The Cultural Center of Playa San Juan hosted yesterday the first island meeting Tenerife Migrant, driven by the Council of Tenerife next to the Isorano Town Hall, to celebrate the International Day of Migrants. The mayoress, Josefa Mesa; the Minister of Social Action, Marián Franquet, and the Minister of Citizen Participation and Diversity, Nauzet Gugliotta, participated in the event that brought together more than 100 associations linked to the Tenerife Isla Solidaria program, dependent on Sinpromi, which operate on the Island with actions directed at migrants.
Nauzet Gugliotta pointed out that “this action has had the objective of providing migrants with a meeting space in which to share with the entities and associations that work to assist the collective in Tenerife». He highlighted that “the public has been able to get closer to different cultures and enjoy multiple activities.”
Marián Franquet alluded to the fact that the presence of as many associations and collectives as possible that represent migrants in Tenerife “approaches us to their reality and to know their experiences and needs”.
Josefa Mesa indicated that “Guía de Isora has been characterized by be a welcoming people, open to the coexistence of many cultures» (60 nationalities have lived together). Hosting an event of these characteristics “reaffirms our commitment, together with the Cabildo de Tenerife, to promote activities that favor the meeting,” added the mayoress.
Gugliotta valued the work carried out by the Cabildo for diversity, in collaboration with entities, groups and administrations, “to sensitize the public about the importance of interculturality as a tool for social inclusion”. In his opinion, “generating this type of spaces for coexistence helps us plan actions together.” Along with this, the work of volunteering at the local level is valued.
The event offered the public a varied program of aactivities on the culture and traditions of various countries. Among the workshops, typical Colombian and Venezuelan dances and parades, Argentine tangos, Bulgarian, Lithuanian and Ukrainian folk dances and songs were enjoyed, as well as storytelling, Chinese calligraphy, kung fu, tai chi, and wood carving from the Lithuanian community.
There was also a space for pprojection of documentaries Seniors around the worldY Bulgaria, a place to discoveras well as from the Lithuanian film The light by Jonas Mekas, along with four photographic exhibitions that brought the viewer closer to the reality of the Saharawi refugee camps and the situation of migrants in different territories.
The public toured some twenty exhibitors and information panels of the Senegalese associations Diapo, For the Freedom of the Saharawi People, Sierra Leone in Canary Islands, Retirees of the Cabildo, Building Dreams for Equality, Equity and the Development of the Human Being, and Senegalese Women in Yakaar Spain, among others. During the day, debates and colloquiums were held with emigration professionals, who shared experiences, projects and advice on good practices with migrants.
