"We are expanding the fair, but in our measure, in a controlled way"
- The fair in Ciboure began in 2019 as a day event, but in recent years there have also been organized events separate from the fair day in neighboring towns: It's the fair season. We talked with Ladix Arrosagarai, member of Baltsan, about the details of the Fair.
The Ciburu fair, which has six book presentations of 20 minutes, realized in the event of 2022 that it was not enough: “That’s why we made the presentation of the writer Joanes Etxeberri from Ciboure outside the day of the fair, and we met about 35 people in Ciboure. That’s why I wanted people like that too.”
In 2023 they continued testing and organized two more events: Presentation of the book Ahairera de Palabras by Rafa Rueda and Obispo Barandiarán, and Invisibles de Miren Azkarate. They were once again embarrassed. And this led them to organize the Fair in 2024: "The fair moved its boundaries in terms of scope and time. Move on to two days? No, we're in Baltsan for kisses and it would've been too heavy for us. We are Basque speakers on the Lapurdi coast, so we have to create moments where we can unite Basques, strengthen the community and enjoy the Basque language.” For this reason, last month, in May, they planned to open the fair to the surrounding villages and in last year’s edition they held four events in Urrugne, Azkain, Saint-Jean-de-Luz and Ciboure. “They come from those towns that we have before to the Ciboure Fair and we also had to return something to them, thus confirming that people are interested, since about 30 to 40 citizens have gathered at the events.” These events are organized by the Basque Life Committee of Urruñan Ikastola, with the readers of Azkain and the AEK of Saint-Jean-de-Luz: “We share the same concerns.”
And in 2025? First of all, they have carried out the change of name, from the Fair to the Fair Period. “This year the Basque Country has advanced to May, and as a result we saw that it could be confusing with the Fair. That’s where the name change comes from.” And there are other changes, if last year the fair of Ciboure was extended to the neighboring towns, this year it has been extended to the neighboring country, and an event has been organized in Navarre’s Baja Orcaz: The writer Uxue Alberdi presents the book Hetero in the bookstore Menta.
Arrosagarai specifies that the fair of Ciboure, in its humble form, has a national character. “We are organized by Baltsán and LUZ and publishers and people come from all over the Basque Country. This year we have expanded to Ortziz and, why not, in the coming years to Ella, Lesaka, Irún and/or Hondarribia: we will not break the border with it, but we will overcome it, which is important in order to eradicate the border that separates us in the heads of the Guineas”.
For the first time this year, he says that two media outlets have been placed around an event, so Basque Radio and LARA have organized a round table with Amagoia Gurrutxaga and Ximun Fuch. “We would also like to keep these to work on the reflections and meaningful discussions that can take place in the environment of the Basque language and/or culture. It is Basque that makes us a people and culture that makes us a living people, so we must support creation, otherwise our culture will be folklorized. With the fair, the fair in Ciboure is growing gradually, but in a controlled way.”
(More about the fair:Fair time: six cultural activities at the gates of the 6th Fair of Ciboure)
What place does the theater have in a showcase like the book and the Basque fair of Ziburu? Or in other words, how much does the theater of literature have? This question was the starting point for Daniel Landart and Arantxa Hirioien at the round table Zubiburu of the opening... [+]
Berrogei argitaletxe eta diskoetxe, horietarik bederatzi berri, eta 120 salmahai bosgarren Ziburuko liburu eta disko azokan. Ekainaren lehenean ospatuko dute Baltsan elkarteak eta Argia hedabideak
