The plenary session of the Parliament of the Canary Islands unanimously agreed this Wednesday to amend the anthem of the Canary Islands to adapt it to the 2018 reform of the Statute of Autonomy, so that the lyrics will no longer mention "seven rocks," but rather "eight rocks."
The anthem of the Canary Islands, approved in 2003, is based on the melody Arrorró, from Teobaldo Power's Cantos Canarios, and the lyrics at the time included the verse "Divided into seven islands," consistent with the then-current Statute of Autonomy, which described the archipelago as seven islands.
But in the 2018 statutory reform, La Graciosa is recognized as an island of the archipelago, administratively attached to Lanzarote, and defines the spatial scope of the Canary Islands to include seven islands with their own administration and, in addition, the island of La Graciosa and the islets of the Chinijo archipelago
The six groups proposing this initiative, all except Vox, which also voted in favor, have considered this symbolic adaptation opportune, stating that it "does not alter the melody, does not modify the protection or use regime of the anthem, and does not affect the coat of arms or the flag of the Canary Islands".
The aim is "to align an official symbol of high public projection with the current Statute of Autonomy, fostering coherence between institutional emblems and recognizing La Graciosa in the collective imagination that the anthem projects," explains the initiative, which still needs to be processed in Parliament to become official
The Canary Islands anthem will be as follows:
"I am the shadow of an almond tree,
I am volcano, saltpeter, and lava.
Spread across eight rocks, the pulse of my soul beats.
I am the history and the future,
a heart that illuminates the dawn of islands that awaken, sailing on hope.
Fighters in nobility, they contend in the clean arena of freedom.
This is the beloved land:
my Canary Islands.
As one being, together they will dream a murmur of peace over the wide sea".
In their speeches, all groups showed their support for this initiative.
Marcos Bergaz, from the PSOE, highlighted that gestures and symbols are important, and in this case, it will contribute to everyone's effort to overcome the triple insularity and achieve equality for all Canarians.
David Toledo, from CC, considered that it is not just a technical modification, but an act of justice.
Rebeca Paniagua, from the PP, emphasized that "we are not correcting an anthem, we are completing it".
For Luis Campos, from Nueva Canarias, the anthem forgot a part of the archipelago, when "Canarias are eight inhabited islands and each one of them has meaning".
Nicasio Galván, from Vox, announced his group's favorable vote. Jesús Ramos Chinea defended that "to be a people, we must all be included, each and every one," and Raúl Acosta, from AHI, stated that "this gesture shows that in the Canary Islands, no one is superfluous and that we all contribute."