Sometimes I wonder why César Manrique Cabrera's thought and work are so relevant - and more necessary than ever - one hundred years after his birth and approximately fifty years since his first work for tourism purposes in Lanzarote was projected.
Although complex, it seems to me that the answer does not include any difficulty. The result of reflecting on this allows us to have a very useful tool to understand aspects of the present, because César's artistic and documentary work has not lost and will not lose validity, while I see that it is increasingly alive, because it is necessary. It would be the same, even if his purpose had not been to create a foundation to ensure his legacy and continue to increase it. I think that in any case, the citizens would have turned to him. And we will continue to do so to demand respect for the territory and to protect certain values of the cultural heritage of these two islands of Lanzarote.
Before the artist intervened in Jameos del Agua in 1944, he had painted the murals of the current House of Culture of Arrecife and a little later he would trace those of the old National Tourism Inn. Already at that time it could be seen that Lanzarote could offer tourism quality scenic spaces, especially the coastal edges with beaches or well-sheltered seas ideal for swimming such as those of southern Lanzarote, such as Playa Blanca, Playa Mujeres, de los Pozos or Papagayo, among others.
But César also understands that tourism must be shown heritage, for example, the artistic, historical and anthropological. For this, he masterfully intervenes in the Castle of San José, ruined at that time, exhibiting works from his private collection, creating exhibition spaces in the different military rooms and building a restaurant merged with the fortress, in addition to conditioning the open spaces in proportion, scale and balance with the defensive building. Some time before, Italy, France or Spain were in the top positions for tourist stays: Granada is visited for its monumental heritage, Madrid for its world-renowned museums, and despite this, it has continued to amplify them with the Reina Sofía and the Thyssen-Bornemisza for example, or the Basque Country attracts for its outstanding gastronomy, and so we could continue with an extensive list of prototypes of vacation destinations.
Currently, Lanzarote has a consolidated network of places intervened by César Manrique that need to be adapted in several ways so that they are environmentally sustainable, economically and socially profitable, and so that the flow of visits does not continue to negatively affect their conservation.
I believe that the reasons that bring me closer to the answer to the question raised at the beginning of the text are, among others:
- César Manrique intervenes in a key of perpetual modernity, resorting to the island geometries in a key of land art. Before that time, the artist recognizes and identifies with the artistic values of the landscape, with different identity elements that he masterfully captures in the aforementioned murals. And with that artistic talent he increases its meaning, his appreciation for the local, and from those insular parameters he reaches universality, just as Manolo Millares did, although he expresses himself under another essence.
- César proposes a model of avant-garde tourism development associated with the tradition of La Graciosa and Lanzarote, taking into account the fragility - and not only of the territory - of both through his artistic work, with nods to the furrows of the plow, the wind, the camel, the hat and fishing along with a long list of elements - including the indigenous ones, which until then have not gained artistic consistency.
- From its beginnings it is configured as an exceptional flag bearer of tourism degrowth. In his interventions he anticipates what the future will bring if we continue on the path of development without identity and without mooring to the insular essences. He stops the sale of the islands when on the white walls we could read: Lanzarote is for sale: 810100. That's also why César is of "rabid topicality".
-In social terms, Manrique warns that in order to preserve the values of the islands, social mobilization is necessary, that people become aware of what is at stake, and for this it is necessary to include as many people as possible to be part of the response to the avalanche of tourist constructions that occurs, because the Cabildo and the town councils do not put all the means at their disposal, but on the contrary, they put them against it.
- The artist anticipates the use of used materials brought by sea. To create, he uses the jallos offered by the tides, natural elements such as callaos, volcanic bombs, scrap pieces of boats, among others.
The celebration of the centenary of his birth allows us to assess the level of agreement and adhesion that the scenario of this commemorative, vindictive and festive activity reaches. For different reasons, the program of commemorative acts of his birth is not the result of the joint work of the institution that economically manages the art and culture centers in which the artist intervenes, and the one that safeguards his cultural, artistic and vindictive legacy in César's environmental definition. Far from desirable and necessary, the agenda of events programmed in his memory does not develop in the field of consensus, but in that of unnecessary disagreement because it is sterile and uncivil. The two entities have much to say, and they must express it, although in this case, as in so many others, the line marked by the Island Council does not allow the necessary agreement.
But in this negative environment and in any case, it is necessary that the Cabildo does not compromise its commemorative memorandum to César Manrique beyond the date indicated by the celebration of political elections so that from that expiration we can jointly celebrate with the César Manrique Foundation all the events in honor of the person who has transmitted to these islands the greatest cultural and economic heritage that I could imagine.
*Nona Perera, Podemos candidate for the Cabildo of Lanzarote.
