Monika Madinabeitia and Kinku Zinkunegi travelling to Argentina, Chile and Uruguay

Etxepare Euskal Institutua has the function to reinforce the international recognition of Basque and Basque culture and create meeting spaces with other languages and communities. For that purpose, to carry out the initiatives to promote Basque culture, Basque language and its learning process all around the world, they work in collaboration with other cultural and academic agents.

Through the lectureship programme, the Institute promotes Basque Studies in international universities and top centres. Currently this network is composed by 31 universities in 15 different countries. Furthermore, they promote the research about Basque and Basque culture with 12 professorships of Basque Studies in different prestigious universities all around the world. 

One of the roles of Etxepare Euskal Institutua is to promote the knowledge of Basque among the Basque community of the world, and to do so we have the programme Euskara Munduan (Basque in the world). Currently, more than 70 Basque academies impart Basque lessons in collaboration with the Institute.

In this occasion, the director of Promotion and Diffusion of Basque from Etxepare Euskal Institutua, Monika Madinabeitia, and the coordinator of the programme Euskara Munduan, Kinku Zinkunegi, have travelled to Argentina, Chile and Uruguay in order to reinforce these networks.

The purpose of this journey is to reinforce the initiatives of the programme Euskara Munduan, the lectureships and the professorships that the Institute has in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay to meet the objectives of diffusion of Basque language and culture, and also to open new opportunities.

Argentina has been the first stop of the journey. Etxepare Euskal Institutua promotes Basque Studies with the Amale Artetxe Professorhip in COCINET – Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas-, and a professorship of Basque and Basque culture in the National University of La Plata. In addition, the programme Euskara Munduan offers dynamics and resources for teaching Basque in 35 Basque Centres of the country.

Among others, Zinkunegi and Madinabeitia have attended the presentations and seminars of the professorship Amale Artetxe, which are imparted by the guest researcher Laura Pego. During the Basque Week in Buenos Aires (from the 6^th to the 12^th of November) they have also participated in conferences and events about the Basque Diaspora and Basque lessons, and they have met different agents of the Basque-American community (FEVA – Federación de Entidades Vascas Argentinas-, NABO – North American Basque Organizations-, Necochako Euskal Etxea…).

The representatives of the Institute have also visited Chile. Etxepare Euskal Institutua promotes a lectureship in the University of Chile and in the Pontificia Catholic University of Santiago de Chile, and they have met people in charge of Basque Studies of both Universities. Also, they have met the teacher of Basque and Basque culture of the University of Chile, Maider Olmo, and they have participated in one of her lessons.

The programme Euskara Munduan aims to promote Basque Studies in three Basque Centers in Chile. Madinabeitia and Zinkunegi have participated in the ‘Mintza Txokoa’ organized by the Basque Community of Chile. Before changing their destination, they have also met the Basque delegation of Chile, Peru and Colombia.

The last destination of the journey will be Uruguay.  There, the programme Euskara Munduan offers teaching resources for Basque in five Basque Centres. In the academic field, Etxepare Euskal Institutua promotes Basque Studies through a lectureship in the Universidad de la República.

Within the framework of the Basque language and culture lectureship at the University of the Republic of Montevideo, Madinabeitia and Zinkunegi will meet with the director of Basque Studies and will take part in one of her classes given by the lecturer Beñat Torres. Finally, they will meet with members of the Federation of Basque Institutions of Uruguay (FIVA) to work on the current dynamics and challenges of the Basque Centres.