The international community enjoys the Basque mythology in Bilbao
2024/03/05
- Bizkaia Talent brings together 25 highly qualified professionals and international post-graduate students to discover the traditional myths and legends of Basque culture.
Bizkaia Talent continues to organize play-oriented encounters aimed at people who have opted to come to the Basque Country, whether this be to continue developing their professional careers or to continue with their education. For this reason, on the 1st March the association carried out the first activity of the year which introduced the international community to Basque mythology, which is one of the richest in Europe.
The setting for this activity was the BBK Talent Home oculus, where the participants of the event interacted with some of the traditional Basque musical instruments. During the course of the activity, they explored fundamental concepts of Basque mythology such as the “Lamia” (a siren with duck’s feet who lives in rivers), the “Basajaun” (“Lord of the Forest” – similar to the American bigfoot) and the “Sorgiña” (Basque witch), as well as immersing themselves in the sounds of the “txalaparta” (traditional wooden percussion instrument played with sticks), the “alboka” (a wind instrument made from a horn) and the “txistu”(a type of flute).
The activity was led by Amaia Fuentes and Aritza Bergara, recognised experts in Basque mythology. Mr Bergara is distinguished as one of the top Basque mythologists and is the author of several books on the subject, as well as a holder of official certifications endorsing his skills in playing all the Basque musical instruments.
Participants of diverse nationalities
Taking part in the activity were people from Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, France, Iran, Italy, Mexico, Dominican Republic and the Spanish State. All of them belong to the following Bizkaia organizations: BC3 – Basque Centre for Climate Change, BCAM – Basque Center for Applied Mathematics, Tecnalia Research & Innovation, Ya Ganaste, Bizkaia Technology Park, CDM – Consultores Digitales Multimedia, Deusto University, University of the Basque Country, Walter Pack and ITP Aero.
