On Sunday night, August 24, the José Ramírez Cerdá park, in the heart of Arrecife, beat again to the rhythm of our roots. With full capacity, the 36th edition of the Farmers' Festival was held, this year with the evocative slogan 'Songs and Steps'. It was an evening of emotions, memory and cultural resistance that once again demonstrated that tradition is not a thing of the past, but a living present that is renewed in each note, in each step and in each voice.
At 9:30 p.m., the first chords of Soy de Aquí, an emblematic piece by the timple player Benito Cabrera, started the show. Masterfully performed by Pedro Guerra and Samuel Fumero, surrounded by Los Campesinos, the song was a declaration of identity, eliciting the first applause of the night. Those who could not find a seat followed attentively through the side screens, also witnesses of the collective emotion.
Under the musical direction of professor Carmelo Pérez and the artistic direction of Miguel Ángel Corujo, Los Campesinos managed, once again, to more than fulfill the objectives of this unavoidable event on the Lanzarote cultural calendar.
One of the most heartfelt moments of the night came from Beni Ferrer, an essential voice of island music, who performed El viejo del Mar, an emotional tribute to the recently deceased Pepe Borges, founder and musical director of Amigos de Portonao. His legacy, closely linked to the port traditions of old Arrecife, was honored with the same authenticity with which he lived music.
After this heartfelt tribute. Los Campesinos filled the stage with color, rhythm and tradition. The dance troupe, women and men with bare feet, displayed on the stage a sequence of popular dances that included Folías, Sorondongo, Seguidillas and Malagueñas. Each choreography, carefully woven with the voices of the soloists and the touch group, were greeted with warm applause by the public, who did not miss a detail of each movement.
The second part of the festival was in charge of the Grupo de Música Popular Tigaray directed by Samuel Fumero, who came from Los Realejos, in Tenerife, which commemorates its 40th Anniversary. Their performance became a shared celebration when they joined the stage with Pedro Guerra to perform songs such as Cathaysa la niña Guanche, Dracaena, Debajo del Puente and Mararía, among others.
Pedro Guerra, alone, with his inseparable guitar, offered an intimate interpretation of themes such as El Marido de la Peluquera and Contamíname, generating an atmosphere of complicity that enveloped the park in respectful silence.
For its part, Tigaray also had its space to shine alone, with themes such as Popurrí a los 40, Isa del Periñan and el Zagalejo, thus closing a night of musical brotherhood between islands and generations.
Once again, the Farmers' Festival was much more than an artistic event, it was an act of cultural resistance, a collective song to memory and a celebration of the popular soul. Thanks to the unwavering commitment of Los Campesinos and all those who make this meeting possible, the legacy remains alive and in constant motion.
Because as long as there are those who sing and those who dance, there will always be a future for our roots.