The Auditorium of Jameos del Agua hosted on Wednesday afternoon a tribute to the writer from Lanzarote, José Betancort, known under the pseudonym of Ángel Guerra on the occasion of the Day of Canarian Literature.
The institutional event was held on the artist's native island and was attended by the Minister of Universities, Science, Innovation and Culture of the Government of the Canary Islands, Migdalia Machín, and the Vice President of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Jacobo Medina, who took a tour of the career and work of this writer from Teguise. Likewise, dance, music and theater scenes were also created from the show designed by Quino Falero, also from Lanzarote.
During her speech, Migdalia Machín described how the author of La Lapa was "a witness to inequalities and committed to his land, in the Canary Islands of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Our honoree lived in the Lanzarote of that time: a hard and difficult land for our generations then, a land as beautiful as it was hostile for the people of Lanzarote who struggled to overcome themselves day by day and win the battle for survival."
The show dedicated to his figure featured the dance performance of Acerina H. Toledo, as well as different theatrical pieces adapted from the author's texts, all with a staging that enhanced the landscape of Lanzarote with its volcanic landscape, salt flats and omnipresence of the sea. The event was broadcast in streaming and can be viewed again on the Youtube channel Apúntate a la Cultura and the Facebook account Día de las Letras Canarias.
2024 will be a year of opportunities to disseminate the work of this author from Lanzarote, whose social commitment was the engine with which he built a life of literary publications and political exercise. In addition, Guerra's prominence in this edition coincides with the 150th anniversary of his birth.
Ángel Guerra (Teguise, 1874- Madrid, 1950) was born in Teguise as José Bentacort Cabrera and had a fascinating career in Spain in the early 20th century. Thus, he was a friend of Benito Pérez Galdós, Emilia Pardo Bazán, Carmen de Burgos and Manuel de Falla. Of humble origin, his work stood out especially for giving visibility to the ways of life of the most disadvantaged of his native island. He is the author of about thirty books between narrative, essay and poetry. He spoke several languages and translated foreign works, with special willingness to disseminate those of female authors.
It should be remembered that the Government of the Canary Islands has instituted since 2006 the celebration of the Day of Canarian Literature, which takes place every February 21. The choice of this event as a commemorative date is due to the fact that on that same day of the year 1813 the death of José de Viera y Clavijo took place, which constitutes a clear exponent of Canarian literature. Each year, in addition to the figure of the illustrated polygraph, a special tribute is paid to an author, whose merits the Canarian community wishes to highlight, promoting knowledge of his life and work.
