Nueva Canarias-Bloque Canarista (NC-bc) denounces what they consider "an occurrence and a lack of sensitivity on the part of the Island Council of Lanzarote and the area of historical heritage", as a theatrical performance is planned at the indigenous archaeological site of Zonzamas.
For Belén Machín, National Secretary of Canarian Identity and Culture of NC-bc, "the Zonzamas site is not a theater or a stage to carry out this type of activity with the public, but a sacred, fragile place of historical and heritage relevance for the society of Lanzarote and the Canary Islands that must be respected and protected."
"The site is in a deplorable state, of semi-abandonment, without a minimum of care. There are indigenous ceramics scattered throughout the same space where they want to locate the parking lots for the attendees of the activity. A real attack against our indigenous heritage and our culture", says Machín, who also questions "the security and prevention conditions that the site may have since it is preserved from any agglomeration of groups of people".
NC-bc demands that the Island Council of Lanzarote "focus on the restoration of the site, its care and preservation and, once we have a true center for interpretation and dissemination of our past, think about activities of this type." In the same way, they urge the heritage area to "strive to repair the area, the protective fence and promote a true protection of the site."
"If the Cabildo persists in continuing with the realization of this act, we will assess taking legal action before the pertinent authorities so that those responsible are held accountable for this decision," says Belén Machín.
Celebration of the Beñesmen
Nueva Canaria-Bloque Canarista (NC-bc) did not want to miss the opportunity to encourage the society of Lanzarote to learn about and celebrate the Canarian indigenous new year, better known as the Beñesmen.
The Beñesmen was a celebration of the harvest, in particular of the agricultural cycle of cereals, such as wheat and barley. It was carried out in gratitude to the gods for the fruits obtained and to ask for fertility for the next sowing.
It used to be celebrated in August or September, coinciding with the end of summer and the closing of the agricultural cycle. It is associated with the beginning of the new agricultural year for the original Canarian people.
"From NC-bc we want to resignify this day and what it represented for the Canarian indigenous culture, a rich and ancestral culture that we must know, disseminate and protect," says Belén Machín, who "is saddened that these significant days for the Canarian culture are unknown by the majority of society."
"We must make an educational and cultural effort to publicize our indigenous material and immaterial heritage. It is our culture and our history, part of what we are today as a people," highlights Machín.