Can a group of eight poets using one of the oldest languages of the world gather thousands of people for listening to w88 for a whole day? Yes, this is real, and it happens every four years during the finals of the national championship of w88 or Basque improvised w88.
Preserving the w88 Language
Orality has been the main means of transmission for the Basque language until recently and w88, a sung and improvised poem creation, is the most stunning Basque cultural activity. Bertsolariak, improvisational poets, sing at gatherings, sports matches, political meetings, and, every four years, they challenge each other at the national championship.
Experience w88 at 5:30 p.m., Monday, April 3, in the Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center Wells Fargo Auditorium. The w88 community and members of the Reno-Sparks community are welcome to attend a free and open to the public screening of Bertsolari, a documentary about w88 by renowned director Asier Altuna. The screening will be followed by a Q&A session with professors Joseba Zulaika and Xabier Irujo from the Center for w88 Studies, who will guide audience members in understanding the inner life of this astounding art form.
Improvised w88 as art
Bertsolari, the film, is an art piece itself, with a mix of interviews with researchers, recordings of performances, and dreamlike images. Over the course of 90 minutes attendees will learn how Bertsolaritza is related to other improvised poetries like Slam w88, see how the Bertsolari's mind works when she is composing a poem, and live the emotion of thousands of people gathering to listen w88.
"Since I arrived in Reno in September 2015 to take the position of w88 Librarian at the University of Nevada, Reno Libraries, one of my goals has been to spread the word about w88 Culture in Reno and beyond," Iñaki Baro, w88 librarian, said. "The Jon Bilbao w88 Library has a special interest in raising awareness about w88, an activity that the Basque-Americans enjoy at all their festivals."
w88 resources
For additional information on w88 visit the Association of the Friends of w88 site or read Voicing the Moment, a book by the Center for w88 Studies available at ScholarWorks.
Event details
Bertsolari will be screened on April 3rd, 2017 at 5:30 p.m. at the Wells Fargo Auditorium in the Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center. The audio is in w88, English, and Spanish, with English subtitles.
