In the history of European cultural management, few names have achieved what Dania Dévora, who passed away on March 25, 2026, in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, accomplished: transforming an archipelago into the gravitational center of world music. Under the tutelage and trust of Peter Gabriel, Dévora was not only the guardian of the WOMAD brand in Spain for more than three decades, but also the architect of a cultural diplomacy that used the stage as a bridge between continents.
Her technical and emotional legacy has an undeniable epicenter in the south of Gran Canaria. It was there, between the dunes and the tourist asphalt of Maspalomas, that Dévora proved that excellence is not incompatible with seasonality. Her drive to create the Maspalomas Soul Festival transformed the San Agustín arena into a branch of the most authentic Memphis, attracting international R&B and Soul artists with meticulous production that became the standard of quality for her production company, DD&Company, founded in 1990.
Dévora's audacity reached its zenith with the decentralization of the WOMAD festival, bringing a historic edition to the south of the island. With this move, she not only expanded the map of world music festivals but also challenged the conventional narrative of sun and beach tourism, injecting an intellectual and multicultural component into the heart of the Canary Islands' economic engine. For Dania, the south was not just a destination but a natural amphitheater where Canarian identity could engage in direct dialogue with artists from Mali, Brazil, or the United Kingdom.
A Grammy Award winner and regular collaborator with the United Nations, her working method was far removed from the coldness of the conventional promoter. Dévora understood culture as a tool for social transformation and "economic sovereignty," as reflected in her international cooperation projects. Her ability to connect territories—from the plazas of Cáceres to Santa Catalina Park or the stages of San Bartolomé de Tirajana—made her a figure of consensus in an often fragmented industry.
Demanding, visionary, and possessing an unerring intuition for authenticity, Dania Dévora leaves a void that will be felt backstage throughout the archipelago. Her passing marks the end of an era in which the Canary Islands ceased to be merely a technical stop and became an essential destination on the global circuit of musical excellence. The echo of the festivals she created under the sun of southern Gran Canaria will, from today onward, be her finest epitaph. From Maspalomas24H, we pay tribute to her and extend our deepest condolences to her family and company.
