European Day of Languages

The European Day of Languages is celebrated on September 26 to emphasize and promote Europe’s linguistic and cultural diversity as a fundamental aspect of its identity. The Etxepare Basque Institute contributes to this goal by collaborating on various activities to showcase Basque language and culture alongside other languages of the continent.

On 25 September, the eve of the European Day of Languages, the Instituto Cervantes in Lisbon is hosting a multilingual poetry reading featuring authors from languages of the Iberian Peninsula. The event is organised by the Instituto Cervantes in collaboration with the Instituto Camões of Portugal, the Consello da Cultura Gallega, Institut Ramon Llull and the Etxepare Basque Institute. Etxepare Basque Institute director, Irene Larraza, will travel to Lisbon accompanied by Miren Agur Meabe, winner of the 2021 National Poetry Prize and three-time winner of the Euskadi Prize. Meabe give voice to the Basque language at the event. The reading will also include poems in Spanish by Miriam Reyes Carcamo; in Portuguese by Golgona Anghel; in Galician by Oriana Méndez; in Catalan by Miriam Cano Manzano; and in Asturian by Esther Prieto Alonso.

From 26 to 28 September, poetry will fill the public spaces and transport network of Brussels with original works by twenty authors in their own languages, together with translations into French and Dutch. Among these poems will be one in Basque, written by the renowned author Harkaitz Cano, a guest of Transpoesie.

Transpoesie is a festival that has been organized since 2011 by EUNIC (European Union National Institutes for Culture), a European network of organizations focused on cultural relations. The Etxepare Basque Institute is an Associate Member of EUNIC’s Brussels and New York clusters.

Coinciding with the European Day of Languages, the festival will host a series of events, including readings, round tables, debates and public writing sessions throughout the greater Belgian capital. Harkaitz Cano will be one of the authors invited to the opening event at the Jardin des Citoyens and will also take part in the ‘Surrealism de Lux’ event at the Luxembourg Embassy. Transpoesie, an ode to European linguistic diversity, celebrates its 14th edition with a nod to the Surrealist movement on the 100th anniversary of the famous manifesto published by artist André Breton.

Finally, Basque language and culture will have a place in New York at a special event held on 28 September at the famous Queens Night Market. The organisations that form part of EUNIC New York have planned a series of recreational and cultural activities to showcase the continent´s rich linguistic heritage and celebrate the European Day of Languages. Events will feature tastings, concerts, dance performances, and language classes, amongst others. As part of this programme, and with the collaboration between the Etxepare Basque Institute and the Delegation of Euskadi in the United States, dancer and researcher Beñat Urrutia will perform a Basque dance. Attendees will also have the chance to take part in introductory Basque language classes.