The local secretary of Nueva Canarias-Bloque Canarista (NC-BC) in Teguise, Belén Machín, has denounced this Monday the awarding model of the stalls for the Caleta de Famara festivals promoted by the government group led by Coalición Canaria (CC), considering that it represents "a new step in the commercialization of our popular festivals" and a loss of identity that has historically characterized them.
For the Canarian leader, it is "deeply worrying" that the City Council has designed a system in which the economic criterion has a weight three times greater than the roots in the municipality and the trajectory of the associations that carry out social, cultural or sports activities throughout the year.
"For decades, the stalls have been spaces for citizen participation and social cohesion where associations, collectives and neighbors not only contributed to the success of the festivals, but also obtained resources to finance activities that later benefited the entire town. It was a model of collaboration, community and shared identity. Today that model is being replaced by another where the only thing that seems to matter is who can pay more," comments Machín.
From NC-BC they warn that this system will end up progressively expelling many local associations, neighbors and young people, unable to compete economically with entrepreneurs dedicated exclusively to this activity, thus breaking the historical link between the festivals and the social fabric of the municipality.
Therefore, NC-BC calls for the immediate review of the awarding bases so that roots in the municipality, active participation in the social and cultural life of Teguise, associative trajectory and the social return of the resources obtained are the determining criteria in the allocation of the stalls.
"Popular festivals cannot be managed with the logic of the highest bidder. They must continue to be a space for meeting, participation and collective pride. Defending the traditional stalls is defending the identity of our towns and ensuring that the festivals continue to belong to those who make them possible: their neighbors," concluded Belén Machín.
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