It’s a nightly summer ritual across much of
Spain: as the heat of the day eases off, chairs are pulled out to the street
for an alfresco chat. Now Algar, an
enterprising village in Cádiz province in Andalucia, southern Spain, with a
population of 1,400 people, is seeking
to have the tradition recognised by the United Nations as a cultural treasure. which is located The aim is to protect the
centuries-old custom from thethreat of social media and
television, said José Carlos Sánchez, the mayor of Algar.
Sánchez recently applied to have the custom added to Unesco’s list of intangible cultural heritage, hoping it will be able to earn a spot in a catalogue that ranges from the art of Neapolitan pizza making to sauna culture in Finland and a grass mowing competition in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Each time extended families and neighbours in the pueblo blanco – or white town – take to their front steps, he sees it as an effort to safeguard the tradition. “But it’s not what it was,” said Sánchez. “So we want to return to having everyone outside of their doors alfresco instead of scrolling through Facebook or watching television inside their homes.”
Sánchez, who regularly spends summer evenings on the doorstep of his 82-year-old mother’s house, is quick to list off the many benefits of what is known as charlas al fresco, from the energy savings of turning off the air conditioning for a few hours to the sense of community forged as neighbours share the day’s gossip or comment on the latest news stories.
The nightly chats also offer a sort of psychological release. “Residents come out to the street and instead of feeling that they’re alone, what they get is a therapy session,” said the 38-year-old. “They share their stories or the problems they’re going through and the neighbours try to help.”
Residents in the small village have reacted warmly to his bid for world heritage status, he said. “So far I haven’t received any criticism, it’s been very positive.” He’s waiting to hear back about next steps but he expects it to be a slow process, one that could take years.
In the meantime, however, the town is facing an unexpected upside: media coverage is pouring in from across the country.
“In Madrid they’re getting to know Algar. In Barcelona too. And in so
many other regions,” he said. “So we’re providing free publicity to the
municipality.”
Photo credit Luis Davilla/Getty Images
Article from The Guardian (edited)
