we are still a plural group, but it has become younger," he added. According to Rodríguez, this has been the case because the more adult people wanted to give a push to the project and when the direction was more defined, leadership has been left to young people. It wasn't all the casualties. Ibone Labiano and Ane Zelaia are the two people who later arrived on the Laba train to get the ticket.

Zelaia considers herself a newcomer. He's one of the hotel owners in Laba for a few months. It has previously been out, but, of course, it has followed the project despite the distance. He has also acknowledged that, as he approached Pamplona with his friends, they have always had the habit of visiting certain areas of the Old Party, including Laba itself. Now, inevitably, he said that he comes almost every day between risas.Por

his part, Labiano has reported that he had news of Laba through the media in the Basque Country. He came to know the place with his sister shortly after the opening. As he explained, on the same day both became affiliated, in love with the proposal, and because of their militancy in favor of the Basque country. Labiano has highlighted the "tremendous" transformation of a betting house into a beautiful warehouse. From last year he also participates in the programming team, "deceived" by another friend.

There are many ways to be a member of Laba, or Labazkide. All of them voluntarily. They have therefore explained that this is a work that is divided into layers. In the middle of it is the stateroom, like those who keep the magma on the volcanoes. Those of the House carry out mainly internal work: coordination, grant management, future projects… They also carried the accounts of the first bar. From a moment on, the magma goes up the fireplace towards the surface. This is the responsibility of the work teams of the fireplace: being with the media and managing the networks, connecting the program and being with the guests, and the headquarters team keeps the space tidy. There are other partners who are a little further apart from the volcano, but they also have responsibility for the project. In total, more than 170 people make up the community

of
Laba.Una income sources are membership fees. There are also subsidies and what they get out of the bar. "It is not yet a 100% workable project. Sometimes, however, they are not enough with them, and they also admit that they have been in a very precarious economic situation: they have to pay the salaries, the expenses of the premises… They have also emphasized that they strive to dignify the offer made by Lava, in the same place of the Castle, compared to that made by other lodgings. LABIANO explained that, in addition, they strive to make a cultural offer "for everyone", so their actions are free or as cheap as possible. They are also trying to pay artists well for their work. Therefore, if expenditure is put on the balance of revenue, it is not at all balanced.

For those who want to help alleviate this situation, there is the possibility of partnering. "Slice! ", says the refrain. The members of the Association spoke about the importance of the partners: "They help us keep it alive and keep it going," he added. In this case there is no prize. It is not the same as in gastronomic societies, which allow the use of space. Here the contribution is made to Euskalgintza, through Laba, and in return, they have the opportunity to participate in the decisions of the project. Each year they have to contribute EUR 120, but, in the income statement, they re-collect a significant part of the income. "It's not just an economic reason, it's a way of feeling a project, of participating in a different way. Come and make your contribution."

Contrary to the
image it can bring, Laba is not a unique island in the middle of the open sea. There are other associations and agents that are giving color and life to Pamplona. They have recognized the collaboration between them and the alliances they maintain with others. To clarify doubts about their legal personality, they went to the Geltoki market, cultural centre and friendly and ecological bar. They share initiatives with the Zaldi association, which are in addition to the program of the resident association Aldezar, such as San Fermín Txiki. They have a close relationship with the Basque Country AEK and IKA. Moreover, if you ever come to Labara in the morning you will see the students and teachers at rest, in Basque, or at least in exertion. Now that the course has begun, they are already receiving proposals from here and there.

Google believes that a Korean learned about the Basque. Many mention excellent breakfasts and for the good atmosphere give five stars to the area. But there are opinions of all kinds, even bad, especially for a service that was not expected: that it is closed at noon, that there were no terraces – now yes – that speak in Basque… The daily bread, says Zelaia: "There are two types of customers: Those who know the lava and enter because it is another place in the Plaza del Castillo". He explained that tourists are surprised, but that there are also people from Pamplona, who read posters in Basque and go, and that there is a lot of talk. The first words always do them in Basque. Then, if you see it's not possible, go to Castilian. Anyone who wants to understand and make himself understood has his place here. Zelaia added that it is up to them to do a lot of pedagogy. And that is, although it's a form of accommodation, they constantly explain to them that it goes much further. "People are very interested." They have also warned that the lack of alcohol service at Donostia Hospital makes many other people rechazadas.Con the City Council's

intention not to leave the
terrace upstairs and Terrace downstairs. This is one of the most famous demands since the opening of space, and they achieved it more than a year ago. During the pandemic, the hotel owners were able to greatly expand the terraces, and being only in the process of being created between Laba, they gave the bar next door the square meters that corresponded to the local. When the project was already underway, they tried to recover the part of the plazoleta that corresponded to Laba, but the City Council did not give them permission. First they were under the direction of Enrique Maya (UPN) and after Cristina Ibarrola (UPN). The association then appealed to the courts, they were right to do so and they were granted permission. However, the City Council did not formalise the authorisation. Finally, the Government of Navarre issued the executive order and, over the month of May last year, managed to put its tables and chairs. Without terraces, the side bar left Laba completely hidden with its canopy and its structures. "We did not have any spectacularity, did not leave any possibility for those who did not know Laba," Rodríguez regretted on the issue of entrevista.La visibility is directly related to the capture at the same time of potential customers and, therefore, in part, to the

economic situation of the project. Laboa's people say it's been a long process, and they've recognized that they've been "very tired" of it. Ibarrola was mayor in the short space of time, in addition, the prohibitions to take forward the program that has been prepared in Sanfermines and San Fermin Txiki no ayudaron.Por above the obstacles, presentations of books and records, all kinds of cycles,

drag shows, pintxadas, humour festivals… They have had everything in their career. "The small format, yes," he added. And that is that space has its own limits. They know that they have to give up some options for measures and appraisals. They recalled the performances of Anari, Gorka Urbizu and others, as people had to stay out of the room for not being able to attend the show. But Labiano has turned around what the smallness brings: "There's a special feature of Laba and it's very suitable for more intimate events," Basagoiti explained in a ETB interview. Starting the course, the agenda has begun to be filled with dozens of proposals. In the final tranche, the previous cycles shall be as follows: Bert(h) ori, bertso saio amateur; Tribialaba, pases de noche; Oven, monologue tester; Welcome to Pamplona, an initiative to bring young migrants and Pamplona… It will be a story for them to join the VI Comic Festival. On the occasion of the room, the stained glass was decorated and some activity was organized in the area. Whoever wants to, you will have to do, listen, test and

disfrutar.Apenas you see traces of the betting house on the porch. However, the members of Laba have announced that, since their smallness and simplicity, they will continue to influence the Basque people. In addition, they have advanced that they have a big change in their hands for the coming months, which will contribute to consolidating the project in every way. They do not want to give too much detail, because there are still details to fine-tune, but they are convinced that the Ibero people will bring the news with joy.