Korrika

Korrika (Basque for running) is an exhibition race held bi-annually in the Basque Country in order to raise funds for the adult Basque-language teaching organization AEK. It is one of the largest demonstrations gathering support for a language in the world, covering a distance of 2.557 kilometres in 2017, running day and night without interruption for 11 days. The Korrika is celebrated beyond its fundraising goal, encouraging, supporting and spreading the Basque language itself.

This initiative, as well as the organization AEK itself, was founded by people concerned with the language. It currently takes place in spring once every two years, with 2017 as its 20th edition.

The Basque Language is currently in a delicate and unsafe situation. Certainly, according to UNESCO, it is said to be in danger of extinction in various areas. As a matter of fact, the Basque language is not considered an official language in certain areas. However, this non-competitive relay race brings the whole territory together through a joyful and cheery atmosphere for the two weeks in which it is held.

During Franco's dictatorship lasting for 40 years, the Basque language underwent a rapid decline through a long period of oppression. Basque people were even punished by the Spanish police for speaking the only language they knew in public, arguing that it was a language contrary to modernization. Moreover, speaking Basque was also prohibited in schools, where children where often punished (even physically) if caught talking Basque. A majority of linguists analyzing the situation agrees that the language policies applied by Spain and France against Basque have greatly damaged the position the language shows today.

Concerned by the weakening of the language, people started creating clandestine organizations where Basque was taught. The newly created Basque movement put together the association AEK for the teaching and alphabetization of the language. Once the dictatorship was over, a group of Basque innovators started working on the project that is nowadays one of the strongest held in the Basque territory: Korrika. Their main idea was to carry their claim across the territory, instead of concentrating all the people on the same area. The first edition set off, among criticism on the 'foolishness' of the idea, in Oñati on November 29, 1980 and concluded on December 7th in Bilbao.

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Wikipedia