The headquarters of the César Manrique Foundation of Taro de Tahíche (Lanzarote) will host next Thursday, December 13, at 8:00 p.m., the presentation of 'Canarian Identity: Writings on cultural heritage and the dissemination of the past' by A. José Farrujia de la Rosa. The author will be accompanied by Borja Rubio, Bachelor of Political Science and Secretary of Politics and Institutional Activity of Somos Lanzarote, and Raúl Vega, journalist and project coordinator of the Tamaimos Canary Foundation.
The book collects articles and short essays by A. José Farrujia de la Rosa, published between 2005 and 2018 in the written press and magazines, including Tamaimos.com. The texts present as a common thesis the recovery of forgotten memory and the enhancement of the signs of identity of Canarian cultural heritage. "In a scenario that is moving towards unstoppable globalization, Farrujia is committed to cultural resistance as a way of enhancing the heritage of the islands. The neglect of a certain type of heritage is analyzed from the perspective of the Doctor of History, in parts that make up a whole. Writings of a more informative nature are also included," explain from the Tamaimos Canary Foundation.
The volume includes recipes "to complete the Canarian cultural imaginary, with elements despised by political and economic whims, impregnated by a common element, colonialism." In the words of Gonzalo Ruiz Zapatero, professor of Prehistory at the Complutense University and author of the prologue to the volume, "the book proposes to recover memory in times of forgetfulness, to vindicate all history against a manipulated and manipulative history and to build a conception of archaeological heritage that transmits knowledge, pride of belonging and critical sense to all citizens."
About the author
José Farrujia holds a PhD in History (ULL Prehistory and Archeology Program), Extraordinary Doctorate Award, Antonio Rumeu de Armas journalistic award for historical research, member of the Spanish Society of History of Archeology, the History of Archeology Research Network (University College London) and the European Association of Archaeologists.
He is the author of several books, including 'Imperialist Archeology in the Canary Islands?' (2005), the first academic book in English on Canarian archeology, published in Oxford by British Archeological Reports; 'In search of the Guanche past?', presented in December 2011 at the University of La Sorbonne in Paris by Professor Alain Schnapp, author of the book's prologue; and 'An archeology of the margins. Colonialism, Amazighity and heritage management in the Canary Islands' (2013), published by Springer, in New York. His latest books are the updated and expanded edition of his doctoral thesis 'Ab initio' (2014), and together with Tarek Ode, 'Written in stone', 'The rock art of the Canary Islands' (2014) and 'The indigenous heritage of the Canary Islands. Archeology and management from the margins' (2016). He has curated several exhibitions, including 'Written in stone' (2015).
The volume belongs to the Alongues Collection, which includes socio-political publications. 'Canarian Identity: Writings on cultural heritage and the dissemination of the past' filled the MAC Room (Mutua de Accidentes de Canarias) in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and the Club La Provincia of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria last Friday, October 26. The book is one of the best sellers in November in the Canary Islands according to the Dragaria portal, which takes data from the Spanish Confederation of Guilds and Associations of Booksellers (Cegal).
