The plenary session of the Cabildo de Tenerife approved, last Thursday, the granting of honorary distinctions to a total of 29 people for their contribution to the cultural, social, political and economic development of the Island, of which 21 are women. This initiative tries to correct the imbalance that exists between men and women in the recognitions that the Island Corporation has granted throughout its history. In fact, from the group Sí Podemos Canarias they affirmed, in February of last year, that between the years 1961 and 2021, only 3 women had received some institutional recognition, compared to the 54 men or the 48 institutions that have been awarded by the Cabildo .
In addition, the Plenary also approved a motion, at the proposal of Sí Podemos Canarias, to start the file for honors and distinctions and award the Island’s Gold Medal in favor of Carla Antonelli, an activist and politician from Tenerife, noted for her defense of the rights of LGTBI people.
Specifically, among the twenty awards approved, it was agreed to grant the title of Adoptive Daughter to Teresa Giraldez Fernández and María Luisa Tejedor Salguero.
Teresa Giraldez Fernández (Madrid, 1973) is a doctor in Biochemistry and has trained in Biophysics, Physiology and Neuroscience. She has been working on ion channels for more than 25 years and combines research with teaching at ULL since 2006, where she also directs her research group. Throughout her career she has received various awards.
Marisa Tejedor Salguero (Burgos, 1949) is a PhD in Biological Sciences from the ULL and a professor of Pedology and Agricultural Chemistry, as well as former rector of said University between 1990 and 1995, being the first woman to hold that position. Since 2008 she has been part of the Scientific Council of the National Committee of the Unesco MaB Program, being its president since 2012. She has presented and defended the Proposals for New Biosphere Reserves of Anaga, La Gomera and Fuerteventura, which were approved.
posthumously
The Cabildo also approved granting the distinction of Adoptive Daughter, posthumously, to Vicki Penfold, Nivaria Tejera Montejo, Madeleine Bonneaud, Eve-María Zimmermann, María Mérida Pérez, Edith Maillard Blanchard and Isabel Hernández Marichal.
Vicki Penfold (Poland, 1918 – Puerto de la Cruz, 2013) is an artist who arrived in Tenerife in 1964. Her work was mainly paintings applying different techniques, as well as sculptures and engravings. She not only brought innovative practices for artistic learning to the Island, she also contributed to the renewal of the landscape genre, according to information provided by the Cabildo.
Nivaria Tejera Montejo (Cuba, 1930 – Paris, 2016). Very soon her family moved to Spain and it was in Tenerife where she spent her childhood and where they were surprised by the civil war and her father was imprisoned until 1944, when the family returned to Cuba. Tejera was a poet and novelist and is the author of El barranco, the first work on the Spanish Civil War in the Canary Islands.
Madeleine Bonneaud, (France, 1921 – Madrid, 1992), also known as Maud Domínguez, was a French surrealist multidisciplinary artist who stood out in the discipline of enamel. In 1943 she moved to Paris and came into contact with the surrealist group and with Spanish artists in Paris, close to Picasso, and she married the Canarian painter Óscar Domínguez, until 1954. She was part of the project called Las Doce .
Eve-María Zimmermann (Tanzania, 1935 – San Miguel de Abona, 2012), an artist of German origin who has lived in San Miguel de Abona since 1971. She turned to painting, which was a novelty for her contemporaries. Since the late 1980s, she has been linked to the activities of Sala Conca. She highlights her interest in representing the unreal, the dreamlike, the imagined.
María Mérida Pérez (El Hierro, 1925 – Candelaria, 2022) was one of the most representative voices of Canarian folklore, she not only performed in Spain, but also, with her art, her voice and her personality, she traveled the world carrying the song canary wherever he went.
Edith Maillard Blanchard (France, 1906 – Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 1961) arrived on the island with her husband in 1936, where they opened the Covadonga Clinic. Well-known people from the capital of Tenerife and members of the French and French-speaking colony passed through her house. The marriage helped intellectuals who needed refuge. Edith, who had the title of midwife, fought for the improvement of the sanitary conditions of mothers and their sons and daughters.
Isabel Hernández Marichal (La Gomera, 1909 – Tenerife, 1983) was an activist and labor leader who fought for freedoms and social justice. She participated in various tobacco union strikes and conflicts. She was detained many times due to the continuous processes of social unrest and/or union conflicts.
Likewise, the Cabildo also approved granting the recognition of Favorite Daughter to Carolina Martínez Pulido, Carmen Pitti García and Adriana de Lorenzo-Cáceres Rodríguez. And, posthumously, these distinctions have been extended to the figures of Pilar Lojendio Crosa, Mercedes Machado Machado, Clemencia Hardisson Wouters and María Joaquina Viera y Clavijo.
Favorite Daughters
Carolina Martínez Pulido (Argentina, 1950), whose mother was from La Palma, is a biologist, teacher, epistemologist and disseminator of the feminist perspective in the history of science. She is a doctor in Biology at the ULL, specializing in the in vitro regeneration of the Canary Island pine. She is the author of several books.
Carmen Pitti García (Granadilla de Abona) is a lawyer and was the first dean of the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Bar Association and also the first Canarian lawyer appointed vice-president of the General Council of Spanish Lawyers. Along with this intense professional work, she has carried out charitable work.
Adriana de Lorenzo-Cáceres Rodríguez (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 1983) is a PhD in Astrophysics and a Physics graduate from the ULL. She is a national and international benchmark in the world of Astrophysics thanks to her work, mainly at the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias. Her main line of research is Extragalactic Archaeology.
Pilar Lojendio (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 1931-1989) was a poet and one of the best-known voices of her time, especially during the 1960s and 1970s. From a very young age, she actively participated in cultural life, linked to names like Domingo Pérez Minik, Andrés Pérez Faraudo and Pedro García Cabrera, among others.
Mercedes Machado Machado (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 1896 – 1970) was the first woman to complete her Law studies at the ULL and the first lawyer on the Island. Since 1936, she combined her work activity with teaching, receiving the Alfonso Medal X The Wise.
Clemencia Hardisson Wouters (La Laguna, 1908 – 2000) was born into a family of Franco-Belgian origin belonging to the commercial bourgeoisie in Tenerife, and from a very young age she became involved in the anti-fascist struggle. She carried out important social work in the Laguna neighborhood of Gracia, allocating a good part of her property to the most needy families and for public use.
María Joaquina Viera y Clavijo (Puerto de la Cruz, 1737 – Gran Canaria, 1819) is the first Canarian writer whose texts are preserved. She was part of the circle of illustrious figures from the Canaries of the Enlightenment period.
Gold medals
Finally, the Plenary endorsed the proposal for the award of Gold Medals to Soraya González del Rosario, Raquel Lojendio, María Isabel Nazco Hernández, Elena Lecuona Monteverde and Lola del Castillo.
Soraya González (Buenavista del Norte, 1961) is one of the most renowned personalities on the Canarian theater scene, with her work as an actress and later as a businesswoman and theater producer. In 1991 she became part of the Delirium Teatro company.
Raquel Lojendio (Santa Cruz de Tenerife) is recognized in the musical field for having developed a solid career as a soprano and her uniqueness is based on the highly heterogeneous repertoire she has covered.
María Isabel Nazco Hernández (Los Llanos de Aridane, 1938) is a plastic artist who stands out both for her extensive career and for the varied techniques and themes she covers, with works present in numerous museums and halls nationally and internationally. In 2021, she received the Canarias de Bellas Artes Award.
Elena Lecuona Monteverde (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 1944) is a great artist from Tenerife, endowed with a refined pictorial technique, she represents still lifes or natures of an enigmatic force in her works. During the 70s she was linked to Sala Conca.
Lola del Castillo (La laguna) was another of the few active artists during the 1970s, exhibiting at Sala Conca as well. Her interest in experimenting and exploring the expressive laws of drawing and painting has marked her trajectory.
