These two protected assets of the Canary Islands came together in a program of activities that included workshops for all ages and "whistled telegrams" based on literary references from the municipality.
“La Laguna and La Gomera walk hand in hand today, the Silbo flies through its streets, brotherly heritage,” was one of the messages that, throughout the morning, connected the balconies and terraces of the historic monuments in La Laguna’s old town. Silbo Gomero masters filled the air with words of unity and celebration, resonating through the “Rose of the Winds” traced by the streets of the Canary Islands’ only UNESCO World Heritage City. The day marked the union of these two cultural treasures on the UNESCO list, commemorating International World Heritage Day and announcing the 25th anniversary of La Laguna’s World Heritage designation.
The Councilor for Cultural Heritage, Adolfo Cordobés, the president of the Silbo Gomero Cultural Association, Estefanía Mendoza, and the promoter of the initiative, Rogelio Botanz, received the day’s first message at the Casa de los Capitanes. “The heritage values of La Laguna are not only linked to its monuments or the layout of its streets but are also present in all its cultural assets and in the human heritage of centuries of history. We must not forget the significant population of Gomero origin in La Laguna, who, in the mid-20th century, settled in the municipality, bringing these traditions with them and weaving them into our heritage and identity,” Cordobés remarked.
The Cultural Heritage Delegation of La Laguna City Council and the Silbo Gomero Cultural Association collaborated to offer a commemorative program that, in addition to the whistled messages, included participatory activities and introductory Silbo Gomero workshops for all ages at the Palacio Lercaro. These workshops were led by Silbo Gomero masters and children, both from La Gomera and from the network of educational centers teaching Silbo Gomero across the Canary Islands.
Another of the most striking initiatives was the "whistled telegrams," a demonstration of the Silbo Gomero's ability to transmit any message. A bench in front of the Teatro Leal offered citizens the chance to choose a random paragraph from various books about La Laguna’s heritage, which was then transmitted by the whistlers.