A demanding winter night, more hungry than desired and unable to sleep, as fear was the main one. An ancestral memory, which has been years and many, but they are always kept, because they are forever. Many events lived on the mountain, not all quiet and fortunate, brings many experiences to my head. Of course, I'm not going to do anecdotes, but I'm going to clear up my friend's anger.

My friend, like so many other Basques, was very dissatisfied with the very poor attitude of the “superiors” with the language, but he knew perfectly well that the true authority is in the hands of the citizens. I will not forget, in any case, what I heard from your strong voice: “We don’t realize it, but the Basque identity that Euskera brings is our most demanding and effective weapon.”

As my friend said, it does not seem doubtful that the name of the Basque Country is linked to the Basque Country, and that in principle the language marked the surface of the Basque Country. Being the language of the local people, borders were impossible to be fixed, so they depended on the speakers.

Because of territoriality, it is true that what is revealed is the political level, but nevertheless I would like to add a much deeper social level. The first one looks more, but the other one I think is deeper.

The territorial strategic objective of nationalism is a broader requirement than that required at political level, something that Basque society has clearly demonstrated over time. The formation of the State is the political objective of nationalism, and against this pretension a violent attack of both states, full of pride, can occur, as in recent months. Because it's not democracy, it's something else, they're settlers.

Over the years, we've learned that the process is being harder than many people expected. From the outside, from the two States, the fact that they had suffered attacks that they could guess is not enough, and from the inside they are having many profound discrepancies.

If we were to seek a link with so many discrepancies, I would cite the desire of Basque nationalism and the call for the right to self-determination.

From a territorial point of view, I would say that these statements are accepted by all nationalists, and if not, a new definition of Basque nationalism would be necessary.

Intermediate steps cannot therefore do without the intentionality of the territorial strategic objective. Thus, the territoriality of autonomy frameworks may imply the risk of forgetting a true “general” framework. Knowing that is the objective of the State.

This is the case. When the State offers a certain degree of autonomy, trying to calm down what the Basque organization demands, or if “another group” of this group made a smaller territorial demand, such as that of the Basque Nationalist Party with Navarre.

Therefore, when the objectives of both levels are not combined, a link must be built between them in order to achieve the necessary public support. This is not the case today, but it will have to be so, although some do not see it “well”.

I should like to point out to those who are so pessimistic and arrogant, as in all nationalisms, that there are many roads that are used to maintain that objective. The Basque, the old institutions, history, landscape, customs or sports all act as elements of connection and contribute to create and strengthen the feeling of unity.

As for the identity that the Basque Country brings, recovering my friend's phrase, I want to clarify that analyzing the situation of the Basque Country is written a lot, and it is possible that the majority is positive. But, in my opinion, when we rely on heart and love to recover what is lost by the Basque, we are mistakenly wrong.

To cope with this situation it is not enough for the people to adhere to their old national language, as optimistic and joyful announcements are not enough. I do not believe that the people go “gluing”, because they only have their own original language, to take possession of that language. I don't believe.

The reasons for mobilizing Basques, including non-speakers, all of us who are part of the Basque Country, cannot be the antiquity or beauty of the language. People have to “see” what Euskera has for. See and understand how and why the votes of many Basques are used to attack the Basque.

No one can deny that, by representing language to a people, it enters a process of strangeness and that the people who form the linguistic community, by changing their fundamental element, change their membership. Because through language it becomes part of another people.

My friend was right, today, as before, the investments coming from Madrid “challenge” the rigor in favor of our language. The harsh truth.

There is the new face of colonization.

Josu Iraeta, writer