The Council of Tenerifeisland councils and 56 groups join forces to collect on a web page 120 files intended to inventory, disseminate and preserve the heritage traditions of Tenerife in the form of cultural projects, parties, historical recreations or ethnographic rescues. The insular president, Pedro Martín, points out that “it is the first website in Canary Islands which brings together, as an inventory, all the cultural and historical heritage that defines us, with the aim of protecting and bringing the population closer to its hallmarks with the rural world as its axis ».
The Tradiciones de Tenerife platform has been prepared together with some 70 entities and town halls to be used as a didactic tool in schools on the Island. The event was attended by a large group of representatives of collectives and municipalities.
Pedro Martín highlights “a necessary project, on which we have been working for years.” He values ”a living platform, which will be updated and completed.”
The tool is intended for both residents and tourists. In this sense, the manager of the Tenerife Rural Foundation, Jorge de Miguel explains that the next step is the “translation, first of all into English”. He values that of the 120 references, 82 are already uploaded and the rest are waiting for the signing of protocols with the groups due to data protection issues. De Miguel details the content that can be found on the page, where it is possible to access by municipality or by the tradition that is sought.
For his part, the counselor Javier Parrilla assures that this website “reflects the desire for public service of the Tenerife Rural Foundation and is a sign of solidity, roots, foundations and cultural expression of our Canarian culture.” Guadalberto Hernández (Corazones de Tejina) and Ceci Pío (Las Tradiciones de Arafo) value this new resource.
The platform gathers, as an inventory, information on historical recreations, dances, routes and popular identity festivals, such as dances, liveries and boats, as well as cultural projects and events such as the Day of the Threshing, the traditional harvest of Icod el Alto or the water route, in Adeje. The page also includes a calendar of activities, traditions or festivities for each month, dates and municipalities of celebration.
Courses to learn artisan trades
The Cabildo de Tenerife programs eleven courses to learn traditional artisan trades. The Minister of Socioeconomic Development, Carmen Luz Baso, emphasizes that they are aimed at the general population and seek to “guarantee the sustainability and generational renewal of an activity with a high cultural component.” In March, the first four courses will be taught, for which all places have already been filled and, starting in April, another seven training initiatives are planned, the registration period for which will open soon. Baso, highlights the good reception of the program, organized by the Museum of Ibero-American Crafts of Tenerife (MAIT) “to help preserve part of the cultural heritage that make up the traditional crafts of Tenerife.” In March there are four courses planned: initiation to embroidery, openwork, rosette and basketry. The 2023 Craft Training Plan will continue from April to September. | JDM
