Vagca Etnica

People from Madrid pronounce "g/j" instead of "s" when speaking their Spanish dialect. 'Vagca Etnica' means 'Ethnic Basque' but sounds also very much like 'Ethnic Cow'. So there you are. Mind you: French are funny too! They often use the expression "Tu parles francais come une vache basque" (You speak french like a Basque cow". Mouuu oui! dites donc!From a strictly political point of view, however, what remains both suspicious and surprising is the endurance and attraction of the pre-modern Basque 'cultural' narratives, and how the main 'ethnic' imagery that was built in the nineteenth century still fascinates the foreign cosmopolitan visitor, particularly in our own postmodern times . In 1996, Cameron Watson, a historian and good friend of mine wrote this in his PhD Dissertation: "In 1992 on the dual occasion of the World Exposition in Seville and the Barcelona Olympic games, the BBC commissioned a television series to survey contemporary Spain for the English speaking audience around the world. A book, based on the television series, was subsequently published. Titled 'Fire in the Blood: The New Spain', it was intended not for the specialist but for those who may have felt an "incipient interest in modern Spain and might be considering to visit" (xiv). Ian Gibson, the series presenter and author of the book, is a widely-known British commentator on Spanish affairs, yet his views of Basque culture and the contemporary political situation really recall another age. That Basques in general are considered "a mystery race and their language an enigma" (131) is not surprising. The description of Basque women, however, almost defies belief: "The (Basque) women have a characteristically 'Red Indian' look, with a pointed nose (which tends to get hooked in old age), square shoulders and small buttocks and breasts. When a Basque woman wears her hair plaited and dons moccasin sandals she looks as if she has come straight off the set of a Western. Sometimes, through the industrial pall of a winter evening in Bilbao, you can see, standing at a bus-stop or crossing the street, a breath-taking female apparition from Hiawatha. (133)". Mind you, in 1999 North-American journalist Mark Kurlanski published "The Basque History of the World", by all means a best-seller which again aimed at opening the eyes of the potential cosmopolitan and multiculturalist visitor. Amid Basque cookery recipes of all sorts, cat stew included, here is what he wrote in the section "The Basque Myth": "Ample evidence exists that the Basques are a physically distinct group. There is a Basque type with a long straight nose, thick eyebrows, strong chin, and long earlobes". And then almost as I am writing this, a new book called "The Basque Country: A Cultural History (August, 2007) has been presented in London by Irish journalist Paddy Woodsworth. Enter Amazon and here is the first sentence of the synopsis: "The Basque Country is a land of fascinating paradoxes and enigmas. Home to one of Europe's oldest people and most mysterious languages, with a living folklore rich in archaic rituals and dances, it also boasts a dynamic post-modern energy, with the re-invention of Bilbao creating a model for the twenty-first-century city of cultural services and information technologies...". Just forget it and don't buy the book.

Channel: People & Blogs
Uploaded: August 1, 2007 at 9:26 pm
Author: txurrimus

Length: 00:41
Rating: 4.00
Views: 2766

Tags: Basque  Cow  Ethnic  Rhino  

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