ERAIKUNTZAK

Published by DEIA, July 28, 2011



Anyone that knows me knows that in my house the subject of the construction has always had a preponderant paper in our lives. Furthermore, from childhood I have been amazed by the big constructions, bridges and, of course, the works of ancient civilizations: The Egyptian and American pyramids, the big castles, the Great Wall of China…

And talking about China, I have just read an amazing article, the metallurgic Chinese company Minmetals carries out a project that seems to be as if it just came out of a fantasy movie. It’s about constructing in Guangdong, a province south of China, a perfect copy of Hallstatt, an Austrian town of almost 1,000 inhabitants. They are copying it house by house, street by street and even they have even taken into account the lake that bathes the aforementioned Austrian town and that, of course, will count on his counterpart in Guangdong. The metallurgic company curiously advertises this project as a "sophisticated residential area based on the European-style". The Hallstatt's inhabitants, since 1999 holds the World Heritage Site for Cultural Heritage, are perplexed and some are very upset with only the fact of copying exactly their town. But there are others who think this will be a great tourist claim for this locality of the Austrian Alps.

Everything in this life is relative. The same ones that copy an entire town are able to carry out a pharaonic work like the longest bridge over the sea in the world. I have visited in several occasions Chinese cities and the most characteristic is the sensation of enjoying so many different contrasts in every moment. The country that has developed to the bitter end the art of plagiarism is at the same time leader in far-reaching projects and it is that, as well said the quote "United we stand" and in the case of the Chinese society this affirmation acquires a principal importance. Well taken it is proven that the one that copies also can create. As in other fields... better not getting carried away by appearances.

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ARRIDURAK

Published by DEIA, July 21,2011



Taking a walk by the Biscayan coast and chatting with several friends about how easy or how difficult that it is the co-penetration of two txalapartaris (the persons w ho play the txalaparta) have to work out in order so their combination keeps on rising the magical rhythms of the txalaparta (an ancestral xylophone played by horizontal planks hit with vertical sticks) one of them sees another but not less fascinating combination. Above us 6 seagulls flying in circles, as in taking height, and over them a bird shaped like anchor that was carrying shorter and energetic circles.

"He’s a peregrine falcon", they tell me, and I, a bit incredulous, keep on thinking what it could be similar to, but a falcon? All of a sudden he closes his wings, turns around and, in a beating of wings, he’s already grating on the back of one seagull that, as he can, turns around and shows his threatening peak, in front of the falcon which changes his direction and disappears.

Everything was in moments of energy and an unusual emotion. I could not get out of my amazement. But what most called my attention is that, while we shouted and we were indicating the event, the people that were walking around were not showing neither the least’s interest. And I remembered the words of an Austrian friend that I met at a concert in Glasgow, Peter, that he said to me that we were a fortunate country for the whole wealth of the fauna and scenic that we have in the peninsula and, in that occasion, he explained to me about the cologne of vultures at the mountain Candina, in the easternmost extreme of Cantabria. In this 476-meter peak settles down one atypical vulture hunter with views toward the sea: the northernmost of Spain, and the only in Europe with these characteristics. Some call these vultures, "marine vultures" for the queerness that it seems to observe these birds in the coast.

So many times unique elements lose their attraction and mystery for the human being to become part of what's everyday activity. How it's possible what is to be "normal" loses interest in exceptional things? I do believe that we should put more emphasis in bestowing their true value upon each thing.

We have so many fascinating things that are around us, learning how to enjoy them, even though they are a part of what's habitual, is an obligation. Or, are other people always going to have to teach us?


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IDARETA

Published by DEIA, July 14, 2011



Human tides, liters and liters of various drinks, music and, how not, the mythical, famous bull running, that gives personality to such a unique city as Iruñea. St. Fermín is a worldwide event in which thousands of tourists come to live different experiences, sometimes, even to the limit. But while I see the images of a day’s bull running on TV I remember a lot of friends that live around there, one of them Fran Idareta, an accordionist whom I have shared stage in several occasions with, and that has been protagonist of an excellent news that exemplifies his great personal personality. Fran has achieved his doctorate in Social Work, which is not all.

His thesis concludes with fascinating discoveries that at the same time are so logical as when in treating a patient "we should talk about a person by their name, with a past and a specific life, having a subjective vision of their sufferings". And it is that, in words of Fran Idareta, “we should not hide ourselves behind the diagnostic data’s, but instead looking into the person’s face, touchable and definite, that who suffers. We do not only have to know, we also have to feel". The data, knowledge, theories are absolutely necessary but, as very well Idareta points out, all of that is not much to us if we do not empathize with the patient.

They have always taught us that the human being is almost totality formed of water but I would go a bit a further, if water is physically our base element, then I would bet that in the same measure that our feelings are the essential motor of the immaterial human essence and that way it is practically impossible to be able to tackle the cure of a disease if we do not take into account the other “I" of the individual, where we find the encouragement, the illusion and the hope in oneself.

Fran Idareta has opened up a different road that I hope others will continue, but somehow he has already gone through a similar territory when he discovers that with his accordion and his art he surpassed emotions and the illusions of those who listen to him, because music also gives us health and feeds our human soul.

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AUKERAK

Published by DEIA, July 7, 2011



This week’s column had a theme that we are not going to talk about, when I already had finished the article and just about to email it I read an article in DEIA that captivated me and at the same time it aroused a lot of queasiness in me.

A driving school of Basauri is teaching to drive the first person in Europe that uses his legs as his arms. For me it is another example of a human overcoming his adversities, but at the same time, the story has much more to say.

David Rivas, is the name of the student, is from Madrid and his problem is that he was born armless. He works coordinating a team of 11 people inside the Integralia Foundation that makes the procedures of appointments at the La Paz Hospital. Ok, this far all is normal. What got my interested was that someone from Madrid had to ask for a month off to be able to come to Euskadi (Basque Country) to face this challenge in trying to earn his driving license with a car that is adapted to his handicap. There are many driving schools with cars adapted to the most common handicaps but nobody wanted to accept the challenge to make it possible, opportunity for David to earn his license permit? They say that David handles the computer perfectly with his feet, in which his ability he does have.

It is sad that people with so obvious difficulties many times the surroundings, either social level, economic or of another nature, raise even more obstacles, making it even more difficult than it is already.

But this news also offers us another understanding, the pride to know that although in many occasions we are criticized for our political and ideological reasons and sometimes even for our culture, the truth of the matter is that there are great many avant-garde people like the driving school Irrintzi that are daring to take the adventure, as this one, showing that the Basques are neither better nor worse then others, but we are, and allow me the expression... AWESOME!




Good luck David and ….. burn rubber.

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TANGER

Published by DEIA, June 30, 2011



Seated in my chair taking notes over my small sensations that comes to my mind in my notebook remembering the first time that I stepped on Moroccan lands, our destiny? The city of Tangier, to attend the Tarab Tangier, international festivity of folk music in which we were invited to share our music with groups of India, Iran, Portugal and Bulgaria.

Tangier is a city in the northern part of Morocco situated at the coasts of the Strait of Gibraltar, and example of a different neighbor’s culture. The Festivity, in his third edition and under the motto Crossroads, took place the 22nd till the 26th of June, in which we performed Saturday the 25th. It’s time to go out on stage and we perform in a privileged surrounding, a Portuguese’s fortress of the XVIIth century on the dock. I was delighted by the spirit of this soul festivity as a distinguish link of artistic and cultural international interchange level. Coincidences of life, we had just released our new project Ultramarinos & Coloniales and, all of a sudden, I see myself walking by those incredible Medinas, (The Medinas are the most exciting places of most of the Moroccan cities. In them are concentrated a great commercial, cultural and free activity of the population) alleys as if fraught mazes of commerces and stands, with unique colors, radiating life. Exclusives corners that is necessary to search for to discover part of this culture and a kind of so odd life. Even in the same festivity they offered us their typical foods with lots of spice, different and very suggestive flavors that are also a part of the surroundings and the culture of a fascinating country. As I understand it I think that is how a festival should be, representing an interchange with the people from out of town, carrying out a true cultural encounter across-the-board.


After the presentation, straight off the street at the old quarter of Bilbao, Ultramarinos & Colonial begins his way walking through the different stages that we will wander around for the next few months. Now it is our turn, let’s pull on stage the rhythms, melodies and all the emotions that we are capable to create: "these are our products". And I insure you that the people of Tangier…Have shopped!!!

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