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Basque Studies Program Newsletter · Issue
60, 1999
Second World Congress of Basque
Communities
Douglass Receives “Lagun Onari”
Award
William A. Douglass and Kate Camino of the Basque
Studies Program attended the Second World Congress of Basque
Communities (II Congreso Mundial de Colectividades Vascas)
held in the Basque Country November 19-29, 1999. Dr.
Douglass represented the BSP and Ms. Camino played a dual
role, first of all as one of six representatives from the
North American Basque Organization (NABO) and also as a
good-will ambassador for the BSP.
Highlights of the Congress included the presentation
of the Lagun Onari award to William A. Douglass by the
Lehendakari Juan José Ibarretxe. This prestigious
award has only been given twice before (to Presidents
Sanguinetti of Uruguay and Frei of Chile) and is the highest
distinction that the Basque Government bestows upon
non-Basques in recognition of their labors on behalf of the
Basque people. Seventy-four representatives from Basque
Centers throughout the world were present for the
award.
At the inaugural ceremonies for the Congress,
Lehendakari Ibarretxe and the entire Basque Government
participated in the festivities, along with two previous
lehendakaris, Carlos Garaikoetxea and José Antonio
Ardanza. Other governmental representatives included the
deputy general of Alava, Román Rabanera, as well as
Juan María Atutxa and the Basque Cabinet (Mesa del
Parlamento). Also taking part were the director of Emakunde,
the head of EITB (Euskal Irrati Telebista - Basque Radio and
Television), and many other dignitaries.
Douglass and Camino, along with the other visiting
representatives, spent ten days visiting private industry
technological parks, such as Mondragón. They visited
Euskal Telebista at Miramón on the outskirts of
Donostia-San Sebastián, and they toured the historic
Biltzarretxea-Casa de Juntas in Gernika. Their itinerary
included many stops in Araba, Gipuzkoa, and Bizkaia, and
they were received by the three Foru Aldundias (the three
provincial governments within Euskadi). They were also
greeted personally by the mayors of Bilbao and
Gasteiz-Vitoria. While in Bilbao, they viewed the Guggenheim
Museum.
Camino reports that the working days of the Congress
included meetings about the state of the Basque clubs in the
world, their memberships (totaling 18,000 in 1999), and
their current and future financial situations. One goal of
the conference was the creation of a four-year plan that
would focus on the future of Basque communities with a view
toward globalization of their relationships and the
encouragement of cooperation between the various
groups.
“The Basque University and the Ministry of
Culture, among other organizations, showed their support for
the global Basque community and expressed their willingness
to establish supportive relationships with the various
Basque clubs and centers that are working to preserve Basque
culture and spread an awareness of Basques in their home
regions,” said Camino. “The goal of the Congress
was to unite the global Basque community in the effort to
disseminate knowledge of the Basque reality throughout the
world and to promote ongoing international recognition of
the Basques as a people and a nation with their own
identity.”
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