The Lanzarote memorialist and official chronicler of the Parranda Marinera de Buches Óscar Torres Perdomo presented the Parranda's website.
The event took place at twelve noon at the Agustín de la Hoz House of Culture with a full house. The Councilor for Culture of the Arrecife City Council, Abigail González, was in charge of opening the event with a welcome speech congratulating the author for the interesting and valuable work, of great cultural interest to learn more about the legacy of the Parranda Marinera de Buches.
Subsequently, Juan Antonio Machado, president, and Juan David Machado, secretary and coordinator of Art, Culture and Heritage of the Parranda Marinera, took the floor. Both agreed on the historical and patrimonial value contained in the newly presented website with many sections, all of them very easy to consult. They thanked its author Óscar Torres for the work that he has carried out with such dedication and professionalism, putting it at the service, not only of Los Buches but of all those who want to know in great detail the cultural legacy of the group. Immediately afterwards, he was presented with the 'Honorary Medal', an award given to people and institutions that have stood out for their support and work for the benefit of traditional culture.
Next, Óscar Torres spoke, very excited by the response from the public who at all times were very attentive to his speech, which we publish in full.
"It is a great satisfaction for me to be able to offer you all this website that seems endearing to me. Certainly, I believe so to the extent that the texts contained therein reflect, in some way, part of our most recent cultural history. First of all, I would like to inform you that the presentation of this website is a work of research and compilation over several years and that I wanted to make it available to the population of Lanzarote and all Internet users.
I want to contribute to the enrichment of the historical and cultural heritage of the Parranda Marinera de Buches. That is why I have searched and rummaged in public institutions, in archives, in the media, etc., managing to gather as many documents and files from the past, as well as historical, cultural, patrimonial references, graphic material, interviews and everything that helps to shape the historical memory of the Parranda Marinera de Buches so that, once ordered and classified, making them available to the citizens of Lanzarote are palpable examples of my concern. To inform you all that this website is made with meticulous work, with enjoyment from the heart, and selflessly that I have dedicated a long time to put on our tables part of the essence with which our present has been elaborated.
This website is conceived as a consultation tool, which will serve both as an aid to the student and to anyone interested in the history and heritage of the Parranda Marinera de Buches. Therefore, the objectives that define this work are: To recover, preserve and disseminate the history of the Parranda Marinera de Buches. For all this, I think that this work has come to fill an important gap in the history of the Parranda, thus guaranteeing the survival of our historical traces.
Talking about the Parranda Marinera de Buches is like tearing off a piece of history from the Conejero people without ever knowing what the bottom of the cake tastes like, because the memory of past generations was not captured in any text that would record it. I want to thank all the members of the Parranda who from the first moment decided to collaborate enthusiastically so that this project could go ahead. I would also like to thank the media, without which it would not have been possible to access such abundant documentary material linked to the Parranda Marinera de Buches.
To tell you that with the culmination of this research and compilation project, I hope to contribute modestly to the consolidation of the historical and cultural memory of the Parranda Marinera de Buches so that it extends mainly among young people and is not lost in oblivion. This flagship of the maritime traditions of Arrecife, we cannot limit ourselves to contemplating this Parranda, as someone who takes out a toy for Reyes, no! we must pamper them, we must support them, so that Arrecife never loses this jewel, inheritance of the first inhabitants of this port."
In his speech, Óscar Torres explained to those present through a screen each and every one of the sections and easy access that Internet users can find on the website of the Parranda Marinera de Buches.
At the end, the public stood up with a warm and prolonged applause thanking Óscar Torres Perdomo for his valuable contribution to the traditional culture of Lanzarote.