Kukutza

Kukutza was a gaztetxe (self-managed social centre) in the neighbourhood of Recalde, Bilbao. It operated as a squatted free space between 1996 and 2011. It was used as a youth, unemployed and cultural centre. In those 15 years it had 3 different buildings. The first one, Kukutza I, was used in 1996 and just for 3 months, then Kukutza II in 1998 and for 2 months, and finally, Kukutza III, open between 1998 and 2011 and had a large activity programme. It was set in an abandoned factory and closed in 2011 because it was violently evicted by the police.^[1]

From the very beginning, Kukutza provided the neighbours of Recalde with cultural and spare time activities, which were not offered by institutions. In the case of Kukutza III, it was a meeting place for many local groups. Moreover, it had influences in the whole of Bilbao and even started being a reference point for artists from all over the Basque country.^[2]