{"id":3926,"date":"2026-09-26T13:54:59","date_gmt":"2026-09-26T12:54:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bihar.eus\/?p=3926"},"modified":"2026-09-26T14:05:49","modified_gmt":"2026-09-26T13:05:49","slug":"our-voice-our-time-our-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bihar.eus\/en\/2026\/09\/26\/our-voice-our-time-our-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Our voice, our time, our future"},"content":{"rendered":"

The BIHAR Congress closes with a multilingual manifesto on the bridge between Irun and Hendaye<\/span><\/h2>\n

After bringing together around 40 minoritised language communities from around the world for four days, the BIHAR International Congress ended today. The closing ceremony took place on the Santiago Bridge (Zubi Txikia), which spans the Bidasoa river between Irun and Hendaye. There, the manifesto drafted jointly by the language communities undergoing revitalisation was read in five languages, accompanied by txalaparta and dance. The congress was organised jointly by Garabide, Soziolinguistika Klusterra, Taupa Euskaltzaleen Mugimendua and the Plazara collective.<\/span><\/p>\n

The day began at FICOBA (Irun) with a welcome for the house of Occitan activist Joan Petit. A musical parade then set off, and participants made their way through the streets to the bridge, carrying the wooden house together. The multilingual reading of the manifesto took place there. The event ended at midday at the Borderline factory in Hendaye with a festive drinks reception.<\/span><\/p>\n

We are not translations<\/span><\/h3>\n

Under the title Our voice, our time, our future, the manifesto makes clear that too many of the world’s languages are being silenced. This happens not by any law of nature, but as a result of inequality, exclusion and homogenisation. Going beyond an account of loss, it calls for reclaiming the future and building it together: “Languages are not relics of the past. They are the breath of living communities.”<\/span><\/p>\n

In the text, the communities commit to building stronger networks, learning from one another, making their languages more visible and empowering their communities. It also sets out three specific demands:<\/span><\/p>\n