The members of the murga-afilarmónica Las Revoltosas received this Saturday an emotional tribute organized by the San Bartolomé City Council on the occasion of the celebration of their 40th anniversary, to recognize their trajectory and their work during these four decades, in which they have represented the municipality in a multitude of events, always leaving the bar very high.
The event began at 7:00 p.m. with the inauguration of a photographic exhibition installed in the pedestrian area in the vicinity of Casa Cerdeña, which was attended by the mayor, Isidro Pérez, the Councilor for Festivities, Estefanía Luzardo, and other councilors from the government group and the opposition, along with numerous residents and the members of Las Revoltosas themselves.
Afterwards, they moved to the Municipal Theater, where the tribute continued with the presence of the president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote and resident of San Bartolomé, María Dolores Corujo. Before the start of the event, some very emotional minutes were experienced in the stalls, as almost all the women who have been part of the murga during these 40 years met again. Some had not seen each other for a long time, and despite the times we are living in, they could not avoid hugs, with smiles and also some tears appearing.
At 8:00 p.m. and under the direction of the young resident of San Bartolomé, Pedro Ayoze Reyes, another of the pages that will become part of the history of the municipality began to be written. Aurea Mauri, the woman who led and directed for so many years, was in charge of presenting the event, making a chronological journey of how those beginnings were and the obstacles they had to overcome to achieve their goal, without neglecting the important role they were playing as women, many of them mothers and wives.
With words broken by emotion, Aurea described each of the potholes they were encountering along the way, such as what happened in 1983, when they decided to present themselves at the Arrecife City Council to inform them that a women's murga had been formed in San Bartolomé, the first in the Canary Islands, and to ask for a subsidy, because they also wanted to sing on the stage of the Islas Canarias park.
"They laughed at it," she said, explaining that they asked them where they met to listen to them. And when they did, they did not hide their surprise and immediately told them that they would have a subsidy and that they could participate in the gala.
Aurea Mauri also recalled how the rehearsal place became a nursery with the children of the members, because they all had to take care of their children, but that did not prevent them from continuing to make each of the fantasies, which were authentic works of art that Manuel Camejo designed for them year after year. They were also in charge of composing their songs, with the help of the lyricist friends Queta Saavedra, Reyes Tabares and Aurea herself, who was later in charge of finding the right music.
They were also the first murga to introduce the rap style into the carnival repertoire, winning the First Prize for Interpretation, Lyrics and Music of that year. But above all, Aurea stressed that these 40 years have served to form a large family, where they have shared very good times, performances, awards, trips, meetings and the memory of those who have passed away.
The mayor, Isidro Pérez, went on stage and began by pointing out that he had little left to add after the words of Aurea Mauri. In his speech, he stressed that Las Revoltosas have made a revolution and continue to make history and are part of the struggle for female empowerment, thus becoming an authentic vindication of women against the discriminatory guidelines that predominated in the 80s in the celebration of carnival events.
"They are a great reference and a pride for the municipality of San Bartolomé, for the island and for the Canary Islands", stressed the mayor, who ended his speech congratulating them on behalf of the Corporation and the residents for their impeccable trajectory, for the achievements and awards won, for their passage through so many stages and, above all, because they were very brave, took to the streets and took a step forward demonstrating in the early days of democracy that carnival was also a matter for women.
Some videos were shown at the event with testimonies from some colleagues from other murga groups, daughters of some of the members and friends, on a very special night. Some of the founding members went on stage again to relive some of the most popular parodies and anecdotes. Finally, with the notes of the anthem and everyone on stage, the day was brought to a close, where the members of Las Revoltosas once again remembered many moments that they have shared during these 40 years.
