Lanzarote cries,
like every April 24th, because it remembers the son it saw die.
It delves into the memory, surely, of that September 25th when suddenly the wind stopped without breath and stopped playing.
If I had to imagine the moment, surely, it would be something close to a cry that roars from the depths of the fire of the volcanoes.
That's how I imagine Lanzarote when it saw that it had lost its son.
César, I think that if Lanzarote belonged to someone, it would be yours. Because you loved it well. And loving is easy, but loving well is more complicated.
You were born, you left and you came back. You saw what no one saw in Lanzarote when it was naked, you came back with the best fabrics from New York to dress it and make it beautiful. You loved it since you saw its soul for the first time. And in that way, no one knew how to see it and love it as much as you. That's why you belong to it. Because in the end we belong to those who love us and take care of us when we are naked.
You knew it, César, you shouted it very loudly when you entered the Cabildo and the Town Halls, reminding the politicians in charge that the Institutions are everyone's home. The greatest defender of the land: "This is going to burst", the land is not ours, we are passing through and we are destroying the islands", "the greed of the politicians will end the island", "We have to look for a sustainable tourism model, because this island will not withstand so many beds", "what a legacy we are going to leave our children", "The chaotic speculation that the authorities do not stop. The blockage and the bomb are going to be dramatic"
How right you are, César...
If I had to write you a letter, I would leave the present for the end. Because I am ashamed and sad to tell you that the land has punished us without leaving home.
I would only tell you that Lanzarote breathes deeply without the need for any respirator, and I know that would make you happy.
If I told you the rest, I imagine you saying something like;
"I said it, we had to act before there was no turning back"
I would also leave for the end that you would not have liked the huge number of visits. that came to gorge themselves in hotels with food that was not traditional, that preferred chlorine pools before the sea...
Because this country and these islands have been the closest thing to a destination for parties, alcohol, cheap food and beach. And when they treat you like a promotional offer, they denigrate your value.
Lanzarote, the Canary Islands and this country deserve that when they are sought it is because they want to find an exclusive destination, that it is a dream to visit and that it is worth exploring even if it hurts your pocket. Not a destination that ends with a "9'9" accompanied by an all-inclusive.
We deserve more, and only when we believe it, we will be more.
If we want an early economic recovery, we should enjoy local options, that money will revert back to our land, to us.
Let's make our economic, sustainable, km 0 revolution, local commerce, careful and with care. Putting Nature, emotions and life at the center. Responsible and conscious consumption are words that we have been hearing frequently lately. But they will only be beautiful in a speech; we must put them into practice. Surely the world would be better than it is.
Césa Manrique cannot be a marketing campaign, to look good. It has to be a real project.
The greatest gift we could give to Cesar Manrique in his 101 years is a change in the tourism model. Let's start from scratch.
It is not about saving when we are deconfined, it is about investing in km 0, in supporting entrepreneurs, artisans. Local consumption for our people, for our land... for César.
We cannot afford to base all our wealth on tourism. Because we already know the result. Let's promote that the Canary Islands create industry. Let's make it believe in its powerful territorial advantages, not only because of the island condition with a privileged climate.
Let's make a paradise, because we have a paradise that we don't finish believing in.
Let's make citizen politics from our homes and from our pockets...
Because... what is politics without common sense? The same as Lanzarote without César.
Lanzarote is not the same without César, but it will always be what remains of him, in every place and in every corner.
We miss you, César. And I am sure that today many feel a "Cactus Garden" stuck in their chest, they feel like a Crab, Blind and lost in a Green Cave, without light. Although, let's hope that in the end a River always awaits us that takes us towards a Viewpoint of hope, because it is known that if you Play with the Wind, there is always LIFE.
You will always be the César of all the conejeros, that's for sure.
The best posthumous tribute we could give to César would be to continue with his model of sustainable and quality tourism.
Almost 30 years ago a visionary stopped seeing. But today marks 101 years since Lanzarote saw the light for the first time.
Let's not be blind like the politicians, who are lost crabs. Let's be fire in the mountains and recover César's gaze.
"There is always hope, if you stop and become aware..." said César.
Now that we are confined, it is time to deconfine César's ideas.
By Amalia M. Fajardo
