Icelandic Basque Centre

Inauguration Program

Djúpavík, Saturday, September 20, 2025

I. FACTORY

13:00
Welcome by Héðinn Ásbjörnsson, Icelandic Basque Centre

 13:10-13:20
Guillaume Bazard, Embassy of France

13:20-13:30
Maria Gutierrez, Representative of the Spanish Embassy

13:30-13:40 (Albaola)
„The Albaola project – The knowledge of Basque carpenters“
Xabier Agote (Albaola)

13:40-13:50 (Haizebegi)
“A Basque Icelandic Centre in Djupavik (Westfjords), between Resilience and Territorial Dynamism –  Introducing a Jules Verne Grant project“
Catherine Chambers (on behalf of UW and Haizebegi), Denis Laborde (Haizebegi), Pietro Calabretta (EHESS) and Alex Tyas (UW)

13:50-14:30 (Icelandic partners)
Catherine Chambers (UW) “The role of higher educational institutions in culture and community development”
Ólafur Engilbertsson (Ice Basque), „The Icelandic Basque Association and the Basque Project“
Elísabet Gunnarsdóttir  (Ice Basque), „Encounters with consequences? – Through the ages foreign guests have visited our coasts – what did they leave behind?“
Skúli Gautason (Áfram Árneshreppur and Westfjords Regional Development Office) „Circumstances Leading to the Establishment of the Basque Center in Djúpavík“
Eva Sigurbjörnsdóttir addresses the guests on behalf of Árneshreppur, and welcomes them to move to the tank

II. BASKASETUR TANK

15:00 – Solemn moment
Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, former president of Iceland opens the exhibition
Basque-Icelandic catering: pintxos, Icelandic treats and drinks

15:40
Herdís Kolka Héðinsdóttir and three sisters from Melar in Árneshreppur, Þorgerður Björnsdóttir, Árný Björnsdóttir and Ellen Björnsdóttir sing three Icelandic songs

16:00 – Basque Songs by the Ísafjörður Music School Choir
Four Basque songs performed by the Ísafjörður Music School Choir, directed by Jórunn Björk Magnúsdóttir and Bjarney Ingibjörg Gunnlaugsdóttir, in collaboration with Francisco Javier Jáuregui and Guðrún Jóhanna Ólafsdóttir.
– Txoria Txori by Mikel Laboa, arranged by Francisco Javier Jáuregui
– Loretxoa and Nere herriko neskatxa maite by Benito Lertxundi, medley arranged by Margarita Lorenzo de Reizabal
– Aurtxo seaskan by Grabriel Olaizola, arranged by Francisco Javier Jáuregui

III. FACTORY

16:20 – CONCERT
Basque repertoire meets Icelandic songs, performed by Guðrún Jóhanna Ólafsdóttir and Francisco Javier Jáuregui

 17:00
Break & Dinner

19:30 – THEATRE
Ariasman, from Tapio Koivukari/ Actor Elfar Logi Hannesson / Lighting Sigurvald Ívar Helgason / Costume designer Þ. Sunnefa Elfarsdóttir / Music Björn Thoroddsen / Set design and direction Marsibil G. Kristjánsdóttir, 80 min. with a 15 min. intermission
Ariasman is a moving and dramatic play about one of the greatest acts of incompetence in Icelandic history, the Basque massacre. In the autumn of 1615, 31 Basque castaways were killed by Westfjords farmers. Ariasman is a play based on the historical novel of the same name by Tapio Koivukari, about the Basque massacre, which is actually the first and hopefully only massacre in Icelandic history. These brutal events took place in the autumn of 1615 when 31 Basque castaways were mercilessly killed by Westfjords farmers led by Ari Magnússon, the sheriff from Ögur, but the Basques knew him by the name Ariasman.

Program of the BASQUE CENTRE 1615 exhibition inauguration,
a workshop and a symposium in Djúpavík 6-9 June 2024

6 June

Workshop in the Factory Art exhibition: “Ocean, sustainability and recycling”
Thor Magnússon from the Intelligent Instruments Lab leads a workshop making instruments out of waste

7 June

9:00
Opening remarks
Eva Sigurbjörnsdóttir (municipal manager of Árneshreppur)
Guillaume Bazard (Ambassador of France)
José Carlos Esteso Lema (Chargé d’Affaires a.i. Spanish Embassy)

9:30
Lectures
Ólafur J. Engilbertsson (chairman of the Icelandic Basque Association):
On the Basque Association and the Creative Europe cooperation Alexandra Tyas (Ph.D. student in Archaeology at the University of Iceland)/
Dr. Catherine Chambers (Research Manager at the University Centre of the Westfjords):
Maritime cultural heritage as a community development tool
Xabier Agote (President of Albaola):
The secrets of the Basque whaling txalupa revealed
Denis Laborde (Professor at CNRS and director of the Haizebegi festival):
Making basque music
Thor Magnússon (Research professor at the University of Iceland):
On musical instruments, their history and development

11:50
Lunch

13:00
Lectures
Magnús Rafnsson (historian, resident in the Strandir region):
What effect did trading with the Basques have on the local people in Strandir?
Ragnar Edvardsson (maritime archaeologist at the University of Iceland, Research Center of the Westfjords):
Stories from Strandir in a global context: Basque whalers, Icelanders and the Freedom of the Seas.
Sigurður Sigursveinsson: (geographer):
Selma Barkham – connecting the Basque Country, Labrador, and Iceland
Tapio Koivukari (writer from Finland, author of Ariasman, on Zoom):
Was there cooperation between Icelanders and Basque whalers in fishing and processing?

15:00
Coffee break

16:00
Short speeches
Héðinn Ásbjörnsson (chairman of the Basque Centre):
The Basque Centre/Baskasetur Djúpavík
Imanol Mendi (chef from San Sebastian/Donostia):
Basque cuisine (introduction)

16:30
Opening of the Basque Centre exhibition

17:00-19:00
Concert – Icelandic and Basque musicians

8 June

10:00
Lectures
Viola Miglio (Professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, USA):
The Basque-Icelandic glossaries
Zuhaitz Akizu (a Basque museum specialist living in Iceland):
Basque-Icelandic dictionary (introduction)

11:00
Panel discussions with the lecturers

11:40
Lunch

13:00
Sightseeing to archealogical site in Hveravík, Strákatangi