🚀 go-pugleaf

>
> On Thu, 8 Oct 1998, Mikel Morris wrote:
>
> > the Erdaldoons can have their Espanish films about Vascos
> > and Vascorros.  I think that I speak for the rest of the
> > Euskaldunak that what we want is not an Erdaldoon's vision
> > of Pais Vasco but an authentic Euskaldun voice and vision
> > of the same reality, Euskal Herria. One (wo)man's Pais Vasco
> > is another's Euskal Herria (or Basque Country or Pays Basque
> > or Baskenland, or Ouaskonia or Strana Baskov, etc.)
> >
> > Mikel Morris,
> > who really wants to see real Basque cinema in real Basque and on a
> > really regular basis
> >

Brett W Copeland wrote, implausibly:
> That Euskaldun vision of Euskal Herria of which you speak
> is, at best, only held by 37% of Euskal Herria's populace
> since the other 63% are seeing the Pais Vasco or the Pays
> Basque thru Erdaldun eyes. And the monolingual speakers of
> Euskera still living Baserrietan surely have a much purer
> Euskaldun vision of Euskal Herria than the rest of those
> 37% who have been corrupted to think as erdaldunak simply
> by learning erdara.  Perhaps this is why the type of purist
> Basque cinema you speak of is not as regular as we would
> like it to be. (I doubt that many of these elderly, monolingual
> baserritarrak will become film producers.)

** As usual, young Mr. Copeland, afflicted by American monolingual
myopia, however much Spanish (or Basque?) he might know, and sitting in
splendid isolation in far-away Nevada, fails to understand the quite
complicated realities of this country.
In the first place, the linguistic situation is not a black and white
"Basque vs. Spanish" one. There are some Basque monolinguals, mostly the
very elderly and very young whom Mr. Copeland disparages as incapable of
ever producing cinema. (Indeed, I doubt that rural peasants and young
children anywhere can become film producers, even in a perfect, can-do
utopia like the USA)
    Mr. Copeland should remember, that is, if he has ever been in the
Basque Country at all or long enough to appreciate the often
unfathomable realities, that there are many Basques/Vascos who are
indeed Spanish-only monoglots thanks to Generalisimo Franco's
Latinization a la espagnole policies. These are the people who, unable
for whatever reason to learn Basque in their adult years, are making
sure that at least their children are going to know it. Add to that,
thousands of children of monolingual Spanish immigrants who are in model
D schools (Basque-medium schools). These people, though not fluent or
totally ignorant of Basque, could understand what we mean by Euskaldun
cinema. Indeed, these Erdaldoons are the true unsung heroes of the
Basque renaissance taking place despite the best efforts of Spanish
nationalists.
     Outsiders from large imperialist cultures often fail to understand
what we mean by real Basque cinema. I helped in a Minority Language Film
Festival (Eremuak 95,96) in which there were films in everything from
Berber to Portuguese crioulo, Welsh and Romansch. Despite all the
important differences in language, culture, and religion, all of the
directors and actors from these language-nations understand what
Basque-language cinema. They hardly know about the situation of Basque
and yet, due to their harsh experiences, they understand far better than
Mr. Copeland.
     I take the greatest possible exception to Mr. Copeland's imperious
paternalism towards what constitutes "pure Basque" culture. Mr. Copeland
will have us believe, in his own mistaken words, that  " ... the
monolingual speakers of Euskera still living Baserrietan surely have a
much purer Euskaldun vision of Euskal Herria", meaning, pure Basque
culture, (whatever that means , perhaps Mr. Copeland could regale us
with some of his perceptive enlightenment regarding pure Basque
culture), consists of poor ignorent mountain folk who ain't got no sens
of cultchure an' ain't smart enuff to learn some of that city stuff
which is mostly Spanish and French stuff.
     No culture is pure, Mr. Copeland. It is possible to have a Basque
Weltanschauung even in Barakaldo or Tudela or even, as Mr. Mallea could
say without fear of contradiction, in Reno, Nevada. You don't have to be
an ignorant farmer or fisherman to have a truly Euskaldun vision. You
can speak several languages, even have several university degrees and
still have a truly Euskaldun vision. Purist Basque cinema as Mr.
Copeland ineptly terms it, is a figment of his unfertile imagination.
     Anyway, good cinema could be done in any language, even Basque or
Spanish or Yanomamu. It all depends on a good script, good director, and
decent acting.
     Finally, Mr. Copeland, in a moment of fitful expression, states
that "37% [of the Euskaldunak] who have been corrupted to think as
erdaldunak simply  by learning erdara". One does not become corrupted by
learning another language. Far from it. One is enriched. However, Mr.
Copeland, as usual, fails to understand the complexity of the problem.
It is only recently that Basques even had an option to study in Basque.
The Euskaldun vision has not been blurred by the Spanish or French
subjunctive or their overly complicated irregular verbs. It has been
blurred by Spanish and French government supression of the means to keep
a culture alive, i.e. schools and the mass media. It is only very
recently that Basque has had access to the system(s) of commerce,
education, and government, and in some cases, still only with marginal
success. A Basque who speaks his own language the best but only able to
read in write in a foreign one is not enriched by that foreign language.
He is impoverished. (This situation is better known as diglossia) He or
she is only enriched by that foreign language if, in addition to a good
knowlege of his or her own language, (s)he is able to add to it Spanish,
French, English or Kurdish or whatever.



>
> Perhaps the solution to all this is a new kind of real Basque
> cinema in real Batua which can regularly serve to propagandize
> the 37% who understand Basque with a new vision of Euskal
> Herria--a neo-culture which can help fill the de-Basquified
> void which has been left on account of the widespread Latin
> influence in Euskal Herria over the centuries.  Once this neo-
> culture and history are in place we will have a core group to work
> with.  At that point an inquisitive process can begin for the
> complete de-latinization of Euskal Herria. =:-)
>
> Brett

**Perhaps Mr. Copeland could also shed some much needed illumination on
what "real Batua" actually is and, while he is at it, tell us dumb
ignorant folk how one "progandizes" Euskaldunak with real Basque cinema
(perhaps a Brave Heart kind of movie every day?)

Mikel Morris, who knows for fact that real Basque cinema need not refer
to rural settings.