The Tenerife Fairgrounds yesterday became a Carnival party with the inauguration of the 6th edition of the Tricontinental Craft Fair, an international exhibition that this year pays tribute to the craft events linked to the carnival festivities of different countries, but in which can also be found all kinds of traditional craft products throughout a total of 160 exhibitors from 14 countries in America, seven from Africa and six from Europe and which can be enjoyed, free of charge, until next November 6 .
A fair that is recovering after the pandemic and with which “we shed light on a new stage, on new opportunities”, valued the president of the Cabildo, Pedro Martín, who highlighted the celebration of the meeting on an island “which is a crossroads between Europe, Africa and America.
“A fair that is very important for Santa Cruz, the Island and the entire Canary Islands is recovered, and that unites three continents around crafts, which are culture, economy and tradition,” added the mayor of Santa Cruz, José Manuel Bermúdez, who emphasized that the capital “contributes to the fair with the largest stand”, where you can enjoy a representation of the Chicharrero Carnival.
For her part, the island councilor for Employment, Economic Development and Foreign Action, Carmen Luz Baso, pointed out that “Tenerife will become the world capital of Carnival this week”, showing this Tricontinental Craft Fair “the talent in a cultural manifestation that it is so ours and at the same time so universal”.
The opening act included the celebration, in the central square of the Fairgrounds, of the show Armonías de Carnaval, directed by Juan Carlos Armas, and in which, through videos and performances, by different groups and with live music, A tribute full of color and rhythm was made to the main carnivals in the world present at the fair, such as Venice (Italy), Barranquilla and the Blacks and Whites of Pasto (Colombia), Oruro (Bolivia), that of Recife (Brazil), the parade of Las Llamadas de Montevideo (Urugay) or that of Callao (Venezuela), ending with a review of the carnivals of various islands of the Archipelago, which turned the Fairgrounds into a real party, a small prelude to what Tenerife will experience again in just 83 days.
Thus, until next November 6 you can enjoy, for example, the spectacular masks of the Oruro Carnival, which the artisans Alfredo Flores and his mother Miriam Correra have brought directly from Bolivia. “We are specialists in making folk masks, and this is an art that is passed down from generation to generation, and my great-grandfather taught it to my grandfather and he taught it to my father and I learned from my father, a cultural heritage that we have and what we have to maintain”, affirmed Alfredo Flores, who explained that “the fundamental dance of the Oruro Carnival is the Diablada, a troupe of devils that represents the fight of good against evil, it is the archangel Miguel who faces the seven deadly sins”.
Likewise, from Europe you can also find a representation of the well-known Carnival of Venice, thanks to the masks made by Alberta Lombardi and the costumes of the renowned tailor Stefano Nicolao, from whose atelier historical costumes are handcrafted for this Carnival, but also for cinema, theater and opera, although the pieces had not yet been able to arrive yesterday morning.
And it is that a couple of stands experienced some logistical delays with containers and Customs on this first day of the fair, as also happened to representatives of Senegal, a country that has been part of this meeting since its first edition, according to Magatte Mbow , president of the Dakar Chamber of Crafts, who was “very happy” to once again participate with his various craft products, such as baskets, furniture or dresses, bags and tablecloths made with typical Senegalese fabrics, such as those shown by Fatou Seck at your booth.
Traditional fabrics and embroidery has also been brought from Veracruz, in Mexico, by the textile designer Yolo Alvarado. “It is a super important opportunity as an artisan to be here because it gives you an international reach and the opportunity to see other arts, such as new techniques, new natural dyes that African artisans handle, for example, pottery…, that generates more inspiration for us” , he claimed.
morning party
The fair opens its doors every day, until November 6, from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., except for November 2 and 3, when the hours will be from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. In addition, tomorrow the fair will remain open until midnight to celebrate the Carnival festival, which will be enlivened by the La Sabrosa orchestra.
Likewise, during the seven days that the fair lasts, various cultural and musical activities, parades, workshops and craft and fashion catwalks will also be held and every day from 7:00 p.m. there will be performances on stage, in addition to parades.
