More than a thousand kilometers separate the Moroccan Rif Mountains, cradle of the Jbala, and Barakaldo, where the last Bertsolari Txapelketa Nagusia (Bertsolaritza Championship) was held. Both are a rich musical bequest of their territories and, despite the distance that separates them, they have many aspects in common that are worth discovering and studying.

Bridging the gap between the two is one of the tasks of the project ORFORCREA of the Institute for Culture and Society. It seeks to analyze the cognitiveinstructions of creativity in verbal art not only through bertsolaritza and Jbala, but also through other traditions such as the oral epic of the former Yugoslavia, medieval Arab poetry, French cantares de gesta... It is being developed by the Russian researcher Sarali Gintsburg thanks to a scholarship Marie Curie of the European Commission.

The poetic texts of these traditions are based on fixed formulas, which have been passed down through the centuries, but they do not remain unchanged: storytellers combine the patterns and give rise to new phrases and meanings. All this refers to the unique capacity of human beings to elaborate and preserve complex traditions over time, and at the same time to innovate and be creative.

A star of Moroccan folklore

One of the ways to delve into these traditions is to go to the people who make it possible to keep them alive. Sarali recently interviewed the Moroccan interpreter Latifa Laaorussia in Frigiliana (Malaga). In Spain she works in a hotel and is just another citizen, but in her homeland she is a star: she has released dozens of albums and returns frequently to perform in galas.

"Latifa's example is very significant. Without knowing how to read or write she is able to retain in her report thousands of letters, old poems and songs that she has managed to compose", Sarali declared to the newspaper La Opinión de Málagawhich recently published a article about her meeting with Latifa.

The following week, the project organized a seminar that dealt with the most recent research on bertsolaritza. It was given by Asier Barandiarán, expert in Basque Philology from the University of the Basque Country.

Both traditions will be able to dialogue in June in Pamplona, at framework of conference , which will include a roundtable with researchers and performers. As a finale, a concert will be held to help strengthen the ties between these cultures.

You can learn more about the research ORFORCREA line in this video. Also, by 'liking' you can help Sarali to attend the congress EuroScience Open Forum.