Canarian Culture

Having lived in a few of the Canary Islands for the last few years, I can confirm that not only do the islands look different, the people from each island are all also distinct, and vehemently consider themselves so.

For a start, they are not Spanish. Oh no, don’t make that mistake! In fact my favourite bit of graffiti is written on a wall in the port of Arrecife, in Lanzarote. It says…

SPANIS GO HOME

I love it because it makes me stop and wonder who the bloody hell is it written for? If it is directed at the mainland Spanish ‘occupiers’… why is it written in English? Why is it spelt wrong? The mind boggles.

And to underline this, in common with other regions, the Canarians are lobbying for greater autonomy from central government. But let’s not get bogged down in such politics, because in my experience, there’s not really much of an actual ‘Canarian’ identity anyway (except when arguing with the Spanish). Why? Well the islands themselves are split into two administrative areas… governed by Santa Cruz (Tenerife, La Gomera, El Hierro, La Palma), and Las Palmas (Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote). And oh boy, can these two squabble. From the basic “My one’s bigger than yours”, the annual carnival argument, to the disbursement of funds… basically anything they can argue about, they will. Local politics is quite a laugh.


But if you think that a grasp of this dualistic Canarian identity will stand you in good stead to understand local culture, think again! Each of those seven islands I mentioned is populated by people with their own identities. A bit of history now (my oh my, this is an educational post, I hope you’re taking notes). Before the Spanish colonised the islands, each island had their own indigenous tribes. The Guanches were originally the inhabitants of Tenerife. The inhabitants of Fuerteventura and Lanzarote were referred to as Maxos, Gran Canaria was inhabited by the Canarii… and the islanders still have their own names: Tinerfeños (Tenerife), Majoreros (Fuerteventura), Conejeros (Lanzarote… which is a bit of an odd one, because it means ‘rabbit breeder’), Grancanarios, Gomeros, Palmeros and Herreños.

Phew!

And since the early 15th Century, with the Spanish ruling, you would have thought these identities would have become diluted. But no, on the contrary, in recent years they have become even more prevalent. The most obvious reason for this is probably the newer waves of immigration from the mainland, islanders want to remain distinct from the newcomers. But along with the influx of mainlanders has come mass settlement of other foreigners from Africa, South America and Europe. As a group, we foreigners are called ‘Guiris’ – yet another tribe! And as the islands become increasingly cosmopolitan, those who claim an indigenous lineage become increasingly concerned to maintain their identity. And so they should. The same threat of homogeny is a global epidemic. These islanders are not alone in this struggle.

But working against this is the economic impetus to develop markets, trade and develop one of the most successful tourist industries in the world, with over 10 million tourists a year visiting the islands. The ability to compete globally requires the very homogeny that erodes the culture. Steering this convoy of small islands is no easy task and will always be one of compromise between islands, cultures and economic growth. And so far, they have done exceedingly well at plotting their way through the minefield.

As an expatriate resident, it is easy to forget or ignore the grand design, the big issues. But occasionally it’s worth a reminder. And having done so, I can now go back to sitting in the sun drinking my beer (Dorada in Tenerife, but Tropical in Gran Canaria… and don’t even think of asking which one’s better!), gazing out at the blue ocean and thanking god I’m not freezing my balls off in England.