This weekend book and album fair in Basque in Lazkao, Ataun y Segura
- All people who come to these fairs will have a 15% discount on the books and records they buy. The municipalities of these three municipalities assume this citizen discount. The good atmosphere will be assured in these three villages, which have organized cultural activities, book presentations and street animations.
In Segura and Ataun there are no bookstores, so this fair is the citizens' annual choice to buy books and records in it. Lazkao has the Gerriko bookstore from which the books and records in Basque are supplied that will be displayed at the tables of the three fairs.
This is the 35th fair to be organised in Lazkao. Friday will be open from 16:30 to 20:00 hours. Saturday from 10:00 to 14:00 and Sunday from 11:00 to 14:00. The Lazkao fair will be closed with a local band Christmas concert.
The Segura fair will be held in the Botikaxahar room. On Friday there will be the opening of the fair and the performance of the local choir. Saturday will be open from 11:00 to 14:30 and from 17:00 to 20:30. On Sunday there will be a purchase option on the market from 11:00 to 14:00.
The fair of Ataun will be held at the Herri Antzokia, in the San Martin district. Friday will open the fair from 18:00 to 20:00. On Saturday and Sunday the fair will remain open from 10:00 to 14:00. On Saturday at 12:00 Suárez Castle will present the book of Alaska poetry. On Sunday at noon Miriam Luki will present the book Argialdiak.
Joxepa Madariaga, partner of the cultural association Gerriko of Lazkao, has answered our questions the working day before the fair:
For the first time in the fair there will be no books in Spanish. How have you taken that step?
So far there are few books we have put for sale in Spanish, dedicated to cooking and mountain. We have taken the step thanks to the Network of Squares Entirely Euskera Doinuele, which we raised in the town as the base of Doinuel, and decided that we also had to take it off: Why do we have to prioritize the Spanish-language book that comes out of a cook and not a citizen who takes out a Spanish-language novel? We saw that we had to take out of the fair all the books in Spanish. The bookstore is in the same place and whoever wants it can buy it in Spanish, but without the 15% discount from the fair.
What are the particularities of this year?
We've made a lot of presentations, mostly aimed at young people and adults. We have used different presentation formats: The work done in the belt library has been short and familiar, with the aim of awakening interest in reading. The people who have presented themselves in the municipal library and in the gastronomic society Gerriko have been those aimed at young people, during school hours, who have listened to the teachers. Finally, from Friday to Sunday, book presentations will be made at the fairgrounds, in the pediment, with a public address.
As every year, all the presentations are by authors of the environment: that of Aitor Arana, that of Ordizia, Patxi Zubizarreta, that of Beasain, Xabier Mendiguren, that of Lazkaotarra Laida Ruiz, that of Beasain Irati Goikoetxea, that of Amaia Telleria.
I would like to highlight Laida Ruiz, illustrator and we want to give her place to the illustrations in the feria.Creo that are generally gaining importance, so far the illustrators remained in the shadow of the writers, and are occupying their place.
Local agents are also involved...
The ikastola organizes the Second Hand Toy Market that will also be on the fronton selling toys. They allocate their money to Rwanda.
High school students put a pintxos and hot chocolate stand at the fair to get money for the learning journey.
On Saturday and Sunday, the Dinagu collective and the Biziola cooperative have organized a trade fair for creative and productive women in Lazkao.
