On 2 October 2003 the excavators completed the demolition of Artozko and after two weeks defending the village, the village was left under the waters of the Itoiz reservoir. The supporters organized the resistance to stop the project, and two decades later they remembered that solidarity was shown to them in many ways. Solidarity workers have reminded the press that entrepreneurs “not only endangered their lives but suffered dozens of arrests and ill-treatment”: “Neighbours demonstrated dignity in defending their peoples.”

Artozki-Artezki was a resistance project “to turn the people into a creative, cultural and artistic space”. Several artists from Euskal Herria applied for works of art to leave them in towns that wanted to fill with water. The organizers explain that the call was “very successful” and that the church of Artozko became a museum. But remember that the Foral Police and the Civil Guard came in and emptied everything and destroyed it, through excavators. Works have since disappeared: “The police removed works of art from the church, and at least some of them have been in official museums for years.”

Twenty years later they have recovered half of these works: “Recently, anonymously, we have been given 14 out of 31 works.” Works by artists such as: José Luis Zumeta, Juan Gorriti, José Ramón Anda, Txiki Agirre Keixeta and Anton Mendizabal. The works were exhibited on the anniversary of the resistance, from 2 to 10 October in the Station of Pamplona and from 20 October to 4 November in the House of Culture of Aoiz. Two events have also been organised, Itoiz: yesterday and today, 10 October in La Estación and 21 October in Aoiz.

Where are the missing works?

The solidarity of Itoiz has criticized that the treatment given to the works is that received by the inhabitants of the valleys of Irati and Urphus: “It’s a cruel metaphor for the imposition, substation, humiliation and plunder we all suffer against this macroinfrastructure.” They have asked the Government of Navarra who is responsible, where the missing works are, and have considered it inadmissible for the control of these works to have acted “with negligence and diligence”. They call for the creation of a Museum of Art, Memory and Defense of the Earth, with all artworks, to preserve the memory of the peoples destroyed by the Itoiz reservoir.

They denounce the “looting” suffered in 2003, but stress that the anniversary of resistance must also serve for the future, “as a call to continue defending the land”. They require the cessation of the second phase of the Navarre canal and the non-extension of the Yesa reservoir.

At ARGIA we have deepened the issue during this week’s weekly, which will be available on Wednesday in the network.

In this video, Voz collects the words of the solidarity of Itoiz in the presentation of the exhibition: