Flamenco and Internet: from local to global

A round-table
discussion was held in collaboration with the municipal library of Huércal
de Almería (province of Almería), with Estela Zatania (journalist
living in Morón de la Frontera and reporter for the Madrid-based
web deflamenco.com), Carlos Fernández Rico “Curro del Realejo”
(Madrid photographer based in Granada, coordinator of the Argentine flamenco
web tristeyazul.com), Marcos Escánez (coordinador of the web almeriacabal.com),
Gerardo Parra (coordinator of the webpage of the peña “El
Ciego de la Playa”, Gerardo Parra junior (computer engineer and
webmaster of the webpage “El Ciego de la Playa”) and yours
truly as moderator. Although I don’t usually report on activities
I’ve personally been involved in, so as to avoid an unethical conflict
of interests, in light of the range of issues dealt with and which involve
cross-culturalism as well as flamenco by means of Internet, the new communication
system made possible by this medium and which brings together flamenco-lovers
from every international horizon, I considered it of interest to offer
readers a summary of what was discussed. We can also contemplate how from
a modest little town in Andalusia, and it’s flamenco club, it is
possible to reflect upon certain aspects of the current state of flamenco
in the international arena.

Each participating member of the round table first spoke about his or
her personal experience with Internet and gave a general overview of the
possibilities and limitations of this medium.

– The topic of the language barrier was discussed, the presence of English
and Spanish in the Western world, the communication limitations with other
parts of the world (Asia, Moslem cultures..), and the need to find a common
language was underlined, with English being the most likely candidate,
although the importance of Spanish was also pointed out.

– The type of journalism found on Internet was discussed, including the
sometimes “amateur” aspect, that is, written by non-professionals,
or people with a limited experience in flamenco, which, despite the best
of intentions, can afford more misinformation than information, and more
deformation than formation. It was commented that the person navigating
the Net is responsible for comparing different data and developing a set
of criteria in order to separate the wheat from the chaff.

– The topic of webpages with publicity (commercial pages) was discussed,
as well as private non-profit webpages, and those which are combine both
approaches offering free information supported by advertising.

– Author’s rights on Internet were discussed. Legally downloadable
recorded music exists, as well as tricks to bypass existing legislation,
especially in Spain.

– The different types of webpages were discussed, the static type as
opposed to those which are continually updated, which brought us to a
discussion of how webpages work, what human and technical resources are
required, how the page is designed, how a team works and how it can be
managed with a reduced staff.

– We discussed the conflict that sometimes results regarding Internet
and different kinds of flamenco fans: those who directly reject the new
technology, especially members of traditional flamenco clubs or ‘peñas’,
whose profile situates them in the pre-Internet era, and people who have
and use Internet, usually of another generation.

– It was commented that Internet has little in the way of actual instructional
material, and it could become an excellent medium for transmitting knowledge
at every level. In this sense a bright future was predicted.

– This topic led us to a debate regarding the possibilities of Internet
in general, and it was commented that in the beginning high expectations
were raised that have yet to be fulfilled.

– As is only natural, we discussed photographs and other images reproduced
on Internet and the system of digital photography which undermines traditional
notions of authors’ rights. Who is the recognized legal author of
a digital photograph?

– We remarked upon the tremendous volume of information that Internet
generates daily and the difficulty in filtering and sorting out the most
worthwhile data.

– Given the specialized background of several members of the round table,
technical aspects were also discussed,: programming, design, user-friendliness,
a new type of journalism, intrusive tactics, the advantages of diversity…

– Amateur radio and associations of ham radio operators were cited as
precursors of the current Internet boom, including Internet discussion
groups.

– Education of potential users was again emphasized and the importance
of each individual learning to apply his or her own criteria.

– To conclude, a positive evaluation of Internet was made with the following
words: “The democratization of information”, and the freshness
of the medium was highlighted as a way of “being informed immediately
of any
aspect of flamenco”.

Norberto Torres