The International Oral Narration Festival Palabras al Vuelo returns to Lanzarote from September 27 to October 12 with a program, presented this morning at El Almacén, which brings together narrators from Venezuela, Argentina, the United Kingdom, the Canary Islands and the peninsula, with the sponsorship of the Cabildo de Lanzarote, and the collaboration of the town halls of Arrecife, Tías, Haría and Yaiza.
For more than two weeks, 64 activities will be held in theaters, libraries, cultural centers, schools and unique settings such as volcanoes, caves or a boat, reaffirming the island as a benchmark in the art of storytelling.
The Culture Councilor of the Cabildo de Lanzarote, Jesús Machín Tavío, stressed that “this festival represents a valuable bridge between the oral tradition of the Canary Islands and new ways of narrating, uniting voices from all over the world with our island identity. We invite citizens to participate in this experience that reminds us that the story, the word and the imagination are still a living and shared heritage.”
For her part, the Councilor for Education, Ascensión Toledo, said that “in autumn Lanzarote is immersed in the living story of the spoken word; and we are convinced that all the activities programmed with ESO students will sow a seed that will bear fruit in the future, training new speakers and lovers of oral narration.”
Likewise, the organizer of the festival, Cristina Temprano, highlighted the novelties of this year: “We have expanded the number of artists and activities, and as a great novelty we are celebrating a family day, with simultaneous proposals for all ages. From the 30th, the program for adults will begin and we want to highlight the collective functions, which allow the public to discover the enormous diversity of ways of narrating that Palabras al Vuelo brings together.”
A program for all audiences
The festival maintains some of its most recognized hallmarks, such as the route between volcanoes, the experience of listening to stories aboard a catamaran, the collective function Planeta Cuento and the close format of the Casa de Cuentos. There will also be romances, narration training workshops and a day specially designed for families.
The adult program begins on Tuesday, September 30 at Casa Justo (Tías) with the oral narration workshop for mediators by Paloma Balandis, and will continue on Wednesday, October 1 with Dream a Myth, taught by the Scottish narrator Alice Fernbank. On Thursday 2, the Casa de la Cultura de Arrecife will receive María Buenadicha with Pájaros. Some repairs of a war.
On Friday 3, the Merendero La Degollada (Yaiza) will host The Giantess and Other Stories, by Alice Fernbank. On Saturday, October 4, Ernesto Rodríguez Abad will open the day at the Casa Cerdeña in San Bartolomé with the vermouth of stories Como una sirena, and in the afternoon the Sala Buñuel of the CIC El Almacén will host Romer YPunto with Vaya y venga sin que nada lo detenga.
Sunday 5 will be one of the most special days: in the morning, Diego G. Reinfeld will narrate aboard a catamaran, and in the afternoon the Teatro Municipal de Tías will bring together several artists in the collective function Planeta Cuento.
The second week will continue with the workshop Mi historia, juego y ¡acción! by Romer YPunto at Casa Justo (October 7 and 8), the show Romances de tres rumbos at the Teatro La Tegala in Haría (October 10), the Cuentos entre volcanes with Romer YPunto and Diego G. Reinfeld (October 11), and Cuentos con dos latidos by Victoria Gullón and Romer YPunto at the Casona de Femés (October 11). The festival will close on Sunday 12 at the Albergue de Tegoyo (Tías) with the Casa de Cuentos.
Palabras al Vuelo as a family
On Saturday, September 27, the Arrecife Civic Center will host a full day aimed at families, with stories, play areas, creative workshops and a great final concert. From baby stories for girls and boys from 1 to 3 years old, by Cristina Badabadum (Junto al nenúfar) and Elena Revuelta (A volar), to stories for children over 8 years old with Diego G. Reinfeld, passing through fantastic expeditions and collective proposals by narrators such as Catalina Figini, Paloma Balandis and Elena Revuelta herself. The day will conclude with the family concert by Ali Wakhanda, Cuentos que canté soñando, designed to be enjoyed in the company of the whole family.
Complementary activities
The festival also reinforces its social and educational commitment with an extensive program of parallel activities. There will be storytelling sessions at the Residence of the Insular Hospital and at the Tahíche Penitentiary Center, both with agreed access, as well as educational functions in the IES of Lanzarote and in the CEIP of the municipality of Tías. In total, 30 sessions have been organized aimed at students in the 3rd and 4th year of ESO, an initiative made possible thanks to the support of the Department of Education of the Cabildo de Lanzarote and which seeks to sow among the youngest the passion for the word and oral narration.
Practical information
Access to the activities combines free functions, with or without prior reservation, and paid shows with popular prices between 10 and 25 euros. All the information, reservations and the complete program of shows available can be consulted on the website of the Culture Area of the Cabildo de Lanzarote and at www.palabrasalvuelo.com.
