Among others, we hear opinion articles on: Paying for the subscription of Zeruko Argia, the possible Basque of Unamuno, the daily life of the working class, the reasons why the Basque is desired, the corrupt contribution of the afix “here is spoken in Basque”, the sense of teaching in Basque in the Castilian villages, the lack of poetry in ideological debates … Izagirre read the almost public lines of the articles.

Hearing the discussions through articles of opinion that brought a long string in the Glow of Heaven, as a conclusion, the following phrase from Juan San Martín was stuck in our head: “A weekly in Basque has to be more than just a saucepan of calamities”

Izagirre ended his speech by reading the excerpt of an article by Gabriel Aresti (Zeruko Argia, 14-03-1964):

“If we cannot be purely Basque cultural, let us invent a new culture to walk at the forefront of global culture. Let us save what we can and reform that little. With what comes out, we challenge the world. That is how we will be saved.”

Following this passage, Izagirre started the following work: “This new culture was beginning to mature and Aresti also had trouble assimilating it. With difficulty, uncertainty, contradiction, progress and setbacks, the journal Zeruko Argia, which since 1963 was the propagator of the Basque Modeno, drew near: The awareness of the youth of that time enthusiastically sought that Euskal Herria ‘would not stay here’”.

Paragraphs of debate and commentators

Through Izagirre’s speech, we were able to learn about the different sections in which Zeruko Argia influenced the debate and in which the signatures were written.

In 1963, the Ez…baida section was premiered, in which the core of the Basque Country in Eibar wrote a lot: Juan San Martín, Serafín Basauri, Imanol Laspiur… Izagirre also read articles by other authors: Joxe Azurmendi, Jose Maria Etxaburu “Kamiñazpi”, Gurutz Ansola…

At the same time there was also the Esamesak section, initially signed by Arantxa and then by Urreta’tar Miren Arantxa.

In 1964, Idoia Auñamendi wrote the section Idoya’s Daily Life, “I suppose Idoia Estornés,” Izagirre said.

Between 1965-1968 the Light of Heaven had the Gazte Naiz section. In the first six weeks, six articles by Ramón Saizarbitoria were published. In the words of Izagirre: “These six articles marked a line, from the titles themselves: Holidays, Rest / Unbridled youth / Duties / I am not honored…”.

In the Gazte Naiz section you can find the following signatures: many women, Garbiñe, M. K. Uranga, Mari-Beltz, Ane Garin, Mari Karmen Garmendia, Arantxa Gurmendi, Maddi, Miren Olarreaga, Begoña Arrangi, Itziar Bikendi, Alberdi’tar Miren Itziar, Maria Luisa Olaziregi, Ikerne Irixzar…

In 1967, the Gazte Naiz section began the following chapter: Here are the Youngest. That's where Izagirre read the papers of these 18-year-olds. Joxemi Zumalabe, Itziar Bikendi, Antton Santamaría and Rafa Egiguren.

The article by Rafa Egiguren represented a chain of responses from highly prestigious cultural men: Gabriel Aresti wrote it against, and then Carlos Santamaría in defense of the young man.

Below we can read some of the opinion articles that Izagirre discovered in his speech, which are still topical on themes and writing.

A clear problem

Rafa Egiguren - Luz del Cielo, 05/03/1967

I had a discussion with a guy and I found it very interesting to comment on it here. With just one example, you'll understand your thinking.

– For example, Euskera classes should be held in Donosti or Usurbil or..., not in Etxebarri or Barakaldo. The people there are not Basque, but Spanish. His language is Spanish, not Basque. That's why you have to put the ikastolas here, and not there.

I thought about Zelayeta (I owe her a letter) and understood her site. It's really Lan Zalla.

We shall continue the debate.

I told him that he was very wrong; that the ikastolas, in Barakaldo, here were more needed; that here he still speaks Basque, which seems there is about to disappear. In a word: That is the Basque Country.
He replied:
– If you know how to speak in Spanish, why are you going to learn Basque? They are Castilian parasites, what is
the Basque for?The thing is wise, and through documents they have been able to demonstrate that, at the end of the discussions, everyone continues with the idea he had at the beginning. Of course, also in ours.

That is why, like Christ, I presented him a very ugly occasion:
“Well,” I said, “you’re a Marxist, right?” In the world there are, you know, a lot of people and a lot of people stabbed by Marxist. However, you also want to transfer them to your thinking. And you ... So, the Marxists, why don't they let themselves steal in the pants? Keep going like so far... But you say no, I must give you what you have, what you know.

Something similar happens with the Basques. Population: Barakaldo, Etxebarri... is a Basque people, and if the people there are not Euskaldun it is for other very long events (I will not tell you now).

The problem, therefore, lies in what is always Basque or not Basque.

Basque or Spanish Marxist.

From the Spanish people of Bilbao

Gabriel Aresti - Zeruko Argia, 23/04/1967

You, young Egiguren, listen to me. I intend to enter into conversation with you about the dispute you have had with that Marxist friend of yours.

I want to talk about it, not about the discussion, because it is all very well that at the end of the discussions each follows, as a rule, with his ideas in the cedusa. Let's talk, let's take the reasons, let's be formal people, and let's look for the truth. One thing that convinces me is that it is unfair against the derxo to push and force the Castilian children living in the hauzo de San Antonio de Etxebarri to a Basque school. I have brought San Antonio de Etxebarri to the wall, because you mentioned, because you have brought to paper the name of the young priest Anjel Zelaieta, and with that, as is said in the subject of bulls, I have squared the bull.

Apparently, the jente who lives there does not know. They call them "Koreans," they treat them with contempt, they make fun of them. In my factory (it is not mine in a bourgeois sense! ), in my factory there are two workers San Antonio, Orencio and Isaiah. The two were very fine workers, very honest men. The other day Orenzio approached my office. ‘Mr. Aresti, many memories from D. Angel’. They're my friends, I love them, although I often have to get angry with them. Orenzio broke the day before the meat that weighed thirty thousand pesetas. If he had done it on purpose he would have cost the street, but he did it in a carelessness and he departed from a warning so that the next time he did not find out. Another is Isaiah, who was born in Palencia. The other day he broke his leg and is down. Meanwhile, her wife has brought her a daughter. They have not had time for the cruise and the costs have been paid by the factory, as they did not enter it in safe conditions. My master leaves my hands free for these cases.

Don't you understand me, Egiguren? I've always walked among them; now I live in a popular heirloom, here in Basurto. Twenty-eight families live on my portal. There are only three Basque surnames, the former Txorierri transporter, the last Donostia watch, and I... The three married to Castilian ladies.

This is not the Basque people. This is the Spanish people. The other day were among us the great Galician writer Xesus Alonso Montero. He said: “We come to the specialist that Bilbao is a Castilian city, and we can begin to understand the Basque problem.”

One of my Spanish sonetos begins:Besterik ez,
ez chilla.
It is the impoverished people of Uribe; here and there.
Beyond portals you see the villa.
Desarrapada Miravilla,
Neguri Brutecido, Deusto Adormecido,
This is no longer Vasconia; it is already Castile.

Currently, Bilbao, Etxebarri and Barakaldo are erdal municipalities. Here we live some Euskaldunes; for our children we have to ask for the Euskera classes (not the ikastolas buris seen from here), because that will be our freedom. Those who deny us have an easy name. But opening Basque schools to Castilian speakers on this street, and forcing and raping Castilian speaking children, that is fascism.

Sometimes the whistles are heard here, but not so often. Every Saturday and Sunday night, I sleep the sound that I hear from street to street is not from the Txistu, but from the Galician Gaite. I don't know how many Galicians live above the Masustegi stands. One day some Basque boys (I don't know for sure), some Euskotarras lying down, broke the Galician baggy, after giving it a stick. Ten thousand Galicians live in Ermua, and only two thousand Basques.

I love Euskera a lot, I love my homeland a lot, but even more so the dignity of man. I would not get into the ranks of the Galicians who broke the Bagite; I would defend the Galician.

For the same reason, it would open Galician schools for boys and girls in Ermua. For the same reasons, it would not force Barakaldo and Etxebarri's erdaldunes boys and girls to Basque schools.

But to do so, I am forced to deny my race, my lineage, my language, my people and my race. Because I must be more loving for a man in Spanish than for a wild Basque beast.

Gabriel Aresti, friend and great writer

Carlos Santamaría - Zeruko Argia, 1967/04/16

(…) To my friendly colleague: it must always be clear in men. His last writing, entitled “Del pueblo castellano de Bilbao”, addressed to the young Egiguren, did not like it. I think he has introduced a few sophisms in the same series. (Excuse me, my friend, I'm joking.) Ride with all the heads of good writings. I'll just tell you one thing so you let me know my misfortune.

His sonnet in Spanish seems more beautiful to me. His rhythmus, his little torso, is really pollite. This is not your argument.
You say in your sones:
Ez esaten du, only chilla.
It is the town of Uribe impoverished; poop and born.
Beyond portals you see the villa.
Desarrapada Miravilla,
Neguri Brutecido, Deusto Adormecido,
This is no longer Vasconia: it is already Castilla

No man, no. Will Castile be because a country is impoverished, tied, miserable, shipyard, red? Who can you get it from? Excuse me, but I cannot accept his Silojism. On the part of Castile, I protest against these appearances.

I, as a Castilian medium – the one who was my father came from Burgos at a good price, at the age of forty in 1874 – cannot allow him to speak puff.

Look, Brother Gabriel, as you are well aware, the country in which you live is not even Castilla Iñola, but a mostruo that Basque capitalism has created in the Basque Country. It's a terrible disorder, a soulless body, the land you're talking about.

The people who have come from the North have their land slash, they have left it forever, and they have come to look for another land. On Biarko's day, his sons and daughters will feel Basques, much more if the eight names are Euskaldunes. And we who now live in the goodness of Euskalerri, what do we offer them, what can we offer them? A new land, a new place, a new heat.

Who brings me from, friend Aresti, that everyone has taught me the Basque people by force and violence? What has he done?

I'm telling you au. The children of the outsiders will come eunaka, eunaka, to learn Basque on the day the Basque classes of Nai are held.

Men, all men, watch over the love of a land, as if they were insults and appearances. Without land, there's no real life. On the day of the Biarco or the day of the past, the children of ordinary people will ask for the Basque touch to the opposites. If the Basques of origin did not tell you about Ortaz, they will tell you about the ears and the clouds. And a new vasquism will be created in the two.
In my opinion, the young Egiguren was ill.

In the Gañea del Motor (Bilbao Egal stories)

Ángel Zelaieta - Zeruko Argia, 1967/06/11

This afternoon I rented Bilboraño to watch a movie. A warm sun, a soft atmosphere, a nice afternoon… And I drive the bike to Bilbao; on an iron road down, then on the spool, on the gañe motor, to Bilbao, to watch movies.

It has been a nice film; there are not many listeners; and it seemed that the yentent had entered the passage of time. But if I looked at it, there was nothing that I did well Bilbao, there was nothing to do!

Then I went back to the bike, with the gloves, with the helmet and only returned to Bilbao, to the good bonfires, from the bottom up on an iron road.

Inside me was another person and I was looking at the nightclub, saying to myself:

– Do you have any glitches to bring joy to the movies, when the island is sad at work, while the children are a little dirty, in the dirty neighborhoods, they are doing the dirty yoko, when the woman of the neighborhood has cleaned the vessels, while on the facade, in the warm suns, we look at the old clothes…

– Do you have a derviche while you live the “shore” of the Ente i ortik alaiki, in the new t-shirts, to go to the movies…

– Do you have a derviche and a man in a sad neighborhood, with heads and clothes, and a sleek and elegant cinema, to go to the bike on the bike…

The person who comes within me is very burdensome; I was going to ask for wine, even if I got drunk and shut up, but it wasn't.

I was thoughtful, and I fell asleep thinking about making a movie that my loved one has made and that is for him.