It's the time of prizes, of nationals. Not the National Prizes of the Basque Country, unfortunately, but the National Prizes of Spain and France, championships, kings' cups and strange republics, medals, titles, appointments...

At one time, the creators who made their works in Basque did not exist for Spain; they did not reward them because they were invisible to him. At the very most, a Basque citizen opted for a prize in Spanish. In Lapurdi, Baja Navarra and Zuberoa the situation is even worse, as the French have not admitted the Basque country until now and therefore do not take account of production in Euskera. The same was true of those created in Catalan and Galician. One day, the Spaniards realized that Catalans, Galicians and Basques should integrate us in Spain and, as a result, began to reward those who created in the arts pieces of different languages and created in a language other than Spanish. Not very comfortable, but it was a reality that had to be accepted, because we were also Spaniards. It seems that, at last, they began to appreciate the value of minority languages on the Spanish plateau. Or are we facing a mirage?

During these days, nationalist parties from Galicia, Catalonia and Euskal Herria, as well as parties from the Spanish Left, have presented in Congress their proposal in favor of minority languages in the State. The large Spanish parties have rejected most of the blocks of proposals, and Congress has finally asked the government to promote the official language. 45 years after the end of the dictatorship, the establishment of the autonomies, they have come to a request for a declaration in Congress. These days, also in the French State Senate, at the request of a Breton, a declaration in favour of minority languages has been adopted. Two hundred years later, the republic of equality has recognised other languages. When they arrive to do something at that speed, both Spanish and French will find the Basque in the cemetery of languages, full of tears and joy for the crocodiles.

However, mistreatment of our national languages is being maintained. The French Republic has not yet formalized minority languages, has “tolerated” them, but in the administration and in public life we dominate French, and the usual prefect usually forbids or hinders them in the name of equality. In the Spanish monarchy, despite the fact that minority languages are co-operative in their territories, they continue to depend on the decisions of Madrid. The case of Navarre is clear, in the context of Lingua Navarrorum, not all Navarros have the same right in terms of language. Many times we have seen and heard that when a city council, a deputy or... wanted to give an official level to the Basque country in certain jobs, laws or standards, an appeal has been filed, has been brought before the Spanish courts and has been shown against, in this case in the name of the protection of the Spanish and Spanish. I do not believe that Spanish/French politicians should ever give our languages the same official level as Spanish/French, nor should they fail to intervene in all matters relating to our languages. No, at least as long as we live under your domain.

However, at this time the cherry trees are in reward and there we have a lot of Basque creators who come to Madrid to pick up the Spanish prizes. To Paris, who knows! In Lapurdi, Baja Navarra and Zuberoa the Basque Country has no status whatsoever. However, like many of the former Basques throughout history, they are also now going to bring the prizes, medals and halagos of strangers that others subjugate us, while Spaniards and French continue to tread our people and our language by law, by force or by intrigue.

Some Euskaldunes, at least, cannot forget the marginalization suffered and suffered by the Basque people over the centuries, nor the closure by force of the media in Euskera. We must not forget the shameful whistle of those Spanish encolerized who moved in the world of culture to Fermin Muguruza in Madrid, when he denounced the closure of Egunkaria. I do not believe that a simple gesture can justify the humiliation and oppression that the Basque Country has received over the centuries, especially because it is a gesture. Someone will see one more step, half of the bottle full of statements heard these days, but I see that it is still empty, because the future of our language still depends on the will of Spaniards and French and the will depends on the wind. When all of us who live in Euskal Herria have the right to decide everything that concerns Euskera, we can say that we have half the full bottle, because the decision to fill the bottle is in our hands, not in the hands of anyone.