Talking of cathedrals and palaces does not convey what makes Granada and Andalusia such a tourist magnet. Because Joye and I are so old and security minded, much of the excitement occurs after we have left the streets at night... and are tucked safely into our beds... yes, everything happening after 9 PM escapes our radar.
There is a connection between bull fighting, flamenco singing and flamenco dancing that drives southern Spanish culture. In particular, you can't live in southern Spain without skills in either cante (singing), toque (guitar playing), baile (dance) or palmas (handclaps)... preferably skills in all four.
The history of Andalusia is one long tale of executions, disposessions and expulsions of one racial group or another... Islamists, Jews or Christians... and you can throw in the Romani for good measure. But from the bleakness of the history has emerged cultural trappings that are alive with colour... overflowing with emotion and energy... exciting every sense of the human spirit. Southern Spain paid a high price for its unique culture... but the culture is indeed unique.
In recent years flamenco has become popular all over the world and is taught in many countries: in Japan there are more academies than there are in Spain. On November 16, 2010 UNESCO declared flamenco one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
The origins of flamenco are Romani... giving expression to their suffering and persecution... next the Arabs (and the Hindus) added their flourishes... and finally the Jews adopted and modified the art form. Guitars were added to the performance late in the 19th century ... followed by professional performers taking an interest in the art form in the second half of that century. It was the professionals who added the flair... the tossing of the head... the stamping of the feet... the brightly coloured costumes.
Bull fighting followed a similar evolutionary path. The tradition built up slowly... but when professional performers became involved in the second half of the 19th century, the costumes, the daring techniques and the blood lust were added. There is so much self-identity for Spain wrapped up with bull fighting. The practice has become relatively scarce because of the actions of animal liberationists... but some steps are now being made to take the killing and extreme torture out of the sport to allow broader appeal.
We have seen many bars featuring stuffed Bulls heads over the top of fireplaces... we have seen stuffed Bulls standing guard in the doorway of many shops. What we haven't seen are live Bulls standing in paddocks. There are a few cows... but not a bull in sight . Perhaps to breed them tough, Bulls are kept in the mountain paddocks well clear from roads.
In Granada, there is plenty of street entertainment... almost universally of poor standard. I think the money placed in the hats of performers is more by way of a request to stop playing... rather than a show of gratitude for a good performance. In Granada, many young boys have the ambition to build their own guitar... something of a coming of age activity. We walked into one workshop that helps to build the guitars. The wood of choice is Cyprus Pine... the workshop smelt delightful.
If we could only stay up past 9 PM, I'd be able to give you a clearer sense of the excitement generated by the arts. As it is, you'll just have to take our assessment of the warm-up acts that get kicked off stage as soon as the professionals turn up at midnight.
No comments:
Post a Comment