03 December 2025
Bilbao Campus San Sebastian Campus
On 3 December, the University of Deusto celebrated International Basque Day on its Bilbao and San Sebastian campuses, with a programme of activities designed to bring the Basque language to life and share it within the university community and beyond. Under the motto "Euskara, bihotzetik ahora", the event aimed to bring the language from our hearts to our mouths and share it with the wider world.
At Deusto, Basque is more than just a language: it is a living thread that connects identity, culture and community. It is born as a deep-rooted feeling, grows in homes, streets and friendships, and finds its true form when expressed: in a proverb, a verse, a conversation or a podcast. The more it is used, shared, and heard, the more alive it remains.
The date coincides with the feast of Saint Francis Xavier, a saint from Navarre and patron saint of the Basque language, whose mother tongue was precisely Basque. His example reminds us that what comes from the heart has the power to spread: like him, Basque is a treasure to be carefully preserved and generously shared with everyone.
Therefore, the entire university community - students, academic staff, employees, alumni, families and friends - was invited to participate in the activities scheduled for 3 December. The programme included proposals to enjoy the language in different formats throughout the day: proverbs competition, bertsolaris session -with Andoni Egaña and Ane Labarka in Bilbao and with Julen Olaizola and Emaitz Murua in San Sebastian-, advent prayer for peace and for St Francis Xavier, and a live podcast.
In this way, the day helped bring Basque from our hearts to our mouths, to be shared and enjoyed, celebrating a living language that unites, connects, and can open itself to the world with strength, joy and authenticity.
An essential role for universities
This year, this celebration coincided with the signing of the joint manifesto "Unibertsitateok euskararen indargune izan gaitezen", signed by the four universities of the Basque university system: University of Deusto, UPV/EHU, Mondragon Unibertsitatea and EUNEIZ Vitoria-Gazteiz University. The document highlights the essential role of higher education institutions in the transmission, use and development of Basque, and recognises the collective effort that has enabled the language to grow in presence, prestige and academic capacity over recent decades.
Deusto took also advantage of this date to join Batuz Aldatu, an initiative promoted by Euskalgintzaren Kontseilua, which aims to promote language policies that ensure the use of Basque and the normalisation of its knowledge. With this endorsement, Deusto joined a network of more than a hundred social actors from different sectors who support this new Sociopolitical Pact on language policies. The initiative presents itself as a roadmap aimed at placing the normalisation of Basque at the centre of the social and political agenda, with the goal of laying the necessary foundations to secure the language’s future, always based on social consensus.
All these actions in support of Basque align with the University of Deusto’s 2025–2030 Language Policy Master Plan, which seeks to advance towards a trilingual university and integrate Basque effectively into academic life, campus activities, and institutional communication. The plan sets out specific objectives and actions to contribute to the normalisation of Basque across all areas of knowledge, strengthen the language skills of the university community, and ensure the use of both official languages in internal and external communications.
