This article was translated byย John R. Bopp
Basque group Kalakan is starting a tour on November 7th that will take them to a part of South America where Basques have a notable presence: Argentina and Uruguay.
Tonight, theyโre starting their tour with a free concert in the Usina del Arte in Buenos Aires, and theyโll continue through Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Necochea, and Mendoza, to finally cross the Atlantic on their way to a concert in Pamplona.
By the way, in Necochea, theyโll play at the Argentine National Basque Week which is being organized by the Euxkaletxea in that touristic coastal town in Buenos Aires province. ย
Itโs interesting to see how the media are treating their visit, their decision to sing in Basque, or their geographic origin. ย It never ceases to surprise us that theyโre constantly being asked if they sing in Basque for political reasons, or if Madonna chose them to join her on her world tour because they sang in that language, or to claim that they sing โFranco-Basqueโ songs.
They sing in Basque because thatโs their language. ย Madonna chose them because theyโre incredible musicians who have a drawing power thatโs hard to resist. ย And, theyโre Basque. ย Itโs true that they live under French administration, but that doesnโt change the fact that theyโre Basque in the slightest. ย Theyโre many other things too, but theyโre Basque, period.
On the other hand, it seems that the idea of โBasque musicโ is for some, for many, an idea of a fossilized culture, preserved in formaldehyde, or in glass cases in museums, a โdeadโ part of a โdeadโ culture, that was born into a people that has disappeared, โdissolvedโ in modernity. ย Some even dream of that.
But nothing could be further from the truth. ย Basque culture is alive and well. ย It influences the world and the world influences it. ย It changes, it adapts, itโs molded, but it never loses its soul, nor does it ever disconnect from its roots.
These days, Argentines and Uruguayans, Basque-Argentines and Basque-Uruguayans can enjoy a group that proves all this: the strength, vitality, modernity, and tradition that are concentrated in Basque culture.
Weโll leave you with the two articles published about this tour in Argentina and a pair of videos in which the group co-stars. ย Basque music and culture are very alive and very open to the world.
El Dรญa – 5/11/2016 – Argentina
Tras girar con Madonna, el trรญo vasco Kalakan llega a La Plata
En el marco de una gira por Argentina, Kalakan, terceto vasco de percusiรณn y canto que durante siete meses de 2012 participรณ del tour mundial de Madonna, se presentarรก por primera vez en nuestra ciudad, con un funciรณn especial que se concretarรก maรฑana, a las 21, en La Salamanca, 10 esquina 60.
(Sigue) (Traducciรณn automรกtica)
La Naciรณn – 5/11/2016 – Argentina
Canciones del Paรญs Vasco Francรฉs y un proyecto israelรญ para el mundo
Kalakan es un trรญo vocal y percusivo que interpreta temas tradicionales de hace varios siglos, con arreglos a tres voces en euskera.
(Sigue) (Traducciรณn automรกtica)
Last Updated on Dec 20, 2020 by About Basque Country