Anaga Biofest – Festival en la Reserva de la Biosfera del Macizo de Anaga
Collaboration with other Biosphere Reserves
Collaboration
“Boundless nature and rurality” is the festival’s slogan, and a concept that can clearly be applied to the reality of other Biosphere Reserves. The two concepts in the slogan embody the significance of our international declaration: environmental conservation, working in perfect harmony with the wisdom of women and men that have lived in these island lands throughout history. For this reason, and with the goal of bringing this common denominator into the collaborative framework of the project, exchanges have been organised between the Anaga Massif Biosphere Reserve, in Tenerife, and four other Biosphere Reserves in the Canary Islands: Gran Canaria, La Palma, Lanzarote and El Hierro.
Gran Canaria: Three years connecting Biosphere Reserves
Since 2022, Anaga Biofest has extended its programme to include Gran Canaria. For three consecutive editions of the festival, collaboration has been strengthened between the Anaga Massif Biosphere Reserve and the Gran Canaria Biosphere Reserve.
In the first year, partnerships were developed between actors involved in both reserves in the municipalities of Tejeda and Artenara, with active participation from local entities and stakeholders. In 2023, the festival included a two-day programme of activities from 7-8 October, once again linking local initiatives with participants from Anaga.
In 2024, marking the second anniversary of their twinning, Anaga Biofest continued to build links with the Gran Canaria Reserve. Over the weekend of 26-27 October, the festival offered two opportunities for the public to visit unique locations on the island, with support from local actors and projects in the Anaga Massif, further consolidating this framework of inter-island collaboration.
La Palma: committed to the island´s recovery
In 2022, Anaga Biofest took its spirit of collaboration and sustainability to the island of La Palma, via the initiative entitled “Volunteering for the La Palma Biosphere”. It took place in Puerto Naos, one of the most affected areas following the eruption of the Tajogaite volcano in 2021, with the goal of contributing to the recovery of the local surroundings.
During the event, members of the organising committee and entities involved with Biofest helped to plant fruit trees and banana plants in the Finca Platanológico estate, strengthening the festival´s commitment to the island´s recovery and support for local communities.
Lanzarote: historical and cultural connections around the role of rural women
In 2023, Anaga Biofest joined in with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of the declaration of the Lanzarote Biosphere Reserve with a special activity called ”Pies Descalzos” (Barefeet), organised in collaboration with Senderismo Lanzarote. This trail highlighted the ethnographic and cultural heritage of the island, recalling the journeys taken throughout history by women from La Graciosa to cross “El Río” in order to barter with their fish in towns in the north of Lanzarote.
This experience led to the making of a short film called “Caminos con nombre de mujer” (trails with women’s names) which connects the lives of rural women in La Graciosa and the Anaga Massif (Tenerife). Screened for the first time in November 2023, the film is a collection of first-hand accounts that reflect the social and cultural links shared between both territories, strengthening exchange between the two biosphere reserves.
El Hierro: connections through traditional weaving
In September 2024, Anaga Biofest increased its scope to include the island of El Hierro, pursuing a cultural exchange between the Anaga Massif and El Hierro Biosphere Reserves. This initiative focused on traditional weaving with wool, a deeply rooted artisan trade on both islands.
Over the weekend of 7-8 September, a number of activities showcasing local traditions were organised. These included encounters with local artisans, in which students on the weaving loom course in Taganana, in Anaga, shared experiences with weavers from El Hierro, thus fostering an exchange of knowledge and traditional techniques. There was also a walk with an ethnographic focus, accompanied by local shepherds and their flocks, offering an in-person glimpse at sheep farming, an ancestral practice that contributes to landscape maintenance and local culture in El Hierro.
The weekend culminated in a workshop and a collective working session led by Beatriz Ballester (A través de la lana), who guided the group of students from Taganana through a creative ideas process. This activity marked the beginning of a two-month long project creating pieces using wool from El Hierro, thus consolidating a framework of innovation and collaboration between two of the most unique biosphere reserves in the Canary Island archipelago.
