Last Saturday, March 15, the Tradition and Folklore Awards Gala was held in the auditorium of the University of La Laguna, in Tenerife. A fantastic event that brought together a great representation of the folklore and traditions of the Canary Islands.
During the event, there was a space dedicated to Francisco José Navarro. A beloved native of Lanzarote who was recognized for his work and dedication at a regional gala. Emotion and feeling are the words that encompass that moment when Pedro Díaz, with his usual wit, gave way to the recognition of Francisco José.
A video and some words that touched his soul. And full of emotion, he went up on stage and his words were the story of a life in the media that began by chance and that has passed "without me realizing it," said the protagonist. But it didn't end there, when Francisco José was about to leave, Pedro Díaz grabbed his arm and said, "wait, there's more." And the melodies of Lanzarote began to sound in the form of malagueñas on the timple of Pedro Izquierdo and the guitar of Danny Martínez and the voices of Miriam Jiménez and Gustavo Cabrera.
But not only that, but suddenly the dance appears on stage with Víctor Brito at the head, son of Juan Brito who was a friend of Francisco José. And at that moment, emotion ran through the honoree's entire body, with words like: "I will never forget this", "what a marvel", "Pedro, this is too much". Well, it's not too much, everything that is done to recognize the work of figures like Francisco José Navarro is little. And above all, let it serve as gratitude for everything he has given to popular culture for so many years.