Foto: JavidBaku

Algecira’s Centro de Interpretación Paco de Lucía has now the support of the family of this brilliant guitarist to make this project a reality. This will happen in 2020 and it will be located in the old Police Headquarters of that city, between the Blas Infante and Ruiz Zorrilla streets.

In fact, the starting gun was fired on December 17^th, 2018, with the final resolution of the Junta de Andalucía’s Culture Council about the European subsidies arising from the Integrated Territorial Iniciative (ITI). These funds must be made available «immediately for the creation or habilitation of spaces or buildings to promote cultural resources in the province». Specifically, the amount assigned to the Algeciras City Council to get the Paco de Lucía Interpretative Center running is 1.2 million euros. This would include the direct creation of ten new jobs.

At the beginning of March, 2019, the widow of Paco de Lucía, Gabriela Canseco, added the first signature to the agreement with the city council. A few days later, it was the turn of the three older children of the artist: Casilda, Lucía and Curro Sánchez Varela. All of them did so in their capacity as heirs of the maestro. With their signatures, they reserve their right to participate in the procedures and negotiations regarding the preparation of technical documentation and the different contract awards. They also authorize the Algeciras City Council to raise funds regarding artistic, bibliographic or discographic matters, among others, about this guitarist.

The Centro de Interpretación Paco de Lucía is born with the vocation of a museum. According to Algecira’s mayor, José Ignacio Landaluce, the goal is «not just leaving it as a space to enjoy the legacy of this artist, but it aspires to become a place to study flamenco and guitar». Building an auditorium is being contemplated for the second phase.