By David Eade – Costa del Sol News
“A light and sound experience that is unique in the world” is how Ronda’s councillor for tourism described plans for an extravaganza using the Tajo gorge as a backdrop.
To make the “Ronda Experience” a reality will cost three million euros. The light and sound spectacle has been created by Manuel Coronado, a company that is the international reference point for such displays having staged similar projects on the Egyptian Pyramids and at Expo 92.
The plan is to project giant images on to the cliffs of the Tajo and the Puente Nuevo. The area to be covered covers 120 metres in height and 500 metres in width. The images would reflect the origins and history of Ronda through the Roman and Arab epochs, water vapour would pour beneath the bridge, birds would fly and the town’s links with bullfighting and the Goyesca feria would be displayed.
The soundtrack would rely for its scripting on historians and researchers. The images would be projected from ten cabins in the Molinos del Tajo area situated at the foot of the cliff face. The images will be visible for 15 kilometres and says the tourist office would attract thousands of people to Ronda and boost night stays in its hotels.
However the first phase it to find the funding required for the project. The hope is that the various levels of government will contribute to the three million euros budget. Little is likely to happen before the May elections and of course a change in administration could make the Ronda Experience short lived.
Jardines de Cuenca reopen this month
Ronda’s celebrated and historic Jardines de Cuenca overlooking the Tajo gorge will be reopened to the public this month. The mayor and his wife, who happens to be the councillor responsible for parks and gardens, visited the site last week and reported the work is 95 per cent completed.
The project has been funded with over 211,000 euros from an ICO loan to improve the tourism infrastructure of the town. New furnishings have been installed in the gardens and the height of the wall above the gorge has been increased. In addition over 1,000 roses have been planted from 65 different species.
MAYOR ACCUSED
The case surrounding the diversion of Grazalema’s river and the building of homes on the old river bed is returning to court. The judge has finalised the preliminaries and ten people will face trial including the PSOE mayor of Grazalema and the former mayor. They are accused of bribery, obstructing justice, carrying out businesses prohibited to public officials and town planning law violations.
JOBLESS UP
The number of unemployed in Ronda grew again in March rising to 4,669 from 4,602. Men were the hardest hit sector with a rise of 84 cases bringing the total to 2,249 whilst the number of women has dropped by 17 to 2,420. Women still dominate the totals. Of the new contracts on offer the majority are temporary; agriculture took up most workers.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
The training section of the Andalucía health service dedicated to domestic violence is working with nurses in emergency units to enable them to detect cases of women who have suffered abuse. Currently these courses are being held in hospitals in Ronda and La Línea but will be extended to all medical centres in due course. Often these nurses are the victim’s first contact.
STRONG WINDS
Residents of the Ronda area woke up last Wednesday morning to find that 80 km an hour winds had left a trail of destruction overnight. One woman was injured after a lamp post fell on her. Trees were toppled crashing on to cars – eight vehicles were damaged in the Patronato Militar alone and a large pine fell on the hospital’s parking area.
MASS OPPOSITION
PSOE in Ronda is feeling the heat from the PP, PA and IU ranged against it. The problem is the socialists absorbed the former PA mayor and his fellow councillors who were officially labelled political turncoats. The PA has sworn it will not pact with PSOE and the socialists say the PP, PA and IU have a secret agreement to keep them out.
RURAL CINEMA
The second edition of cinemáscampo is being held in Benarrabá, Benalauría, Júcar, Jimera de Líbar, Cartajima and Cortes de la Frontera in conjunction with the CEDER rural development programme. The object is to bring dynamism to the rural communities and especially young people in small municipalities through short films with workshops on production and script writing in conjunction with Ronda and Málaga University.
DODGY MAYOR
The socialist mayor of Alpandeire in the Serranía de Ronda, Gabriel Jiménez, will still be number one on the party’s list for the town hall elections despite being recently accused of receiving stolen heavy machinery. The Guardia Civil say he received construction equipment that had been stolen on the coast. Jiménez insists he was set up and never new the machinery was illicit.
SUSPICIOUS NUMBERS
The national statistics institute (INE) and the office of electoral registration have voiced their suspicion over the number of residents added to the roll in seven municipalities of Málaga province, five of them in the Serranía de Ronda and are investigating. They say the increase cannot be justified in these small communities: Benarrabá, Genalguacil, Atajate, Faraján and Jubrique along with Sedella and Totalán.
