Canada/Eusko, a currency to defend the Basque language

The Basque banknotes look like euros, but when you look closer, you can see some unusual pictures: a txalaparta (a Basque percussion instrument), a blackboard with the pronouns Nor-Nori-Nork (who, what, whose), or a vineyard surrounded by mountains.

Three million euskos circulate in the French Basque Country, a territory twice the size of Mont-Tremblant Park and populated by only 300,000 inhabitants. Created in 2013, this local currency is the largest in Europe. The eusko aims to grow the economy of the territory by promoting local trade and production. But it also has a cultural objective: to promote the Basque language.

At first glance, the bills lined up on the counter of the Café des Pyrénées in Bayonne, the largest city in the French Basque Country, located in the southwest of France, look like euros. But on closer inspection, the 1, 2, 5, 10 and 20 euskos display unusual pictures: a txalaparta (a Basque percussion instrument), a blackboard with the pronouns Nor-Nori-Nork (who, what, to whom), or a vineyard surrounded by mountains. "When you have euskos in your hand, it always encourages you to speak Basque," explains Sandrine Dulong, owner of the Bayonne café, in a typical southern French accent that emphasizes the n's and rolls the r's.

To join the eusko, shopkeepers must be actively involved in promoting the Basque language, euskera. If they are not Basque speakers, they must choose between bilingual signage (opening hours, menu, etc.) or 20 hours of Basque lessons. The aim is to ensure a minimum welcome in Basque. "This language deserves to be preserved, but to do that, we have to make it live," pleads the co-founder of the currency, Dante Edme-Sanjurjo, a former journalist in social and solidarity economy.

According to the Public Office of the Basque Language, about 20% of the local population understands and speaks this language, which is considered one of the oldest in Europe. Basque is also classified as a "vulnerable language" by UNESCO.

At the Café des Pyrénées, Iza lounges on the terrace and pays for her coffee in Euskera. The 48-year-old woman is one of the 4,000 private members who can buy their supplies in the local currency from 1,200 traders and producers. She says she spends an average of 50 euskos (50 euros) per week. If the principle of supporting the local economy has convinced her, the principle of safeguarding the Basque language has seduced her.

At La Crêperie d'Aurélie, located on the banks of the Adour River in Bayonne, owner Aurélie Pitois has been offering her menu in Basque since September 2021. "I left my menu with the eusko team and they sent it back to me all translated two months later," relates the Breton-born entrepreneur. "I'm not from here, so for me it was important to adapt to the region," says the woman who has only obtained three payments in eusko since she joined in September 2020.

Since 2013, 750 member businesses have committed to offering bilingual signage. Of these, 280 have already done so and 250 are in the process of doing so. And the others? "We still have to go to them," explains Edme-Sanjurjo. We're bringing 25 to 30 new companies into the network every month. There aren't enough of us to keep up with everything."

The Bookstore in Biarritz, by the way, fell through the cracks. "No one asked us anything," says Kristel Bourg, the manager. Even though she has lived in the Basque Country for 25 years, the native of Bordeaux does not speak Euskera and does not intend to post in Basque or take courses. "I would be very embarrassed to comply with these rules," admits the woman who estimates that 5% of her sales are paid for in local currency.

"Militant, without being independent

Dante Edme-Sanjurjo does not hide it, there are merchants who are reluctant to join the network. "Too Basque", "too independentist", "too closed". The labels that are attached to the eusko, its co-founder has heard them all. These false perceptions close doors for us," regrets the native of Bayonne. We are militants, but we can want to safeguard the Basque language without being independent.

According to Jérôme Blanc, an economist specialising in local currencies at Sciences Po Lyon, where the Gonette was created, there are between 300 and 400 local currencies in circulation worldwide. In Europe, there is also the Chiemgauer in Bavaria and the Bristol Pound in England. In Quebec, there are La Chouenne in Charlevoix and L'îlot in Montreal, among others, which are still little known.

And what does the future hold for the eusko? Extend the project to the Spanish Basque Country? "It's a possibility," says Edme-Sanjurjo. But the priority, he insists, is to encourage more individuals, shopkeepers and even tourists to use Eusko and to integrate the Basque language into their communications. It's a cultural battle to be won," he says. Basque must be on an equal footing with French.

Source: www.lapresse.ca