On July 6 we had an important meeting in El Fraile, a small town in the municipality of Arona in South Tenerife: the Jornada Intercultural de Juegos y Bailes Tradicionales, a day dedicated to presentations of traditional dances, games and delicious meals offered by groups of different nationalities that make up the neighborhood. For us, it marked the first presentation of Khaita Joyful Dances out of our town, (Playa Paraiso) Adeje. Nice memories will be left to treasure: the elders joining the dance, as Pu Yana confirmed its potential to become a hit outside Dzamling Gar, the singers from Ghana dancing with the Hare Krishna and the moment somebody said “the Tibetan sweet rice over there is exquisite!” many left the paella queue to go to our table..
The fact that we are participating in events organized by an important governmental project is by itself an achievement. ‘Juntos in la Misma Dirección/Together in the Same Direction’ is an approach to managing diversity that has been created by the Administrative External Action Service of the Cabildo (government) and OBITen (Immigration Observatory of Tenerife, a partnership between the government and the University of La Laguna), setting up a broad network that includes the vast majority of immigrant associations in Tenerife as well as institutions and social organizations. Their goal is to promote intercultural dialogue and reinforce integration processes and social cohesion. At the moment there are more than 100 entities including immigrant associations, social partners, public agencies and institutions participate in the Juntos in la Misma Dirección strategy.
Besides this, our group had a great time, always ready to hit the dance floor while the rhythms kept on changing. And under the generous Canarian sunshine..
Ana Sánchez
Dzamling Gar Public Relations
