A workshop to dream and vibrate with the magic of African rhythms. Dances and percussion that will transport us from Taganana to a dynamic and participatory space that we are looking forward to enjoying.

Michel Mbarga is a renowned multi-instrumentalist (guitar, balafon, percussion) and Lornoar is a beautiful voice and dancer from Cameroon. Through their musical compositions and performances, they have been contributing to the dissemination of Bantu culture around the world for decades, with responsibility and pride. Michel will introduce participants to traditional Central African percussion, while Lornoar will teach simple dance steps learned in the family and community setting. Finally, percussive notes and body movements meet, challenge and respond to each other. The activity is designed as a dynamic and participatory space, intended to enjoy rhythm, body and culture collectively.

The round-table discussion will be organised in collaboration with Radio de Anaga and will bring together new female entrepreneurs who are coming to Anaga for the first time with their business projects, bringing dynamism, diversity and vitality to the area. It will provide a forum for dialogue between the participants and the local community, designed to highlight this important process of revitalising the area’s business community, driven by women who operate within the Biosphere Reserve. Through their testimonies, they will share their stories, their motivations and their vision for the future.

Meet & Impact is an event organised by the Slow Business Club, a sustainable business community, designed as a welcoming and informal space to connect with other entrepreneurs, share experiences, challenges and projects, and generate new opportunities for collaboration.

The session will take place on Saturday 22 August, from 1.00 pm to 2.00 pm, at the AAVV La Voz del Valle, providing a space for dialogue, active listening and the exchange of ideas on entrepreneurship, sustainability and positive impact.

The Taganana Festival is actively committed to improving its host environment, carrying out environmental regeneration initiatives as part of the “Taganana Festival Cares for Anaga” project. This initiative aims to mitigate any potential impacts arising from the event and to make a positive contribution to the environmental condition of the area.

On the morning of Saturday 22 August, an environmental conservation initiative will take place, including a thermophilic forest conservation event organised in collaboration with the Macizo de Anaga Biosphere Reserve and the Tenerife Mountaineering Group, aimed at raising awareness of the importance of this valuable ecosystem and promoting actions for its protection. Bird baths will also be installed at the CEIP Julián Rojas de Vera primary school, an initiative designed to promote local biodiversity and foster respect for the environment.

Photograph: ‘Between Scales and Legends’ by Alejandro Betoret López

At the Taganana Festival, children are given special attention by Paloma Blandis. Her way of communicating, the tenderness with which she works and her attention to detail with the little ones are values that we incorporate into the project without hesitation.

Paloma Balandis has been working for and with children since 1993, on educational, cultural and artistic projects in different countries. She is an oral storyteller, reading mediator and shadow puppeteer. She creates experiences that invite listening, dialogue and sharing. Contar con las sombras (Counting on Shadows) is a fun and educational storytelling workshop that Paloma will run in schools in Anaga. The workshop invites participants to explore the stories they read and the way they are told, using shadow play to create fantastical scenes, encourage creativity, oral expression and a love of shared storytelling.

The Canarina Foundation works to educate people about the conservation of our environment. Raising awareness of the flora and fauna of the Canary Islands, as well as the key factors in keeping our rich biodiversity alive, are central to the Festival.

The Orca and Other Cetaceans Game raises awareness of the importance of animal welfare and freedom, instilling values of respect and empathy for other living beings. Canarina is a not-for-profit foundation whose main aims are the protection of nature and the environment in the Canary Islands. Its philosophy is based on the conviction that a change in the way we humans relate to nature and the living beings that form part of it is of vital importance.