INTRODUCTION

The figure of the Jesuit José de Anchieta (1534-1597), canonised by the Church, co-founder of the city of São Paulo and author of an extensive literary work, continues to be, even today, a figure little understood or known in his native city, despite efforts to disseminate his life and work. Symposia, publications and cultural activities have attempted to recover his legacy, but there is still a gap between the real dimension of his figure and his local perception.

Perhaps part of the problem lies in the fact that Anchieta’s literary or devotional aspect has been emphasised more, without sufficiently underlining the impact that his figure generated in 16th century Brazil, or without presenting his life model as an ethical reference applicable to the present. Anchieta, already in Brazil, profoundly changed the way he saw the indigenous peoples. He went from considering them a risk or a threat to recognising their culture, approaching it, understanding it and disseminating it. His opposition to slavery and his humanistic approach to the other marked a radical change with respect to the prevailing colonial model.

This change of outlook may have its roots in his own childhood in La Laguna, where he lived with another marginalised and colonised reality: the Guanche. Although he does not make it explicit in his texts, he was the only one of the missionaries of his time who came from an island environment where an original culture had been subjugated. This experience may have sensitised him and predisposed him to empathise with other cultures that had also been subjugated.

In this sense, Anchieta 2025 is conceived as a cultural action that updates its message and brings it into dialogue with the values of the present: inclusion, respect for diversity, sustainability, intercultural dialogue, rejection of racism and slavery. The aim is not to repeat what has already been said, but to bring Anchieta’s Brazil closer to today’s Laguna, and to do so through dynamic, participatory and accessible formats, far removed from the traditional academic conference.

The conference includes public dialogues, a film forum, an audiovisual exhibition, concerts and dramatised guided tours. All of this will take place in the Casa de Anchieta, as a symbolic and emotional space, charged with meaning.

Tuesday, June 3rd
19h
Inaugural Session of the Cultural Chair Padre Anchieta ULL
José de Anchieta vs. Jean de Bolés: a historical hoax
Lecture by Dr. D. Fremiot Hernández González,
Professor of Latin Philology of the University of La Laguna

Wednesday, June 4th
19h
Second session of the Padre Anchieta Cultural Chair ULL
José de Anchieta and the “gift of languages”: communicating at the ends of the earth.
Lecture by Dr. Alejandro Fajardo Aguirre,
Professor of Spanish Philology at the University of La Laguna.

Thursday, June 5th
17h
Exhibition Inauguration
17:15h
Father Anchieta in the visual arts
Carlos Javier Castro Brunetto
Professor of History of Art at the University of La Laguna
19h
Dialogue: Anchieta’s paradisiacal nature: plants, fruits, orchards and his connection with the Canary Islands
Carlos Javier Castro Brunetto and Glauce Lima de Oliveira
Plantarina Association
20:30h
Tribute to José de Anchieta
Concert by the “Camerata lacunensis” of the ULL, under the direction of José Herrero.

Friday, June 6th
17h
Dialogue: Anchieta, from here to there (o andarilho)
Carlos J. Castro Brunetto and Roseli Santaella Stella (USP)
18h
Dialogue: Anchieta’s Liberating Message and Slavery in La Laguna
Lagoon
Carlos J. Castro Brunetto and Sara Barrios Pérez (ULL)
19h
Presentation of the Anchiétea Magazine – Cultural Chair Padre Anchieta ULL
By Mr. Salvador García Llanos
President of the Association of Journalists of Tenerife
20h

Cineforum: Screening of the film “Hans Staden” (Luiz Alberto Pereira, Lapfilme, 1999).
(Luiz Alberto Pereira, Lapfilme, 1999. In Portuguese and Tupi, subtitled in Spanish).

Saturday, June 7
19h
The Anchieta show
Musical journey with Isabel González, Rebeca Mora and José Félix Izquierdo.

Sunday, June 8
17h, 18h, 19h and 20h
Dramatized guided tours of the Anchieta House
Burka Teatro and Néstor Verona – Historian from the University of La Laguna, expert in interpretation and heritage revitalization.

Tuesday, June 10th
19h
Conference organized by the Brotherhood of Knights and Dames of San José de Anchieta
The Sculpture of Anchieta, BIC and IA
Antonio Hernández Hernández
Professor of Secondary Technology