Ez Dok Amairu was the name of a

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

avant-garde cultural movement that between 1966 and 1972 dedicated itself to recovering Basque culture and renewing it.

Background

Emerging within the Euskal Kantagintza Berria (''New Basque Song'') movement and composed mainly of singers and writers in Basque, it also included artist from other disciplines. The song was a means to launch new messages of hope, justice, peace and freedom. It was about creating a new identity, denouncing injustice, expressing the need to create a people's conscience, transmitting hope and bringing literature closer to the people. As the song was the means to spread the message, festivals became a pretext for people to get together. In addition to the cultural characteristics, it contained political and social elements of protest in the midst of the

Franco dictatorship Francoist Spain (), also known as the Francoist dictatorship (), or Nationalist Spain () was the period of Spanish history between 1936 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death i ...

. Its development coincided with similar movements in other areas of

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, such as the case of

Els Setze Jutges Els Setze Jutges (, meaning "The Sixteen Judges") was a group of singers in the Catalan language founded in 1961 by Miquel Porter i Moix, Remei Margarit, and Josep Maria Espinàs. The name comes from a well known tongue-twister in the Catalan l ...

within the

Nova Cançó The Nova Cançó (, meaning in English "The New Song") was an artistic movement that promoted Catalan music in Francoist Spain. The movement sought to normalize use of the Catalan language in popular music and denounced the injustices in Francoi ...

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

or the Manifesto Canción del Sur, in

Andalusia Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...

. The name of the movement was proposed by the sculptor

Jorge Oteiza Jorge Oteiza (October 21, 1908 – April 9, 2003), was a Basques, Basque Spain, Spanish sculpture, sculptor, painting, painter, designer and writing, writer from the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country, renowned for being one of th ...

in 1965 based on a Basque folk tale, ''San Martinen estutatusuna'' (''Saint Martin's plight)'', collected by Resurrección Mª de Azkue, which concluded with the phrase ''"Ez dok amairu''" (literal translation ''"there is no 13"''), which means that ''"there is no curse",'' that the curse of thirteen had been broken. Oteiza's dream was to unite all disciplines in order to recover the punished Basque culture. The musical field was where he established himself best. In 1970 the group presented the show ''Baga biga higa sentikaria'', a proposal that would represent a significant change, both aesthetically and musically, in the new Basque song. In 1971

Benito Lertxundi Benito Lertxundi is a Basque singer-songwriter born in Orio, Gipuzkoa, Basque Country in 1942. He is an acclaimed and veteran figure in Basque music, who spearheaded with other key figures its revival in the 1960s and following years, showing a ...

released an album with the title ''"Ez dok amairu"'' which included the well-known songs ''"Zenbat Gera"'' and ''"Urak dakarrena".'' The group dissolved in 1972, when Franco's dictatorship was ending. Since then, several of its members have followed their own path and have become a reference in Basque music and culture.

Members

These are the most promintent members of Ez Dok Amairu. * Joxan Artze * Jexux Artze *

Nestor Basterretxea Nestor Basterretxea Arzadun (6 May 1924 – 12 July 2014) was a Basque artist, born in Bermeo, Biscay, Basque Country. In the 1950s and 1960s, he spearheaded along with other artists such as Jorge Oteiza, Remigio Mendiburu, or Eduardo Chillida, ...

Jose Angel Irigarai Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. Given name Mishnaic and Talmudic periods *Jose ben Abin *Jose ben Akabya *Jose the Galilean *Jose ben Halafta *Jo ...

Lourdes Iriondo Lourdes Iriondo Mujika was a Basque singer and writer from Spain known for helping to revitalize the Basque Language. She was born in San Sebastián (Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, Spain) on 27 March 1937 and lived in Urnieta, Spain. She is remembered ...

Mikel Laboa Mikel Laboa Mancisidor (15 June 1934 – 1 December 2008) was one of the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country's most important singer-songwriters. Considered the patriarch of Basque music, his music has had an influence on younger gen ...

Julen Lekuona Julen (, ) is a given name. Notable people with the name include: Given name * Julen Aguinagalde (born 1982), Spanish handballer * Julen Goikoetxea (1985–2006), Basque cyclist from Ondarroa * Julen Guerrero (born 1974), retired Spanish footbal ...

* Benito Lertxundi *

Xabier Lete Xabier Lete Bergaretxe (Oiartzun, Gipuzkoa, April 5, 1944 - Donostia, December 4, 2010) was a Basque writer, poet, singer, and politician. He started to write from an early age, and he often published articles in the magazine "Zeruko Argia". In 196 ...

References

{{Reflist Basque history Culture of the Basque Country