Photos: Sergio Betancort
A plenary hall of the Arrecife City Council full of public hosted this afternoon the act of reading the proclamation of the San Ginés 2019 festivities, an event with which they have been inaugurated. The great protagonist was Carlos Manrique, who was in charge of doing the honors and starting the patron saint festivities. In addition to the brother of the favorite son, the Mayor of the Arrecife City Council Astrrid Pérez, the Deputy Mayor and Councilor for Culture, Alfredo Mendoza, the President of the Island Council, María Dolores Corujo, the Councilor for Festivities, Nova Kirkpatrick, other members of the government group, several senior officials of the military commands, as well as dozens of residents of Arrecife who did not want to miss the event.
Among those present in the hall was the president of the César Manrique Foundation, José Juan Ramírez, son of Pepín Ramírez, whose centenary is also commemorated. The mayor of Arrecife recalled during her speech. José Ramírez was mayor of Arrecife and president of the Cabildo, in the stage in which Manrique dreamed of the Lanzarote style.
The act began with the mayor, Astrid Pérez, taking the floor, highlighting that this edition of the San Ginés Festivities is one of the most "special", since several outstanding commemorations coincide. First of all, she highlighted, "the 350th anniversary of the first book 'Mandates of the Hermitage of San Ginés".
In addition, during the act, she wanted to remember "the centenary of the birth of two illustrious people, prominent in recent history, and of fond memory for the people of Arrecife and Lanzarote". On the one hand, the former mayor of Arrecife, president of the Cabildo and senator of the II Legislature, José Ramírez Cerdá, and César Manrique, the most relevant artist in the history of the island and who will be honored during this edition of the patron saint festivities. Both were born in 1919 and the Arrecife City Council wanted to remember them during the act.
The mayor of Arrecife wanted to take advantage of this magnificent occasion to talk about "future" and to state that "our capital, Arrecife, is looking forward to numerous challenges, from now on. The transformation of the city is underway. It will not be easy, but we know how to make the changes to achieve its rebirth. The illusion of having a better Arrecife is alive and latent in the hearts of those of us who live and love our city".
"Manrique excited us all and his spirit will continue to excite us for the rebirth of our capital," concluded the mayor.
The Councilor for Festivities of the Arrecife City Council, Nova Kirkpatrick, stressed that "this is my first year as a councilor of the city of Arrecife. I feel an enormous pride in being part of some festivities where traditions are respected without neglecting the necessary changes".
Nova Kirkpatrick stressed that "from today until August 25 we will have events for the whole family with the idea of having fun in a healthy, active way and respecting the idiosyncrasy of our festivities".
A nod to César Manrique.- After the interventions of the mayor, Astrid Pérez, and the Councilor for Festivities Nova Kirkatrick, one of the most anticipated moments arrived: the reading of the proclamation by Carlos Manrique. The artist's brother wanted to highlight the "good transformation that the city of Arrecife has experienced thanks to César's vision". He also briefly reviewed how his life transpired. Carlos Manrique referred to several moments such as his birth in what is now Calle Millares or his great memories lived during the traditional dances on the island.
In this way, once the act of reading the proclamation was finished, the San Ginés 2019 festivities officially began.
