Radio hits the streets: A look back at the 10th Palique event that moved the Canary Islands
A radio studio in the middle of Triana
If you were strolling down Calle Triana in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria the other day, you would have stumbled across a sight you don't see every day. Microphones, cables snaking over the cobblestones, and a crowd gathered around a mixing desk. No, it wasn't a film shoot. It was Radio Canaria, which had moved its studios to the street to celebrate something big: the tenth anniversary of Palique, a project that's spent a decade showing that radio is so much more than just a transistor.
The atmosphere was incredible, I swear. People stopped in their tracks, leaned out of their windows, or sat at nearby cafes to soak up what was happening. And that's the thing about live broadcasting, face-to-face with the public – it has a special kind of magic. It reminds you that radio can be that: a loudspeaker for the neighbourhood, for the laughter of kids and the stories of those of us with a few grey hairs.
Ten years of Palique: educating, moving, and reaching beyond
Palique isn't some new-fangled idea. For ten school years, they've been thrusting a mic into the face of education. Teachers, students, families... they've all passed through its studios (or schoolyards) to prove that radiocommunication is still a powerful tool. Not just for learning to speak well or conquer stage fright, but for building community. For these two days, Triana became the heart of that philosophy.
There was a bit of everything:
- Special live broadcasts with Radio Canaria, linking up with schools from all the islands.
- Workshops for teachers to swap tips and experiences on using radio in the classroom. Folks didn't just come to listen; they came to get stuck in.
- On-the-street interviews with the real stars: the students, who shared what 'doing radio' means to them. One kid admitted his favourite part is playing music, and I couldn't help but remember recording mixtapes of classic Radiohead tracks for my own mates.
- Impromptu musical performances that spilled right out of the street's own speakers, mixing ambient sound with the airwaves.
The best part was seeing the mix of generations. Grandads asking about the old 'valves', and kids working the digital mixing desks like pros. Radio belongs to everyone, and in Triana it was clear it doesn't care about age.
The radio that transcends
As Friday afternoon rolled into evening, and the crew started packing up, people were still hanging around the speakers, chatting. You could tell something bigger than just an official event had happened. In ten years, Palique has achieved what few educational projects do: it's made people feel it's theirs. A high schooler telling you that radio taught them about teamwork. A veteran teacher confessing they'd never seen their students so motivated as when you put a mic in front of them.
Because that's what this broadcasting lark is all about, really. Not just frequencies and gear, but shared emotions. A 'good morning' that reaches thousands of breakfast tables. A song that transports you. Like when 'Creep' by Radiohead came through the street monitors and everyone, young and old, fell silent for a few seconds – because that lyric nails the feeling of being an outsider, something we've all felt. The complete opposite of what happened in Triana these days: there, we all felt part of something.
Long live Palique. Long live radio.