The Insular Auditorium of La Gomera hosts the presentation of 'Labradora' this Saturday, July 11, a book coordinated by Professor Rubén Antonio Cubas Castilla that gathers the ancestral knowledge of the elders about reading Venus to forecast the weather.
The Insular Auditorium of La Gomera is preparing for a different Saturday. At noon, the venue in San Sebastián will host the presentation of 'Labradora', a work that combines literature, music, and tradition. The book, coordinated by professor and writer Rubén Antonio Cubas Castilla, originates from a script for a children's ballet and has become a collective project involving writers, artists, and, above all, the elders of the island.
The aim of 'Labradora' is to preserve the knowledge that the ancient Gomeros had about Venus, which they called Labradora. For centuries, and until just three decades ago, the position of this star in the sky was used to forecast the weather and mark natural cycles. This knowledge is now at risk of being lost, as there are few elders left who can preserve it intact.
A Multidisciplinary Show to Present the Book
The presentation will not be a typical event. The organizers have prepared a musical, poetic, and artistic ensemble that will include players of chácaras and drums, the voice of poet and soprano Beatriz Vázquez Lorenzo, and an unpublished composition by director Eladio Aguilar, one of the most internationally renowned Gomeros, who is currently teaching a masterclass in Bulgaria. Aguilar will conduct the Labradora trio.
Additionally, children from the municipality will join writers and illustrators of the stature of Alex Falcón, Antonio Arroyo Silva, Berbel, Andrés González Novoa, Cecilia Domínguez Luis, Efigenia Borges, Ernesto Rodríguez Abad, Fermín Higuera, José Miguel Martín, Lucía Rosa González, Luis Amaya, Marcial Morera, Marcos Hormiga, Pepa Aurora, and Ricardo Hernández Bravo. All of them have contributed to this collective work.
The book includes the libretto of the ballet 'Labradora' and a pedagogical proposal to facilitate its future staging. It also features contributions from artists such as Guido Kolitscher, Saile Gabriela Cáceres, Alex Falcón, and Alfonso Andériz, as well as texts from the Spanish Language professor at ULL, Marcial Morera, and historian Joaquín Carreras Navarro.
A Tribute to the Guardians of Ancestral Wisdom
One of the most emotional moments of the event will be the recognition of the elders of the island who have safeguarded this knowledge for generations. Without them, the book would not have been possible. The work aims to return to the Gomero people a legacy that is theirs, in the form of a collective gift.
For attendees, this event is a unique opportunity to connect with the living history of La Gomera. The knowledge of the Labradora not only speaks of stars but also of the human relationship with their environment, of the need to observe the sky to survive. A knowledge that, although it may seem obsolete in the satellite era, holds a wisdom that deserves to be remembered.
Entry is free until full capacity is reached. Those who attend will enjoy a show that promises to be moving and, in the process, take home a copy of a book that is already part of the island's intangible heritage.
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