St. Tammany Parish Library presents Michel-Antoine Goitia-Nicolas speaking about “500 years of Basque History in America and Louisiana”.

The Basques are indigenous people of northern Spain and southern France who have lived along the western Pyrenees Mountains. The language of the Basques is called Euskera, which is not related to any known language and is thought to be the oldest living language in Europe.

Mr. Michel-Antoine Goitia-Nicolas is currently the President of the Louisiana Basque Society and Cultural Society also known as LABASCO, which promotes Basque Cultural awareness throughout Louisiana. He lectures on Basque History in relation to Louisiana & the Gulf South region. Originally from Trois Rivieres Quebec, Canada, Mr. Nicolas’ family moved to Chicago, Illinois. There he attended Champagne Urbana University where he was the youngest student in attendance. He continued his studies at UCLA, Boston College, and completed a Theological degree at seminaries, in New York, Athens, Greece and Russia. He speaks nine languages.

The lecture will begin with Basques in prehistoric and ancient history, covering the rise of the Basque nation, to world-wide Basque influences and contributions including Basque creoles and Basque names and faces found in Louisiana today.

The program will be offered at Causeway Branch Library, 3457 Highway 190, Mandeville, on Saturday, April 21, 2012 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, and registration is recommended. Seating space is limited to adults. Please stop by the Causeway Branch or call 985-626-9779 to register, or register online at http://register.stpl.us/evanced/lib/eventcalendar.asp. Visit our website www.sttammanylibrary.org for more information on library sponsored adult programs