Today is Friday, 8:30 in the evening. It's April, and there's still sunlight. We arrived at the Peña Flamenca the fig treeFrom Huelva. The occasion warrants it. Consuelo Haldon al cante y Antonio Carrion To the guitar. The veteran guitarist from Seville and the talented singer from Paymoga are scheduled to perform at 9:30 p.m. Little by little, the venue of the veteran... peña It gradually fills with fans until it reaches capacity. I can assure you that the atmosphere is perfect for a top-notch flamenco evening.
At nine thirty at night we are welcomed by the president of the organization, the flamenco dancer Cristina CeballosIt gives way to Yolanda Márquez, who meticulously details the artistic resumes of Consuelo and Carrión. A little after 9:45 the artists take to the charming stage of the social headquarters of the peñaThe martinete, the debla, and the toná are the first pieces to break the ice of the night. They are expertly performed by Consuelo, who, as always, holds nothing back. Consuelo goes straight to the heart, eliciting the first cheers. It's not yet ten o'clock, and the singer and guitarists bring us the sounds of the cantiña and the soleá. In that same rhythm, those present... We see four local police officers enter. Four! We were surprised, because no one had noticed anything unusual to warrant such a large police presence. I observed them approaching the person in charge of the bar, as well as several board members and the president herself, demanding identification. We feared the worst. The artists, after finishing the soleá, requested a break. We all looked at each other and continued watching the comings and goings of officers. I repeat: four. Apparently someone has reported the peñaIs it because of noise, disturbances, or overcrowding? The truth is, if we consider the time the officers arrived at the venue, acting with complete diligence on that complaint, it must have been before the singing started, and I don't understand what was bothering them then. Was it the performance, perhaps? Or were we, the group, causing a disturbance? flamencoWere we flamenco dancers inside the venue, with the doors and windows closed so that the noise wouldn't escape?
"If a meeting of flamencos constituted as peña It's a nuisance in a normal Andalusian neighborhood, on a Friday between 8:30 and 10:30 at night; it seems to me that this has ceased to be the land of flamenco or simply that a heritage of humanity is being socially and politically censored."
The truth is that shortly after 10:20 p.m. on a Friday in April, in a city in southwestern Spain, almost in daylight and with spring-like temperatures, an event was suspended in a peña flamenca which has been established and is giving shows flamencoIt's been happening since 1981, without interruption. And to add insult to injury – understand the irony – when the officers are asked about their excessive numbers, you have to hear them say: "There are four of us because we don't know what we might find." What dangers might she encounter? Well, an 18-year-old artist, a biochemistry student at a public university, and winner of the award for best academic record in 2025. Of course, she's a flamenco singer flamencoTry to understand irony again. If only some of those things were ironic. classical music that abound in today's world would be another matter, but flamenco…They encountered an audience that, out of respect for the artists, remained silent from the very beginning. And they encountered members of a peña flamenca who have been fighting for this art, a heritage of humanity, for 45 years.
I'm telling you all this because today I've become aware, firsthand, of the social undervaluation that... flamenco in our land. The flamenco It's annoying. Like culture is annoying. Because anything that makes you think and opens your mind is annoying. Peña Flamenca The Higueral restaurant is located on Sanlúcar del Guadiana Street in Huelva. Just a hundred meters away, in Antonio Machado Park, there was a gathering, apparently of fast-food vendors, and the music (not flamenco, of course) could be heard a kilometer around. Apparently, that doesn't bother anyone, or cause any problems. It's authorized, I'm told. Of course it wasn't. But flamenco In small settings, in those environments where it's still important, where it's valued, respected, and promoted, yes, it's annoying. Very annoying.
So, why am I telling you all this? Perhaps out of indignation. Perhaps because I have the opportunity to do so and appeal to the conscience of everyone: citizens, and competent authorities who in a few days will tear their clothes in outrage, making us believe that in this society full of moral thugs the flamenco matter...when day after day we see how he is vilified, and sometimes even mocked. If a meeting of flamencos constituted as peña It's a nuisance in a normal Andalusian neighborhood, on a Friday between 8:30 and 10:30 at night; it seems to me that this has ceased to be the land of flamenco Or simply that a World Heritage Site is being socially and politically censored. I'm going home, seething with anger, hoping to understand or know if there's a just reason for what happened, but I fear that won't be the case. That it won't be the last time I experience a situation like this. How sad. Seeing is believing. ♦
Many thanks to Jesús Naranjo for publishing this important account of an event that should have taken place in its entirety, but sadly, only the fans who attended could enjoy it. peña The El Higueral Flamenco Cultural Association (partially) also had a rough time because of the situation. The important thing is to know why (what's bothering them?), who gave the order for the officers to be present at that precise time and moment, and who benefits from these untimely actions. This world is going downhill fast. Long live goodness! FLAMENCO !!! ALWAYS !!!
It was regrettable and I had to tell it.
Long live art flamenco