Bayonne-Anglet-Biarritz: the Mintzalasai festival, a week to speak Basque without embarrassment

The ^14th annual Mintzalasai Festival runs from Monday, September 15th to Sunday, September 21st. All activities are free, including the large family celebration at Lake Marion.

Basque has a reputation for being a difficult language to grasp. To overcome this complexity during the learning phase, the Basque language service of the City of Biarritz devised, in 2012, a one-week program during which learners could practice while carrying out everyday activities: cooking, playing cards, playing sports, dancing, singing, etc.

This is how Mintzalasai Week came about, which, a few days after the start of the school year and since 2012, has been putting speakers and beginners into the swing of things, far from books and learning screens. The name of the event sums up its spirit: mintza means to speak and lasai calme, in other words "to speak without complexes." Three cities are participating: Bayonne, Anglet and Biarritz.

"The number of speakers is only 8 to 9% compared to the average of 20% in the three provinces of the Basque Country in mainland France. And you need 30% of speakers to save a language."

Joining Biarritz's Deputy Minister for Culture, Anne Pinatel, who recalled the seaside resort's pioneering role in this program, were Xabier Parrilla-Etchart and Oihana Galé-Zamponi. All three explained why the BAB sector was a "mission land." "The number of speakers there is only 8 to 9%, compared to the average 20% in the three Basque Country provinces in mainland France. And you need 30% of speakers to save a language," they declared together.

For Oihana Galé-Zamponi, co-president of Mintzalasai (with Ortzi Jauregui, who was excused during this presentation), the success of the various events is due to a few essentials: free admission, limited capacity, intergenerational activities, the involvement of 30 associations and 75 volunteers, particularly invaluable for the last day of celebrations at Lake Marion.

The first day, this Monday, September 15, will be dedicated to an introduction with, among other things, inter-school Basque challenges, first steps in Euskara so that traders and consumers can count in Basque, rollerblading with the family... Tuesday, September 16, will be a time for reflection between conferences, discussions, training and screenings. Wednesday, September 17, is Children's Day, both in Biarritz and Bayonne. Thursday is dedicated to fun with Bayonne chocolatiers and pinchos and cocktail workshops. Friday, September 19, will be dedicated to cultural activities, including an introduction to mus, tamborrada and a traveling cabaret. Saturday, September 20, the event will be combined with the European Heritage Days, in the casemates of Bayonne or in a conference in Anglet before a festive evening in Biarritz. Finally, on Sunday, the great intergenerational Euskara celebration begins at Lake Marion at 10 a.m., with storytelling, dancing, games, shows, singing, music, circus... Refreshments and food on site.

At each stage of this eventful week, initiations are offered, adapted to all levels: those who do not yet speak Basque are welcome. Please note: reservations are strongly recommended...

Information and registration: mintzalasai.eus .