The Fuerteventura Book Fair will dedicate its programming on 16 October to the legacy of Federico García Lorca, featuring two events that intertwine literature and the performing arts. A dialogue with playwright and screenwriter Alberto Conejero will take place alongside a contemporary dance performance inspired by the life and death of the renowned poet from Granada.
At 20:30, the Josefina Plá tent will host the event titled De La Bola Negra a La Piedra Oscura, a conversation with Alberto Conejero moderated by poet Javier Vicedo Alós. Conejero will discuss two works linked to Lorca's universe and the recovery of stories shaped by memory, identity, and dissent. He is a co-writer of La Bola Negra, a film by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, and the author of La Piedra Oscura, a play connected to Rafael Rodríguez Rapún, secretary of the university theatre company La Barraca and a figure associated with Lorca's life. This dialogue aims to deepen the connections between literature, theatre, cinema, and historical memory.
La Bola Negra has emerged as one of the recent phenomena in Spanish cinema. After grossing nearly €4.7 million and attracting over 600,000 viewers in its opening weekend, the film has maintained a strong box office performance, reaching €23.5 million in total earnings by 12 October and securing a place among the ten highest-grossing Spanish films in history. Inspired by Lorca's unfinished work of the same title, the film explores themes of identity, desire, and historical memory, further enhanced by its recognition at international festivals.
The day's events will also include a dance performance titled Padre Nuestro. Pasión y muerte de Federico García Lorca, scheduled for 21:15 in the Plaza del Palacio de Formación y Congresos. This piece, created by the Valencian companies Migro Danza and Yapadú Artística, is designed as a scenic proposal that utilises the body, memory, and symbolic elements to delve into the poet's figure. It reflects on the circumstances of his assassination in 1936 and broadens the perspective to include those silenced due to their identity, sexual orientation, or beliefs. This connection between historical memory and contemporary issues remains relevant today.
With an original idea and overall direction by Edu Migro, who shares the stage with performer Raúl Lledó, the show features dramaturgy by Javier Sahuquillo and choreography assistance from Ana Luján. The performance combines contemporary dance and physical theatre to explore the expressive power of movement and soundscapes.
The coincidence of these two events makes 16 October a particularly significant day for engaging with Lorca through various artistic disciplines, thanks to the Fuerteventura Book Fair. The words and reflections of Alberto Conejero will resonate alongside a scenic creation that recovers the poet's memory and raises questions about identity, freedom, and the persistence of historical silences.
The Fuerteventura Book Fair is organised by the Insular Library Centre, part of the Culture Department of the Cabildo of Fuerteventura, in collaboration with the Canary Islands Institute of Cultural Development and the regional government's Vice-Ministry of Social Welfare, Equality, Youth, Childhood, and Family.
