The valuable legacy of the 'pesqueres' and the 'encesers' will never be forgotten. The Town hall of El Poble Nou de Benitatxell has signed a collaboration agreement with the creators of the project 'Ink nits' for editing, layout and printing of a photographic book. The mayor, Miguel Ángel
García, the Councilor for Culture and Heritage, Víctor Bisquert, one of its main promoters, Jake Abbott, and the Culture technician, Quico Llobell.
As the largest collaborator and co-editor, the municipality of Poblero has contributed 20.000 euros to make this project a reality, which will recover the memory of a particular fishing art exclusive to the cliffs of the Marina Alta. In exchange, he has received the donation of 19 photographs from the collection valued at more than 10.000 euros, which were exhibited at the Maritime Museum of Barcelona.
The book, which is the result of almost 20 years of work and research by Jake Abbott, Felipe Escolano and Pep 'Sopa', will be released this summer. In it, dozens of impressive photographs are collected and it puts a face on the farmers who, hanging from the steep cliffs, risked their lives on the coldest nights of the year to capture cuttlefish or rock fish that would complement their always insufficient wages. And of course, it is also a tribute to their women and mothers, who spent anguished nights without sleep for fear of losing a husband or a child.
It will also feature several articles and texts by personalities such as the three-star Michelin chef Quique Dacosta, the writer and journalist from Poblera, Empar Ferrer, the historian Miquel Almenara, Toni Barber, Joan Seguí (Ethnographic Museum of València), Xaro Cabrera and Joaquín Araujo . The cover is by the artist Joan Castejón and the illustrations by the illustrator Hugo Giner.
Jake Abbott has shown himself "Super grateful for this commitment to culture" of the City council of Benitatxell. "After the photographic exhibition, the book opens up the space more and will allow the heritage of the fishermen to be known in all parts of the world". In addition, he has advanced that the next step will be the production of a documentary.
For their part, the mayor and the Councilor for Culture have shown their pride in championing as a people the recovery of this identity symbol. “As rulers it is our duty to protect the fisheries and put them in value so that the daring and sacrifice of our ancestors does not fall into oblivion. From the City Council of El Poble Nou de Benitatxell we cannot be more grateful and grateful for the work that Jake Abbott, Felipe Escolano and Pep 'Sopa' have done. Because they have rescued the memory of an entire people ", have pointed.
As they have highlighted, this is just one of the first steps to turn the fisheries into one of the emblems and energizing elements of the town. In fact, the foundations are already being laid for a future interactive experiential space for fishermen.
