Today, it is clear to everyone that the municipality of Haría (Lanzarote), which I have the great fortune to govern together with my colleagues from the Platform of the Municipality of Haría (PMH), has become a cultural reference not only on the island, but even nationally and internationally.
The great artist from Lanzarote, César Manrique, was a pioneer in taking the name of Haría around the world, and this is reflected in the book that we recently presented at the Auditorium of the Jameos del Agua by the hand of its author, the art historian Francisco Galante, who in 'César Manrique and Haría. The artist and the beauty of the place' reveals the symbiosis that existed between the municipality and the artist from Lanzarote.
Literature and art have also been present in Haría thanks to events such as Cultivarte, which was held last February in the El Aljibe Hall and the La Tegala Sociocultural Center, or Librarte, whose fourth edition has just been held in the municipality with the aim of promoting cultural spaces and encouraging reading.
In this sense, from the first minute that my party, the Platform of the Municipality of Haría, entered the municipal government, the premise was imposed that Culture had to reach every corner of the municipality, and be accessible to both young and old. A Culture that all the people of Haría could enjoy, regardless of their age and social condition.
For this reason, we have promoted the 1st urban music festival, the 'Haría Music Fest', which has been a great success and has brought together more than 5,000 people to enjoy artists such as Lérica or Lennis Rodríguez, among others.
It has also been a source of pride for the municipality and for me as mayor to be able to host a new edition, and there are already six, of the Haría International Guitar Festival, which brought together guitarists from Japan, Sweden, Austria, Argentina, Chile, France, Belgium and Switzerland, as well as local and regional artists.
There have also been theater and dance festivals such as the Encarnación Rodríguez Lasso festival, circus festivals with the XVI edition of Malabharía or puppet festivals (III Harionetas Festival), among other outstanding events.
But if there is one thing I am proud of, it is having brought the name of Haría to the forefront of the national music industry by bringing artists such as Álvaro de Luna to the municipality.
For all these reasons, and because I firmly believe that culture should be for the enjoyment of everyone, I promise to continue working to make Haría a cultural reference in every way.
