Entre Amigos honours figures of Canarian folklore and tradition in Telde

The Asociación Cultural Entre Amigos held its latest Honores y Distinciones gala on 31 July at 20.00 at the Teatro Municipal Juan Ramón Jiménez in Telde, recognising the work of individuals and groups committed to defending, preserving and promoting Canarian popular and traditional culture.

The ceremony brought together representatives from the cultural, institutional and social spheres, highlighting work carried out across a range of disciplines — music, folklore, historical research, ethnography, education, sport, carnival and community participation — in service of the archipelago's tangible and intangible heritage. According to the event report published by Onda Guanche, the ceremony was attended by the mayor of Telde, Juan Antonio Peña, and the vice-president of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, Teodoro Sosa, as well as a large number of residents. The musical programme was provided by the groups A.F. Tamaima, A.C. Anzar, A.F. Arazai y Rey, and Tajea y Torna, alongside the Asociación Cultural Entre Amigos itself.

There is a discrepancy between sources over the total number of awards presented. Advance coverage from La Provincia, Canarias7 and the Ayuntamiento de Telde, together with Onda Guanche's post-event report, put the figure at 17 distinctions. However, Onda Guanche's own preview and its interview with the association's president refer to 18 honoured figures.

More than four decades of activity

The Asociación Cultural Entre Amigos was founded in 1984 in the Valle de Jinámar and is currently chaired by Suso Santana. According to La Provincia and the Ayuntamiento de Telde, it has around 300 members and a folklore group made up of approximately 70 people across its music and dance sections. For more than four decades, the association has focused on preserving folklore, training young people, and promoting the customs, music and dances of traditional Canarian culture.

The Councillor for Culture, Juan Martel, noted that the gala recognises those who have devoted part of their lives to safeguarding cultural roots and passing them on to new generations. In an interview with Onda Guanche, president Suso Santana said: "There are many people working quietly, without making a fuss, and it is those people we need to value and thank for what they are doing." Santana also emphasised the importance of volunteering and generational renewal within the associative movement.

The honoured careers

Among those distinguished was Laura Martel, one of the few solo timple players in the Canary Islands, recognised for her career and her work promoting the timple. Also honoured were María del Pino Rodríguez Mendoza, a specialist in folklore, traditional dance and dress; Antonia Ramírez Araña, associated with dance and the preservation of Canarian traditional costume; María Dolores González López, a member of the Agrupación Folclórica Entre Amigos; and María Jacinta Hernández Santana, who has a career spanning several folklore groups.

The list also included historian Isaac Mendizábal Rodríguez, author of Historia de Jinámar; Lidia Esther Sánchez González and José Pedro Suárez del Pino, driving forces behind the Proyecto Cultural de Desarrollo Comunitario de La Aldea; Olympic sportsman José Juan Padilla Cabrera, known as "El Paraca"; and Lorenzo Jiménez Rodríguez, recognised for his career in traditional dance.

Rounding out the list were lyric singer Gabriel Álvarez; timple player Santiago Ayose Morales Santana; dance teacher and director Antonio Miguel Sánchez Monzón; martial arts master and founder of the Jardín Japonés de Telde, Pedro Fleitas González; Antonio Ravelo Hernández, connected to music and the El Calero neighbourhood — honoured posthumously, according to Onda Guanche; former councillor José Suárez Martel; carnival group Murga Los Nietos de SaryMánchez; and ethnographer David Castellano González, founder of AMIDAGUE.