The Cabildo of La Gomera hosted the institutional event commemorating the 17th anniversary of the inscription of Silbo Gomero on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. The celebration focused on the preservation, transmission, and projection of this cultural landmark of the island.
The gathering, held in the Island Institution's Plenary Hall, brought together institutional representatives, academics, specialists, and individuals involved in the safeguarding of whistled languages. The day was marked by the exchange of experiences and recognition of the work developed in favor of this heritage.
First Vice-president, Adasat Reyes, highlighted that the anniversary should serve to renew the commitment to the conservation and transmission of Silbo. He emphasized that the UNESCO declaration represented the assumption of a responsibility and pointed out the challenge of strengthening education, research, documentation, and community participation.
Reyes stressed the importance of cooperation among administrations, universities, associations, and researchers, as well as the opportunities offered by new technologies for preserving archives and knowledge. He stated that the responsibility lies in working year-round to ensure Silbo has more protection instruments, research, and opportunities to guarantee its future, advocating for it to remain a living expression of the island's identity.
The Minister of Universities, Science, Innovation, and Culture of the Government of the Canary Islands, Migdalia Machín, noted that Silbo Gomero belongs to La Gomera and is part of the identity of all of Canary Islands, speaking of a people who knew how to communicate through their landscape and transmit that knowledge. She emphasized that caring for it requires listening, teaching, and giving space to its practitioners.
Machín thanked the work of the Silbo Gomero Cultural Association and the whistling community, and valued the commitment of the two public universities in the Canary Islands, the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and the University of La Laguna, through the Institutional Chair of Silbo Gomero, promoted alongside the Cabildo of La Gomera. She described it as a fundamental tool for advancing the training, research, and dissemination of this unique cultural manifestation.
The president of the Silbo Gomero Cultural Association, Estefanía Mendoza, stated that the anniversary should serve to celebrate the recognition and renew the commitment to the conservation and transmission of Silbo. She underlined that the UNESCO recognition was not the end of a path, but the collective assumption of the responsibility to keep this heritage alive.
Mendoza highlighted the role of the carrier community and the whistling masters, whose work has enabled the language to reach new generations. She affirmed that 'every boy and girl who learns to whistle is a new guarantee for the future' and stressed that the safeguarding of Silbo Gomero requires cooperation among the community, associations, universities, and public administrations, as well as continuous training, research, and dissemination.
The commemoration included the presence of a delegation from the Republic of Turkey, fostering stronger ties between territories with traditional whistled communication systems. Experiences of Silbo Gomero and Turkish whistled language, particularly rooted in the Black Sea region and in localities like Kuşköy, were shared.
An international recognition was presented to the Republic of Turkey, through its Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the General Directorate of Living Heritage and Cultural Activities, as a token of appreciation for the efforts made to protect and keep this form of communication alive, and for their willingness to foster cooperation and cultural exchange with La Gomera.
The celebration also highlighted the role of various Canarian institutions in the study, conservation, and dissemination of Silbo Gomero. The Garajonay National Park, the University of La Laguna, and the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria were recognized, with the presence of their rectors, Francisco García and Lluis Serra, respectively.
The rector of the University of La Laguna, Francisco García, emphasized the institution's continuous trajectory in the study, research, and transmission of Silbo Gomero, addressed through disciplines such as linguistics, philology, and neuroscience, and reinforced by the Institutional Chair of Silbo Gomero in collaboration with the Cabildo of La Gomera.
García stressed that it is a responsibility for the University to continue contributing to the protection and survival of this heritage, especially through knowledge generation and transmission to new generations, recalling that whistling is not only an exceptional cultural manifestation but also an inseparable identity trait of La Gomera and an essential part of the cultural heritage of the Canary Islands.
The rector of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Lluís Serra, thanked the recognition and highlighted the work being done by the University Institute of Textual Applications and Analysis (IATEXT) within the framework of the agreement signed with the Gomera Cabildo and the Silbo Gomero Cultural Association, calling it a strategic milestone for safeguarding this cultural heritage of the Canary Islands and positioning Silbo Gomero within an international network of knowledge and research.
The contemporary dimension of Silbo Gomero was present through music. Singer-songwriter Belén Doreste (Lajalada) performed an artistic intervention integrating the whistled language with new forms of musical expression, demonstrating the creative possibilities of a heritage that maintains its roots while finding new avenues for dissemination.
The program also included a screening of the exhibition «yo, Guirre», conceived as a journey through the historical evolution of Silbo Gomero, its transmission mechanisms, the process leading to its international recognition, and its presence in contemporary society, featuring images, documents, testimonies, and audiovisual materials.
During the celebration, copies of the Proceedings of the International Conferences commemorating the XV Anniversary of Silbo Gomero as a World Heritage site, held in San Sebastián de La Gomera in November 2024, were made available to the public. These proceedings include contributions and reflections from specialists on the conservation and future of whistled languages.
