In its commitment to provide the city with greater attractions and cultural events, the Arrecife City Council has commissioned the artist Jorge Isaac Medina to create a sculpture in homage to one of the most famous sailors of the Charco de San Ginés, Gregorio Fuentes Betancourt.
The work, presented by the mayor of Arrecife and the author, will be of great format, reaching 7 meters in height and meters in diameter. It will carry a boat and a marlin fish, approximately 5 meters each, and will be worked in iron and steel on a concrete base.
In the words of the mayor, Gregorio Fuentes Betancourt “is a legendary figure because, according to all indications, he was the person who inspired Ernest Hemingway to write 'The Old Man and the Sea'." "A detail that is especially emotional, because it is said that Gregorio Fuentes never read a line of the novel. He didn't do it because, sadly, he couldn't read,” she added.
"And these were times of famines and droughts in which many people had to leave the island," Pérez continued. "Don Gregorio did it at the age of six with his eyes full of the sea, on the steamship Joven Antonio, accompanying his father who would die on the journey, so he had to live on charity on the Caribbean island. At first he went to the interior areas to earn a living, but as soon as he could he returned to the sea and settled in the town of Cojímar, located about seven kilometers from Havana. He worked very hard, saved money and returned to Lanzarote to take his family with him... he lived on that island until his death," Pérez pointed out.
The contemplation of “The Fisherman with Marlin” will be possible before the end of the year, as the execution and assembly period is five months.
