The unforgettable Nanino Díaz Cutillas

On December 26, at 20:00 p.m., at the Palacete Rodríguez Quegles in the capital of Gran Canaria, the conference titled 'Unforgettable Nanino (1937-1988)' will be held, by ULPGC professor, Yeray Rodríguez, doctor in Hispanic Philology and Gran Canaria scholar. 

 

Rodríguez's intervention promises to be entertaining, since it will have a musical part where the soloists Candelaria González and Elena González, accompanied by the musicians Jorge Mendoza, Eduardo Hernández and Fernando García, will perform, in an acoustic format, a well-known Latin American repertoire . In his conference, Yeray Rodríguez will refer to the dimension of the figure of Nanino Díaz Cutillas, the popular television presenter, creator of the program 'Tenderete' and Canarian folklorist, who died 35 years ago. 

 

“Few characters have aroused such passionate unanimity in these islands of ours as that which Díaz Cutillas was able to generate. Three and a half decades after his departure, those who knew his work continue to value it and it is more necessary than ever to provide the new generations with the value of his example and the height of his professional dedication," says the professor and academic, who will offer in his conference in which he will allude to the commitment to the traditions that this unforgettable character maintained, as well as his exciting legacy.

 

The Foundation that ensures the projection and dissemination of his legacy, managed by the Department of Culture of the Gran Canaria Cabildo, promotes the program of commemorative events 'Unforgettable Nanino' on the occasion of such an anniversary, which will conclude on the 27th, with a great concert that will take place in the Plaza de Santa Ana in the capital of Gran Canaria, in which soloists from all the islands will participate. This recital, titled '35 years (more) with Nanino', will be directed by Javier Cerpa and will constitute a unanimous demonstration of recognition of the figure of the late folklorist by some of the best singers from all the islands. That same day, the 27th, marks exactly 35 years since the sad death of Nanino, when he was 52 years old.

 

 

 

 

The famous journalist and folklorist, with his natural talent, aroused a unanimity of affection, which in his case he conquered without intending it, through different programs and concerns, among which his work in the mythical television space broadcast by Spanish Television in the Canary Islands stands out. 'Tenderete'. Considered the great communicator of the Canarian identity, he found on the big screen the possibility of showing the general public the ethnographic and folkloric treasures of the islands through spaces such as 'Tenderete' 'El pueblo canta', 'Canarias viva' or ' Island trails'. After his death he was awarded the Gold Medal of the Canary Islands and the title of Favorite Son of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

 

In 1971 he began directing and presenting the program 'Tenderete'. 'Tenderete' and Nanino as a program and character will go down in the history of Spanish Television for their permanence on the air and their social impact. We are talking about black and white television, about a Spain in which Franco was alive when the program began to be broadcast while the regime's censors controlled any cultural manifestation that encouraged nationalist sentiment in the Spanish autonomous communities. Fernando Díaz Cutillas was his most charismatic presenter and was until his death, early and unexpected at the age of 52. The essence of the program was none other than the rescue of voices and players who sat around a table chaired by Nanino and performed folklore, Canarian and South American songs unknown to many. The first Tenderete program was broadcast live on September 7, the eve of El Pino, in 1971.