III SONORAS ENCOUNTER: Women, Music, and Oral Tradition in Andalusia
The SONORAS project Women, Music, and Oral Tradition in Andalusia, promoted by the Andalusian Institute of Historical Heritage (IAPH), is an initiative designed to highlight, value, and share traditional sound expressions and oral knowledge in rural Andalusia, focusing especially on the role of women.
The celebration of the International Day of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, established by UNESCO on 17 October, provides a unique opportunity for symbolic and meaningful action that directly involves local communities and strengthens the recognition of women as key transmitters of cultural values.
The event in Almonaster la Real (Huelva) reflects this dual purpose: it is part of the SONORAS project and also honours this international observance. The programme will feature a roundtable discussion with women who are guardians of oral and musical traditions in the area, central figures in the intergenerational transmission of heritage. These women bring to life songs, melodies, stories, and rituals that form the cultural identity of their communities. Their presence is not symbolic but essential — they are active agents in preserving heritage and building more equitable cultural spaces.
The roundtable is intended as a space for dialogue, recognition, and reflection. Participants will share their experiences and strategies for passing on their knowledge, as well as the challenges they face today: rural depopulation, the erosion of cultural references, sound globalisation, and persistent gender inequalities.
The event has several key goals: to strengthen the role of women as heritage custodians; to promote discussion about community-based transmission processes; to make these forms of knowledge more visible in society; to connect the SONORAS methodology to an internationally recognised date; and to spark future initiatives such as workshops, sound archives, and local networks that extend beyond a single event.
The project is also aligned with the principles of Spain’s State Pact against Gender-Based Violence. In this sense, the recovery and visibility of women’s sound traditions is a form of social empowerment, addressing the historical invisibility and structural inequalities that have limited the recognition of their cultural contributions.
This activity is framed within the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, which views this heritage as a living, dynamic, and community-based asset. This international framework supports the integration of local actions into broader policies of cultural equality and shared responsibility.
Ultimately, the Almonaster la Real encounter serves as one of the territorial hubs of the SONORAS project. It aims to promote continuity, local empowerment, and cultural re-signification. Beyond a commemorative event, this gathering seeks to lay the foundations for future actions and living archives, ensuring that women’s voices continue to resonate as sound heritage, collective memory, and a path toward greater equality.
Programme
17:00 – Opening and Presentation of the SONORAS Project
With representatives of the Andalusian Institute of Historical Heritage (IAPH) and the Municipality of Almonaster la Real
17:15 – Round Table: Women, Music and Oral Tradition in the Province of Huelva
Moderated by Gema Carrera Díaz and Aniceto Delgado Méndez
Participants:
- Paula Fernández Gómez and Isabel María Gómez Díaz – Fandangos, Biblical Seguidillas and Songs of “La Rama”, Alosno
- Susana Martín Romero and Ángeles Romero Borrero – Tambourines and Fandangos, Aldea de las Veredas
- Alba Romero Barrero – Fandangos and Coplas, Cruz del Llano, Almonaster la Real
- Corazón Vázquez González – Cruz de Agufría
- María Rosario Bermejo Romero – Coplas of the Cross, Berrocal
- Ana López Llamas – Fandangos and Coplas, Cruz de la Fuente, Almonaster la Real
- Teresa Rodríguez – Tambourine Dance, Encinasola
- Lorena Márquez Romero – Tambourines and Fandangos, Cruz de los Olivos, Aldea de Calabazares
- María Dolores Calvo Leiton – Drummer, Cumbres Mayores
Location: Council Chamber, C/ Llana s/n, Almonaster la Real (Huelva, Spain)
Text as provided by the organiser(s).