The cultural diversity of the migrant communities on the Island was concentrated a few days ago in a single place, the municipality of Candelaria, and even, in a single act, a lunch for interculturality. More than 200 people from dozens of groups from all over Tenerife They participated in the IX Fraternization Meal, organized by the insular strategy Juntas En la misma dirección in Cueva del Gofio. There they shared the different cultural manifestations that contribute to Tenerife society and experienced the enormous value of coexistence.
This time love literally entered through the stomach. Beyond a gastronomic event to taste typical dishes from the different communities of foreigners living in Tenerife, it was a day to embrace the richness that interculturality represents for the development of the Island.
“Multiculturalism is a reality that unites us and interculturality is the dream that the people who were at this diversity party that was the fraternization meal have.” This is stated by Luz Soto Ordóñez, a participant in Diálogo Interreligioso Tenerife and one of the more than 200 people who gathered in the middle of Villa Mariana.
In addition to jointly enjoying the artistic representations of some of the more than 170 origins present on the Island, they shared spaces for the exchange of ideas in favor of generating intercultural coexistence, the objective pursued by Juntas In the same direction, the management strategy of cultural diversity, promoted by the Island Council and the University of La Laguna (ULL).
The expert
In the words of the ULL Geography professor and director of the strategy, Vicente Zapata Hernández, “at the fraternization meal we interact, we combine each other’s ideas, we talk, we reach agreements and that gives us the opportunity to get to know each other in a space relaxed exchange”. In this area, the expert adds, “complicity and new initiatives are generated to continue addressing coexistence on this culturally diverse Island.”
A task in which the eight groups that make up the Boards participate throughout the year. These are Tenerife Interreligious Dialogue, Tenerife Anti-Rumour Strategy, Group Against Gender Violence, Social Participation Group, Youth for Diversity, Amiguitos and Amiguitas Children’s Participation, El Fraile Citizen Participation and Taco Citizen Participation for all.
All these groups were present at the ninth edition of an annual party that is organized through the diverse people that make them up. In addition, there was no lack of members of other communities with an important presence on the Island, such as those from China, the Dominican Republic or Venezuela.
«Here we meet all the participation groups, we value the actions that are carried out to promote interculturality, we exchange ideas and we meet new people who also have a lot to contribute». It is explained by Pilar Morales Abadía, from El Fraile Citizen Participation.
For Tello, from the Venezuela Solidarity Association, “Venezuelans are present in numerous countries and in the migratory process you learn a lot, especially interculturality, to include and feel included. And this is experienced in the fraternization meal ».
