The Haría City Council has approved in the Plenary held this Thursday the appointment of the photographer Javier Reyes Acuña as Favorite Son of Haría. The decision was taken unanimously by all the political groups represented in the Corporation.
The mayor of Haría, Alfredo Villalba, highlighted his contribution to the conservation of the history, culture and heritage of Lanzarote and La Graciosa through his snapshots, as well as his "influence on northern society for decades", as some of the main reasons for this recognition.
Likewise, the mayor pointed out the pride that it means for Haría to reward Javier Reyes again, who was already recognized with the Haría 2005 award, who through the more than 17,000 negatives that he leaves after a career of almost eight decades, knew how to capture and portray the customs and ways of life of a rural society characterized by scarcity and lack of resources and events that marked the history of the municipality of Haría and the islands of Lanzarote and La Graciosa.
The presentation of the distinction will be held this Friday, June 23, coinciding with the Patron Saint Festivities of San Juan Bautista, in the Plaza de Haría, starting at 9:00 p.m.
Biography
Javier Reyes Acuña was born in Haría in 1926 and his passion for photography began in 1943, when he acquired his first camera. In addition to a long career in photography, he had a studio under the name of 'Fotos Reyes', he worked for several decades as an administrative assistant in the City Council, he ran a bookstore and a local in the municipality, he worked in the Caja Insular de Ahorros and is considered a graphic chronicler of Haría and the island of La Graciosa and the Islotes.
In addition, he was a justice of the peace and responsible for entities, associations and organizations of the municipality.
Javier Reyes has not only had the affection and respect of the residents of the municipality, but also of the Haría City Council itself, which has published part of his vast photographic archive on two occasions, in 'Haría-Lanzarote. Recuerdos' and in 'Dos Fotógrafos y una Vida'. In 2005, the City Council presented Reyes with the highest award granted by the Institution, the Haría Award, for the outstanding graphic work and the documentary value of the work carried out between the years 1955 and 1972.
