Institutional visit to Mexico

Etxepare Euskal Institute director, Irene Larraza, will be in Mexico City and Guadalajara from 27 November to 4 December to strengthen ties with cultural and academic institutions, create new opportunities for promoting Basque culture and contemporary Basque creation, and support authors participating in the Guadalajara International Book Fair.

During her visit to Mexico City, Larraza will hold meetings with heads of Mexican cultural and academic institutions including the National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature (INBA, Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura), the National Institute of Indigenous Languages (INALI, Instituto Nacional de Lenguas Indígenas), the National Film Archive (Cineteca Nacional) and the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México).

INBAL is a Mexican government agency tasked with encouraging artistic production, promoting the arts, and organizing arts education throughout Mexico. In addition to managing the country´s leading museums, art and cultural centres, it is responsible for international cultural cooperation and supports international programming in Mexico, playing a key role in creating collaborative spaces across various artistic disciplines. On 27 November Larraza will meet with the head of Mexico’s Office of the General Directorate and Areas of International Affairs and Dissemination to promote the participation of Basque creators in the programmes sponsored by INBAL.

On the same day, Larraza will meet with the leaders of INALI, an agency of the Ministry of Culture responsible for coordinating public policies on indigenous languages. The meeting will address issues of shared interest from a sociolinguistic perspective, as well as research projects and academic collaboration in this field. 

On 28 November, the director of the Etxepare Basque Institute will visit UNAM to meet with the heads of the Basque language and culture lectureship, which has been established at the university since 2005, and with those responsible for the Institute of Gender Studies. During this second meeting, the participants will explore the possibility of establishing a new Basque studies chair that focuses on gender and cultural studies. Larraza will wrap up the day with a meeting with the director general of Mexico’s National Film Archive, Marina Stavenhagen.

The visit to Mexico City will conclude on 29 November with a meeting with the Basque community at the Euskal Etxea Basque centre in Mexico.

Basque-language literature shines at FIL

This year literature in Euskara will play a prominent role at the Guadalajara International Book Fair, the most important publishing gathering in Latin America, with the participation of authors such as Kirmen Uribe, Katixa Agirre, Bernardo Atxaga, Karmele Jaio and Arantxa Urretabizkaia.

Before the fair officially kicks off on 30 November, Larraza will accompany Arantxa Urretabizkaia at various events in Mexico City, where the author will present her most recent work, ‘La última casa’ (Azken Etxea). From 30 November to 4 December, Larraza will be at the FIL, along with authors, illustrators and publishers from the Basque Country. On December 3, in celebration of the International Day of the Basque Language, Larraza will meet with Basque writers, publishers, and illustrators at the fair. This meeting reaffirms the Etxepare Basque Institute´s commitment to promoting Basque culture internationally and contributing to cultural diversity. Since 2011, the Institute has been promoting the involvement of Basque writers in the official programme of this significant event.