- 29-07-2025
- National
- Weekly Carrien
- Image source: Diario de Avisos
Viral Tiktok videos from local content creators sparked discussions about the language, identity and tourism of the Canary Islands. As Diario de Avisos reports, Nessa Bratz, a popular Tiktoker known for his direct style and commentary on island life, shares a personal experience that resonates online with thousands of Canadian Ghanaians and audiences.
In her video, Nessa tells the encounter at a supermarket in Tenerife, where she claims she cannot communicate with the store assistant because the staff speaks only English.
“I went to a product that I couldn't find, but she tried to tell me: 'I'm sorry, there was no Spanish.' It was like that,” Nessa said, expressing her frustration. “Why hire someone who only speaks English where we speak Spanish?”
Nessa acknowledged that while she explicitly pointed out that her criticism was not targeting individual employees, “she was just doing the job,” her frustration lies in recruiting practices in the service industry, especially at tourist attractions like the Canary Islands.
“In restaurant interviews, they ask you about your English level. If it's very low, they won't hire you. Now, we allow people to work here without knowing Spanish?” she asked.
She believes that, as she said, in Spain, especially in Canary, Spanish or “Calanian Spanish”, it should be expected in public-oriented roles. “It's not France, Italy or Britain. It's Spain. We speak Spanish here,” she said.
Broad reflection on travel and identity
Apart from the events, Nessa’s video is a wide reflection of how large-scale tourism affects the daily lives of Canaries. She warned that locals were forced to adapt to their hometown foreign languages and were only understood or received service.
“It is a pity that people living in the Canary Islands are forced to speak a language that is not theirs because of mass tourism.” She continued to compare this with other countries: “If you go to France, no one will speak Spanish to you. In the UK? Forgot. In China, you need translation. So, why do locals expect locals to accommodate everyone else?”
Online reaction
The video sparked a wave of reactions from Canadian fighters, and many agreed. “Totally agree with you, I have the same experience.” Others, however, postponed, arguing that the canary-based economy naturally requires linguistic flexibility and should accept linguistic diversity rather than boycott.
This issue also involves labor law. Although there is no law in Spain that requires Spanish fluent private sector work, language knowledge is often listed as a requirement for client-oriented roles. However, in highly tourist areas such as the Canary Islands, many employers prioritize English or German competence to better serve foreign tourists, sometimes at the expense of local language expectations.
The disorganized debate surfaced
Nessa Bratz’s video tapes have brought a widespread focus: how to balance cultural identity with tourism-driven economic pressures. Her words reopened the long debate on language, employment rights and regional identity in canary.
While the archipelago continues to elevate itself with a diverse international destination, voices like Nessa's are a reminder that for many locals, the Canary Islands are more than just a resort. They are at home. With this comes the call to retain the language and customs that define their way of life.
As Nessa ends: “This is a question many of us silently ask, how many identities do we wish we had to give up the tourism industry?”