The mayor of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, José Manuel Bermúdez, yesterday presided over the institutional act of Opening of the Commemoration of the 225th Anniversary of The Gesta of July 25, 1797which took place in the Plenary Hall of the City Council, in which he recalled the importance of the historical milestone, not only for Santa Cruz, but for all of Tenerife.
The mayor highlighted in his speech that “we are facing one of the most important commemorations on the calendar of this capital” and argued that “it is a historical milestone that we must remember, year after year, so that its roots in the collective conscience of the chicharreros be fully effective.”
The municipal councilor explained that “the Gesta of July 25 It is a historical fact that marks a before and after, not only for Santa Cruz de Tenerife, but for the entire Island” and added that “the Gesta speaks to us of cooperation, of collective construction, of a feeling of belonging, of union, of popular connection to a land that, with the difficulties of distance, was struggling to become a determining enclave in the Atlantic”.
In addition, he explained that “those days in July represented the awakening of a people, who were attacked by the invader, by those who arrived in their ships loaded not only with men, weapons and cannons, but also with a culture, a language and a way of coping with a completely alien existence.
“That union, which was successful 225 years ago -he continued-, should serve as an example to overcome the adversities that are presented to us today, and which are not few. It is time, therefore, to value the work of those who have been able to keep alive, even leading to excellence, a commemoration that, over the next few days, as we have reiterated on other occasions, will bring new the smell of gunpowder to the streets of the capital”.
The mayor wanted to make a special mention of the figure of the former president of the reenactors, Javier Gorostiza, whom he said “was a source of pride for this city.” He concluded by talking about the future, which must happen to bring the youngest closer to this historical event, as well as the need for a stable space to remember the Gesta, which he hopes will be in the Paso Alto Castle.
The General Chief of the Canary Islands Command, Alejandro Escámez; the official chronicler of the city, José Manuel Ledesma, and the professor of Geography and History, Amós Farrujia Coello, who gave a lecture on the Canarian militias, accompanied the mayor during the institutional act, after which the re-enactors staged a parade.
