"Itsasturiak, people of the sea" exhibition

The decline of fishing in Saint-Jean-de-Luz / Ciboure over the last decade (like all the Basque Country's ports) has made certain local players determined to work to save maritime heritage.

In collaboration with local associations (namely the Itsas Begia association with which it has been working for 20 years on projects for developing local maritime heritage), in early 2010 the Basque Cultural Institute began to collect several accounts by people of the sea.

Pesca del atún (© Altxa Mutillak)

Committed to making all these accounts and documents collected available, the Basque Cultural Institute has decided to produce and disseminate the "Itsasturiak - People of the Sea" mobile multimedia exhibition.

This exhibition created by the Basque Cultural Institute provides an insight into the life of Basque sailors from the port of Saint-Jean-de-Luz/Ciboure through accounts, documentaries and photograph collections available for consultation.

It helps us to understand this closed world in three languages - Basque, French and Spanish - through accounts and stories told by those who experienced the port and fishing (72 original extracts, six hours of filmed interviews): the sailors themselves and also their wives, fish merchants and nurses who followed them.

Further details:

• "Itsasturiak, people of the sea" exhibition: photos