Euskara Maitea

Students: Ander Antelo
Tutors: 
Format: Wearable
Topic: TFG
Year: 2023


Euskara, a language spoken by more than 750,000 people, occupies two territories, part of the northern front of Spain and part of southern France. The language is genetically isolated, and as is often the case with languages that do not belong to any linguistic family, it has given rise to much speculation, misinformation and disconnection. At present, apart from the fact that its promotion is constantly being hindered, the Basque language suffers from a great deal of stigmatisation and ignorance not only of its existence, but also of its use and situation. For this reason, the problem addressed by this project is defined by a loop between misinformation, lack of respect and the politicization of the Basque language.

Through interviews, dynamics in the public space, focus groups and participatory processes, it has been concluded that each and every person who lives in Euskara has their own story that explains the importance of the language for Basque -speaking citizens. These stories appeal to the citizens of the French and Spanish state (the surroundings societies of the language) when it comes to feeling part of the problem that communicating and understanding each other in Basque can pose today.

Euskara Maitea is a container of experiences, a communication and awareness-raising tool that tries, through two devices, to listen to and tell stories about the Basque language, generating bridges of information between the Spanish and French states and the Basque-speaking society. This connection aims to show that Basque is not spoken because Basque-speaking society wants to shut itself away in another world. It is not spoken because they want to differentiate themselves from other languages. It is not spoken just because it is. It is spoken because it is the language of Basque speakers and it is their way of communicating and understanding themselves; it is spoken because the reality of Basque speakers does not exist either in Spanish or in French.