What has he lost? flamenco in Luxembourg? Judging by the growing enthusiasm in this European country, and especially given the two decades of its existence Esch Festival...more than it might seem at first glance. The latest edition of this event, which culminated on Sunday, May 24, has once again highlighted the love affair between art and art. jondo and a border territory with Germany, France and Belgium, of only 2.586 square kilometers and a population that does not reach 700.000 inhabitants, many of whom are of foreign origin: Portuguese, Italians… And of course, Spaniards.
It is surely impossible to determine when a flamenco guitar was first heard in Luxembourg, but there are milestones that help us understand, at least, what has happened in recent decades. A Spanish woman, Paca RimbauShe arrived here in 1985. “I came for a month, but some months stretch on for much longer,” she smiles. Three years after her arrival, in 88, she and a friend organized a recital in a nightclub, featuring a flamenco singer who had emigrated to Paris. Pepe El Toro, The Little Bit y Antonio MoyaAnd the next day, another one of Pedro Bacánwho was touring the region. Both days, the hall was packed with people who didn't want to leave, asking for more. And only a small fraction were fellow countrymen from Spain. "You can't really say there was a fan base," Paca points out, "but there was a taste for the flamencoand a real desire.”
Luxembourg thus created its own rhythm: slow, like a tentative process, but firm and resounding. In 1991, the journalist from Granada... Miguel Angel Gonzalez He gave an illustrated talk on new trends in flamenco at the headquarters of Antonio Machado Circle, a fundamental organ in the development of art jondo in the country, and not only: it acted as a mutual aid center, promoting everything from Spanish language and culture courses and film screenings to festive gatherings. They even created a football team made up of Spaniards.
In 1997, coinciding with the European Year against Racism, Enrique Morente He placed the then Municipal Theater of the capital at their feet. From then on, visits from flamencoThey're becoming regular. Not just those of more or less media-savvy idols like Silver Hands o Paco de Lucíawho had been including Luxembourg in their tours for years, but also names like Carmen Linares, Eva Yerbabuena, Ketama, Andrés Marín, Ricardo Miño and Pepa Montes, Mercedes Ruiz and Andrés Peña… To which, as time went on, would be added Javier Latorre, India Martínez, Rocío Molina, Sara Baras, Mercedes Ruiz, Javier Barón, Israel Galván, La Macanita, etcetera, etcetera.
"What has he lost?" flamenco in Luxembourg? Judging by the growing enthusiasm in this European country, and especially given the two decades of its existence Esch Festival...more than it might seem at first glance. The latest edition of this event, which culminated on May 24, has once again highlighted the love affair between art and culture. jondo and a border territory with Germany, France and Belgium»
But if one concert in these parts is remembered, it's the one by Diego Rubichi and his son, SundayIn 2003, a match that marked a turning point for Luxembourgish football fans. The chosen venue was the Kulturfabrik de Esch, a former cattle slaughterhouse abandoned and transformed into a cultural space, whose head of world music, Jang KayserIn collaboration with the most involved Spanish emigrants, he championed the sounds of Jerez's heartland and delighted a large audience of over a hundred spectators. It was there that the idea of a flamenco spring began to take shape, which, in time, would become the seed of the festival now known worldwide.
Throughout the evolution of flamenco In Luxembourg, the changes in emigration itself have played a significant role. While the first wave in the 60s was strongly ideological, reflecting anti-Franco resistance and the mining sector, which was then very important in the region, over time the profile of the emigrant became more associated with modern European institutions. In any case, as Rimbau points out,In Luxembourg there has always been great sympathy for Spanish things.While Spanish emigration hasn't been the largest, it has certainly been among the most vocal and politically engaged. The first immigrants joined the labor movement with force, showing solidarity with the Luxembourgers and receiving solidarity in return, thus energizing the country's political life. Many people remember that their first demonstration was against the Burgos Trials. And shortly after, in 73, there was enormous support for the Chilean democrats after Pinochet's coup, as well as for the Portuguese during the Carnation Revolution… It's a community that has loved and been loved. We never created a ghetto.”
At the same time, schools were being established in flamenco, 90 percent of whose students were not of Spanish origin, which gave an important boost to the dissemination of this music; and the consolidation, two decades ago, of the Festival Flamenco by Esch, driven by a group of enthusiasts gathered around the Machado Circle: Paca herself, Miguel Betegón, Edel Álvarez, Mario Velázquez, Juan Martín, Victoria Villalba, Jesús Iglesias or Ángela Aguilar These are some of the names that have fought to put Luxembourg on the map flamenco European, and not in a minor way, considering it is a city of only 40.000 inhabitants.
This effort has resulted in a progressive increase in native musicians and dancers attracted to the flamenco. One of them is Samuel Attal, a young classically trained guitarist who has grown up participating in the festival's workshops, and who will continue his studies next year at the Cristina Heeren Foundation“I was looking for something to develop my artistic path, and I found this festival. Then I took classes in Belgium with Anthony Carruba, 'El Carru', who now lives between Jerez and Belgium, and I participated in the jams at the dance school of Jil Kelhetter in Bereldange. I have also accompanied Sabrina Le Guen in his classes in Bonnevoie, at a school called Triana, an air of flamenco to Luxembourg. And we've even formed a group with several people who like it. flamenco, and that is called Forward, with GIorgos Christodoulakis, Rocío Meza Suárez, Ilias Petalas and Rosa María FernándezThe world of classical guitar is more solitary, but the flamenco "It has more possibilities and more opportunities to share."
This idea, that of sharing, has a lot to do with the role of flamenco among the different communities that live in Luxembourg. “It’s an element of cohesion,” concludes Paca Rimbau. “For fans, it’s a chance to reconnect and see interesting things, and they feel a special pride when people enjoy it. It’s a way of giving away the best you have, of showcasing a fundamental element of our cultural universe. But we also do a kind of reverse mediation: it’s a way of showing this country, which we’ve made our own, to artists.” flamencos”. ♦
