FUEN Congress in Fryslân: We are ready to fight, but with ideas

“We are ready to fight, but with ideas”, said President Vincze Loránt while opening the Minority Market at the 63th FUEN Congress organised in Leeuwarden/Ljouwert, Fryslân, the Netherlands on the 20 of June 2018.

„We are travellers: we travel from one year to another, from one minority organisation, one minority region to another. We sit together, and we discuss about ourselves and we also present ourselves to the general public as we want the world to know about us. The Minority Market is a great possibility for cultural exchange, as we present our traditions and gastronomy. And from tomorrow on we will exchange ideas, as it is important that we fight for our rights with ideas”, said FUEN President Loránt Vincze  at the opening of the traditional Minority Market. „We are cultures and languages in our own right, we should not ask for permission to use our language, but it is something we have to fight for”, he added, wishing a pleasant stay and a good congress to all  participants.

Geart Benedictus, Chair of the Council of the Frisian Movement, in his presentation of Frisian culture showed a leaping pole, once used not only for sports, but also for hunting and defence. “With this pole one could jump as far as 21,5 meters. But in former times this pole could be used as a weapon. It is a symbol of the Frisian movement. The movement aims to have the Frisian language ubiquitous in public spaces and its culture present as possible in The Netherlands.  We are peaceful, friendly people, but if our language or our identity is threatened, we put an iron tip on the pole, and defend ourselves" - Geart Benedictus welcomed the conference attendees in Leeuwarden, the Frisian town also holding the European Capital of Culture title in 2018.