…eta bidean Irun (…Irun on the way)

In the distant summer of 2018, in the streets of Irun, since a group of sub-saharian people who could not cross the border between France and Spain appeared Irun many people have become aware that Irun is a transit point for migrants.

From here to there sometimes, and from there to there soem other times. Escaping from war, hunger, cruel dictatorships… or simply, escaping from the old life; escaping from the hard life. People have been on the road since the beginning of times, taking on their backs the hope of building a new future.

But the road is hard for those who are forced to run and hide from the police. Traveling in these conditions eats people up; it kills many men and women, but many others thrive. Passing under the fence; jumping over the border, they make their way. From time to time, we see them in the media, weak, vulnerable, because they have been spotted by a boat at sea or have just arrived on their own in the Canary Islands. Sometimes TV shows them after entering Ceuta or Melilla and passing the local fence, running in the streets, shouting boza! boza!

The same people we see so far away on TV are the ones who arrive every day in Irun and they gather in a corner of San Juan square, in front of the town hall to continue their way after receiving Reception Network’s information. The way is not easy. It’s not easy for men, and it’s not easy for women either. But women also make their way, sometimes alone, sometimes with small children, in groups, supported by other women they meet along the way or in the midst of men, but they make their way.

We tend to think that opening the way is men’s work; that we men cut the bushes and wire fences and and chase women, we attract them, but it is not true. Women also make their way; like men, following the path that an older brother or cousin had taken before, they leave their hometown and go out in search of a better life. They are women who left with the intention of reuniting with their husbands in Europe, of course, but also there are women who leave with the intention of reuniting with their brother, father or mother, in the same way as there are men who left with the intention of reuniting with someone else.

PLACES SHOWN:

• CBA cultural center, IRUN. November 2022
• TORREA Herriko Taberna bar, LEITZA. February 2023
• LANDETXA Neighborhood Association, IRUN. March 2023
• BIXI BIZI Association, PASAI DONIBANE. June 2023 (Gora Herriak festival)

PRODUCER

WOMEN IN MASK

The work presented here is about the participation of women in different carnivals of the Basque Country. Taking as a starting point the increasing presence of women in roles traditionally played by men in carnivals in rural areas, Gari Garaialde has put an eye to this participation; He looked at the different roles that women play.

Is an attempt made to place in a different context a debate that has arisen in local society since women tried to participate in traditional parades in Hondarribia and Irun. In Hondarribia and Irun, tradition has been cited as the main reason from spaces against women’s participation. When explaining the different evolutions of the conflict in Hondarribia and Irun, There was a try to explain by comparing the size of the two towns. In small towns, tradition tends to be more embedded, and since people know each other better, changes seem to be less likely to happen.

With this explanation in mind, after noticing the presence of women among the Zubieta bellringers, Gari Garaialde immersed himself in the carnivals of several small towns; They are usually celebrations with a long tradition, which have a lot to do with the cohesion of the town.

Being starting point the carnival of small towns with a great tradition, he has also focused in some carnivals of the larger towns, where the tradition of the carnival has been almost lost and traditional-style costumes have been revived.

In some of these festivals, Gari Garaialde has observed that the presence of women is given in a normalized way and has analyzed these carnivals. The aim is not to determine when women began to take part, nor to compare where women take part and where not; The intention was to immerse himself in these carnivals and to show the participation of women taht he saw with his own eyes. Analyze what role they play today.

PLACES SHOWN:

• MENDI ZOLAN Cultural Center, HENDAIA. October 2017 (Hendaia Film Festival)
• MUNICIPAL PLENARY HALL, OIARTZUN. March 2018 (17th Conference of Folk Music)