The historic cultural association Parranda Marinera de Buches, a living emblem of the traditional culture of Lanzarote and a reference of the intangible heritage of the Canary Islands, has had a new Board of Directors since this Tuesday. The election was held in the crowded social headquarters of Ico Street, number two, coinciding with the weekly rehearsal of Los Buches and the Parranda Marinera.
The process was carried out with total normality under the supervision of the Electoral Board, whose spokesperson was the dance director Rubén Valiente, acting as witnesses the musical subdirector Miguel Sergio Betancort and the member of the choral group Teresa de Jesús.
By unanimous decision of the members present, Juan Antonio Machado Santana —a member since 1978— was re-elected, who faces a second consecutive term after having led the entity for a biennium (2023-2025) marked by organizational recovery.
He is accompanied by Mencey Rodríguez (vice president), representative of the new generation of bucheros and university student of Tourism; Juan David Machado (secretary), artist and cultural manager linked to the association since childhood; Juan Jesús Hernández (treasurer), veteran member responsible for economic sustainability; Laetitia Padilla (first member), teacher in charge of the educational program aimed at the school population; and Miguel Herrera Guillén (second member), folklorist with a marked social vocation. The assembly also had the voice —without vote— of the honorary members Domingo Anduesa and the former president Paulino García, mainstays of the collective memory of the group, who expressed their support for the new team.
During the meeting, it was highlighted that, in the last year, the association has incorporated more than ten new members of various ages, a fact that confirms the vigor of a project that combines tradition and renewal.
Among the immediate challenges, the Board plans to shore up the foundations of Los Buches and the Parranda Marinera, reactivate the social headquarters as a space for cultural and musical dissemination and expand the dissemination of these traditions among the citizens of Lanzarote and the entire Archipelago.
All of this is intended to add to the countless milestones already achieved, such as: obtaining the Gold Medal of the Government of the Canary Islands 2023, participation in the Seville Expo ’92, presence at WOMAD ’98 and, more recently, at the Keroxen Festival of contemporary culture 2024, among many other achievements.
