The event, which was attended by a large audience, began with a performance by the Municipal Choir, who also wanted to pay tribute to the distinguished guests through their songs. Thus, the choir delighted the attendees under the direction of Doña Carmen Siverio, with a repertoire of four songs: "Se equivocó la paloma", "Canción de Hermandad", the bolero "Deuda", and "Juramento". Subsequently, the Honors and Distinctions of San Bartolomé were awarded. Esther Rocío, acting as accidental secretary, proceeded to read the unanimous plenary agreement, in which the "Honors and Distinctions" are granted, after accreditation of merit, explicitly stating that the prize awarded is materialized in a sculpture of the Casa Ajei, made for the occasion".
The mayor, Marcial Martín, highlighted the importance of the ceremony, saying that "when a society recognizes the value of its people, that town becomes great. It is an award from the people that pays tribute to the effort and dedication of those illustrious sons and daughters who, with their personal contribution, have contributed and contribute to the joint improvement and common benefit of this municipality".
Martín also dedicated a few words to the first of the award winners, Ramón Tejera. "Words fall short for a lifetime dedicated to Canarian wrestling, more than 30 years dedicated to our vernacular sport. You are undoubtedly an example of dedication and love for the sport and undoubtedly a role model for our young people". Marcial also had kind words and thanks for Nieves Rosa, president of Mararía and Vicenta Monge, president of Tiemar. He thanked them for their "commendable, irreplaceable, tireless and invaluable dedication that the two associations continue to carry out to implement true equality between men and women, not only in the municipality of San Bartolomé but also at the island level".
Ramón Tejera Corujo, Ajei Award for Sports Work
Ramón Tejera, one of the greatest defenders and promoters of Canarian wrestling in Lanzarote, listened to the institutional speech read by councilor Juan Antonio de la Hoz. "The sport to which Ramón has dedicated all his efforts and illusions. Nights of training, when both amateur and professional wrestlers proceeded to wrestle by the heat of the fire. In the San Bartolomé Wrestling Club, he has been everything, and he has given everything, dedicating himself day and night to its development. Numerous awards have been reaped, highlighting the Promotion and Quarry Award from the Canarian Wrestling Federation in 2001, Youth Championships, La Caja Championships and Isla de Lanzarote Tournament, all of them between the 80s or between 2001-2007. But all these years have led him to win the Award from the Regional Wrestling Federation in an event held in El Hierro, within the Institutional Wrestling Match of Canary Islands Day this year. San Bartolomé did not want to be less, and with this decoration he wanted to join in thanking from the bottom of his heart what Ramón has done for our sport and for his municipality".
Amidst the effusive applause of the public, the award winner gave thanks for the recognition.
Tiemar and Mararía: Ajei Award for social work in favor of gender equality
The second of the awards in this edition has been shared between the Tiemar and Mararía associations. In an endearing and enormously grateful speech, the first deputy mayor and councilor for Social Services, Concepción Álvarez, highlighted "the work carried out by Tiemar in these five years, since in the spring of 2003 a total of 12 women set up the association in the municipality. A group of women united with a single purpose, to seek a better world, but from the community where each one lives their daily life. Although it was born in Playa Honda, it has managed to make a name for itself on the island. Tiemar, although young as an association, has shown its maturity through the work well done for which its five years of collaboration and work for equality are being awarded today," she said.
The Mararía association also received words of thanks before collecting the award. "Mararía, from the 12 pioneering women who formed the association in 1994 to the 480 who are currently, and who altruistically develop work in two aspects: social, estamental and institutional claim, and on the other hand seek services for women, undertaking projects that work transversally on equality and the prevention of gender violence. Numerous personalities have supported the work of Mararía, as a reflection of the social claim, because the real work is in each of the women, who have raised the association day by day. Promoters of the Forum against gender violence. Numerous awards have been obtained by Mararía, currently being a member of the Equality Commission of the Canarian Women's Institute, and a founding member of the Women's Associations of the Canary Islands and Laurisilva".
These two associations have been awarded "for being able to encourage women to associate, to have their own voice, to form complementary groups that accommodate differentiated projects and programs adapting to the needs of users".
Afterwards, the performance of the soprano Belén Elvira accompanied on the piano by Juan Antonio Álvarez Parejo also received enthusiastic applause from those present. The repertoire selected for the occasion consisted of "Zueignung", "Non tris cardar di me", "Voi lo sapete" (from Cavalleria Rusticana, "El Barquillero", and "Los Claveles".
The act ended with Belén Elvira and the Municipal Choir singing together, two songs, "Habanera", and "Canto al pueblo", composed by Doña Carmen Siverio, director of the Choir, as a tribute to San Bartolomé.