December 3rd is the International Day of the Basque Language. Established in 1949, the objective of this special day is to underscore the universal nature of the Basque language. On this occasion, we invite you to watch an excerpt from our film on the Basque Country in which you will discover those who transmit the Basque language to the next generation through ‘ikastolas’, schools that teach in Basque.
Education is seen as the key to the future of the Basque language, which finds itself surrounded by a sea of Spanish and French speakers. Throughout the Basque regions of Spain, schools are required to provide a certain level of education in Basque. In France, the transmission challenge is more important but the ikastola movement is gaining momentum and is now recognized and supported by the government. All share the same goal of producing fully fluent Basque speakers (euskaldunes), that is to say, children who can read, write and speak Basque in their everyday lives. We are proposing a visit of the Basque school in the French town of Saint-Jean-de-Luz in France.
You can also learn more about the Basque language by visiting the Culture and Traditions section of this portal.