The square of Nuestra Señora de Los Dolores, in Mancha Blanca, Tinajo, became this Sunday an authentic sanctuary of Canarian music. Under the bright sky of Lanzarote and next to the Sanctuary of the Virgen de Los Volcanes, the Tinajo City Council began the events programmed for Canary Islands Day with a simply memorable concert: the one starring Olga Cerpa and Mestisay.
At 1:00 PM, a performance began that will remain etched in the memory of the numerous audience gathered in the square. It was not just another concert. It was the meeting between a land and one of the most representative and beloved musical groups of the Canary Archipelago.
With 48 years of trajectory, Mestisay - founded and directed by Manuel González - continues to demonstrate why its music has crossed borders and moved audiences in more than fifteen countries in America, Europe, and Africa. Beyond their impeccable artistic quality, the group remains a powerful cultural vehicle that carries the Canarian identity wherever their songs are heard.
From the first chords, the connection with the audience was absolute. The band, made up of seven extraordinary musicians, displayed a recital of sensitivity, elegance, and interpretive strength on stage, always supporting Olga Cerpa's unique voice: warm, powerful, intimate, and full of nuances.
Olga doesn't just sing; Olga moves. She has the gift of looking at the audience and making them participants in each song. Just a few bars were enough for the attendees to begin accompanying her with applause, singing choruses, and letting themselves be carried away by that special complicity that only authentic artists can create.
The concert also served to present some of the compositions included in the new album "La Costa de los Cantares," an ambitious anthropological and musical project with which Olga Cerpa and Mestisay explore the Atlantic identity of the Canary Islands and their historical ties with the northwestern African coast. A profound, elegant, and roots-filled work that will undoubtedly become another great success when it is officially released in mid-June.
The emotion grew song after song. The audience sang, smiled, and even danced to songs that have already become essential in Mestisay's repertoire, such as Agüita, En busca de Valentina, Rosa de los Vientos, Habanera Embrujada, Niña Candela, and La Costa de los Cantares itself.
But if there was an instant capable of stopping time, it arrived with the interpretation of a heartfelt Folía. In the incomparable setting of the Day of the Canary Islands, Olga Cerpa gifted one of the most moving moments of the day accompanied only by the guitar of Manuel González and the masterful timple of Hirai Afonso.
The scene was pure emotion. Olga descended from the stage while interpreting the piece, approaching the audience under a reverential silence charged with feeling. Upon concluding, the entire square rose to give her a long, warm, and deeply sincere ovation. One of those ovations that not only recognize talent, but also soul.
At one point during the concert, the Mayor of the Tinajo City Council, Jesús Machín, went on stage to congratulate Olga Cerpa and Mestisay for having accepted the invitation to come to the municipality and offer such a magnificent concert as a prelude to the Day of the Canary Islands.
The final flourish came with "Esa Musiquita," already a festive and popular anthem, with a completely engaged crowd singing and dancing alongside the band. Thus ended an unforgettable morning, one of those that leave a mark and further strengthen the emotional bond between Mestisay, Olga Cerpa, and the Canarian people.
Because there are concerts that are heard... and others, like the one experienced this Sunday in Mancha Blanca, that are felt forever.
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