Axarquía village sculptures instrumental in attracting tourists

Benamocarra town hall has introduced a series of giant musical instruments around the village to pay tribute to the local composer Eduardo Ocón and to its municipal band

Eugenio Cabezas

Thursday, 16 March 2023, 08:20

Benamocarra lays claim to being one of the main producers of avocados in the Axarquía, However, for this village, which is the birthplace of the famous Spanish composer Eduardo Ocón (1833-1901), music is the food of love. It also has the oldest Municipal Music Band in Andalucía which, to complete the quote, plays on...

Its musical wealth has given rise to a number of slogans used by the town hall over the years, from 'Benamocarra, a village with sun and sound', to 'Benamocarra, cradle of music' and 'Benamocarra sounds' and more recently a series of giant musical instruments have also been installed in the streets to pay tribute to its cultural connections.

So far there are already six pieces, which were unveiled in September 2022 to coincide with the village’s 22nd Día de la Música, a day on which this deeply-rooted musical tradition is celebrated. A giant flamenco guitar, a saxophone, a clarinet, a bass drum, cymbals and a horn can already be seen in Plaza del Calvario, Plaza de la Música and Salvador Palma Park.

The councillor for youth, tourism, public safety, roads and works, José Ramón Palomo has said that in the coming months another six instruments will be added, "to increase the attraction and make visitors come to the village".

Resin and fibreglass

The 30-year-old councillor went on to say, “At the moment we are not a very touristy destination, but since we got the instruments, people are coming to take a lot of photographs.”

"People are amazed when they see the pieces, because they are so big, as they measure between three and five metres, and are painted in very authentic colours, the flamenco guitar, the clarinet in white and silver grey, the saxophone in gold,” Palomo explained.

Imagen principal - The giant instruments — The giant instruments SUR

Imagen secundaria 1 - The giant instruments — The giant instruments SUR

Imagen secundaria 2 - The giant instruments

The instruments are made of resin and fibreglass and are designed to withstand different climatic conditions. They have been made by a company from Cadiz which creates pieces for Las Fallas festival in Valencia. So far the Benamocarra project has cost around 13,000 euros.

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