To mark World Mental Health Day, the Asociación Salud Mental El Cribo held an emotional gala last Saturday at the Teatro Municipal de San Bartolomé, an event that once again became a meeting of commitment, visibility, and hope.
From 7:00 p.m., the theater welcomed a diverse audience composed of family, friends, supporters, and professionals who have accompanied the Association over the years.
The gala began with welcoming remarks from the president of El Cribo, Rosa María González, whose sensitivity and dedication continue to be the driving force behind this project that is now a benchmark on the island. Her speech, profound and committed, set the emotional tone for an unforgettable evening.
Next, Mónica de León, Councilor for Equality and Youth of the San Bartolomé City Council, a key collaborating institution in the organization of the gala, took the floor. Her presence symbolized the institutional support for the cause of Mental Health.
Music could not be missing, and thanks to the group Invictores, made up of Leti, Javier, Miguel, and Txelu, the theater vibrated to the rhythm of rock, bringing energy and emotion with a repertoire that was very well received by the audience.
One of the most significant moments came with the reading of the Manifesto for World Mental Health Day, by Leticia Pardo and Juan Gabriel Quintana, active members of El Cribo. Both also offered a valuable personal reflection on mental health, connecting with everyone present from their lived experience.
The gala also included the participation of psychiatrist D. Julio Santiago Obeso, an endearing figure for the association. Although retired from clinical practice, his involvement with El Cribo remains intact. Creator of the program La Ovejita Negra, broadcast for many years on Radio Lanzarote, his intervention was a testimony full of humanity, wisdom, and hope.
Writer and physiotherapist Lorena Curbelo moved the audience with the performance of her story In Your Gaze, a work full of tenderness and sensitivity that invites us to see beyond appearances, conveying a message of empathy and acceptance that touched many hearts.
One of the most anticipated moments of the night was the screening of the official music video for the song Ovejita Negra (Black Sheep), with lyrics by Rosa María González and music by Arnold de Bonilla, which has already become a true anthem for those who champion difference, authenticity, and the right to be oneself.
As a culmination, the El Cribo Choir, directed by Arnold Bonilla himself, performed the song Ovejita Negra live. It was a moment of profound collective emotion: patients, family members, and collaborators raised their voices in unison to remind us that mental health is also defended by singing. The audience, standing, bid farewell to the artists with a warm ovation, thus closing a gala that, like every year, is not just any gala.
From here, our sincerest thanks to all the people and institutions that make it possible for El Cribo to continue being a beacon of humanity, commitment, and hope.
