A toolkit for local authorities
Contacts
Social Inclusion Committee
Maren Lambrecht-Feigl
Mail : maren.lambrecht@coe.int
El Fraile is a small town in the municipality of Arona in South Tenerife with a population of just over 7000 inhabitants. The neighbourhood is known for its multicultural character through settlement for decades of people from very diverse backgrounds. In 2011 half of its population was foreign-born, most Latin American and African origin. The great sociocultural diversity of the neighbourhood has been associated with a highly stigmatized image of conflict. Before the visit we were warned that the image did not conform to reality, but after walking a few hours around the neighbourhood and talk to neighbours and representatives of local organizations, we found that few times the distance between perception and the reality of a neighbourhood was so marked. That distorted picture has somehow hindered the development of the area, which on the other hand has many facilities that constitute it as one of the best equipped neighbourhoods in the island.