PHOTOS: Sergio Betancort
In front of a practically full room, Juan Marrero Portugués presented his book 'César Manrique y Pepín Ramírez. Dos líderes canarios en su contexto histórico' (César Manrique and Pepín Ramírez. Two Canarian leaders in their historical context) this Thursday at the César Manrique Foundation. In addition to the large audience, various authorities from different institutions in Lanzarote and personalities from the world of culture attended the presentation of this work, which delves into the personality but also into the contributions of these figures.
Marrero himself was in charge of presenting his work, for which he was accompanied by the president of the Foundation, José Juan Ramírez, and Fernando Gómez Aguilera, author of the book's prologue. Among those attending the event were, among others, the first vice president and the councilors of Culture, Territorial Policy and Education of the Cabildo, the first deputy mayor of Arrecife and the mayor of Teguise. The former island director of Education, currently linked to the Mercedes Medina Díaz Association, also attended.
The book, in addition to addressing the contributions of Manrique and Ramírez, "reconstructs a vigorous frieze of Lanzarote life in the fifties and sixties," explained the Foundation. "It provides the testimony of an actor and a privileged observer, close to the protagonists of the book, remembering some crucial years for the island. At that time, the great contemporary changes that radically transform Lanzarote take place. Without the contributions of César Manrique and Pepín Ramírez that are unraveled in these pages, they could not be understood," they add.
The author's "precise memories" are reflected in this work, as well as "the rich information he handles, the strength of his expression and the privileged position from which he was associated with that stage." Marrero Portugués, who has been distinguished as a Favorite Son of both the island of Gran Canaria and the city of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, is the author of other works such as 'El espíritu de Tirma' (The spirit of Tirma) or 'El Viera y Clavijo, un colegio irrepetible' (El Viera y Clavijo, an unrepeatable school). He was first deputy mayor of the Arrecife City Council and second of the Gran Canaria capital and also served as a prosecutor in the Courts.
