‘PLANES ALDETARA’ is a album that gathers bertsos and voices of bertsolaris women from Navarra. Bertsolaris women from Navarra’. The project, promoted by the Asociación Navarra de Bertsozale Elkartea, has two main objectives: on the one hand, to promote, collect and make visible the bertsos writings that are part of the cultural heritage of Navarra and, on the other hand, to make visible that this variant of the verses, traditionally worked, continues to take place today. On the other hand, to give voice to the Bertsolaris women of Navarra, to strengthen the network between them through this project and to offer a speaker to what women have to say in Bertsolaris.

The work consists of 14 songs, both individual and collective, accompanied by voices and/or music, but all based on bertso. For this reason, it has as its axis the diversity of the bertsolaris women of Navarra. This CD collects the voices of women who participate in the plaza professionally, both in the regular participation and in the schools of bertsolaris, with bertsolaris from different generations, counties and trajectories.

As for the content of the bertsos, although they are free, it cannot be denied that they are verses written from the perspective of gender and feminism. Thus, the realities of women in bertsolarism schools and on the stage, concerns about the body or sexuality and reflections about bertsolarism permeate all the work. In addition, many styles have been received: from more classical pieces accompanied by instruments such as piano or cello to pieces that show the nudity of the verse to the empty voice, to ramilletes that combine tradition with contemporary style such as the verse or rap. The composition of the verses is also varied: from the copla to the use of the structures of the Argentine payers.

In addition, the recovery of the history of Bertsolaris will be guided and the participation of women through this work will be appreciated: In 2020, Bertsolari Luzia Goñi, one of the first women to sing in the squares, died. The last song on the album is composed of a bertso written by Estitxu Arozena in the voice of the woman bertsolari who first won a Championship. Therefore, it can be said that it is a reflection of the diversity and history of Navarra, as long as the album is woven through the bertso and the voices of women.

Pedagogical resource

The album, rather than as a final result, is intended to be used as a tool to make visible the creation of the bertsolaris women of Navarra and strengthen the network among them.

First, it is about disseminating it as a pedagogical material to work in the Bertsolarism program of Regulated Education and in the Bertso Eskolas. Currently, 2,800 schoolchildren receive the bertsolarism program each year in the educational network of Navarra, and about 300 are training in the contents of bertsolarism in the Bertso Eskolas each week. The album can be a valuable material for all of them, to work creations, themes, etc. of contemporary and indigenous Bertsolaris women.

Presentation act

The public presentation of the project will take place on Friday, June 11 at 19:00 at the Plaza de la Cultura de Barañain. In addition to the presentation of the project, the attendees will be offered a session of improvised bertsos by the bertsolaris Alazne Untxalo and Maddi Ane Txoperena.

From there, the records will be sold at the headquarters of Nafarroako Bertsozale Elkartea and at Karrikiri (Pamplona), Bar Arrano (Lesaka) and Altxu (Erratzu), at a price of EUR 10 (EUR 8 for Bertsozale Elkartea partners). In addition, several Bertsos recitals will be offered in different towns of Navarra, which in addition to presenting the project, will aim to give the opportunity to the Bertsolaris women of Navarra to sing together.