The 22nd Paraty International Literary Festival (Flip) came to an end this Sunday (13), after five days of intense cultural programming. According to the organizers, the event attracted between 27 thousand and 30 thousand people to the historic city on the south coast of Rio de Janeiro.
The flagship of a vast parallel program promoted by companies from different segments, the main event, which is spread across the structure set up around Praça da Matriz, in the historic center, featured 20 chat tables which, according to the organizers, “brought to the center of their debates the plurality of visions and sensibilities that are at play in contemporary times, addressing urgent issues such as climate emergency, fake news and authoritarianism.”
The occupancy rate of the chain of hotels and inns reached 95%, and the streets were taken over by people attracted by the presence of writers such as the Brazilian Carla Madeira; the Mexican Jazmina Barrera, the Colombian Juan Cárdenas, the Palestinian Atef Abu Saif, among others – including artists, celebrities, politicians and opinion makers, with the digital influencer Felipe Neto, who has just released a book about hate and political polarization. He shared it with journalist Patrícia Campos Mello, author of The Hate Machinea table on how to face hate.
In addition to the debates between authors, shown simultaneously and free of charge on a large screen installed in Praça da Matriz, the official program – which this year paid homage to the Rio de Janeiro writer João do Rio (1881-1921) – included the so-called Flip+, free programming composed by cinema sessions, more literary debates, book launches, artistic presentations and activities for children, young people and educators.
More than 53 thousand people watched the main programming debates on YouTube – a result more than twice as high as the 25 thousand registered internet users in 2023. Furthermore, the educational activities alone, according to the organizers, involved at least 5.5 thousand people. In the event’s official bookstore alone, around 15 thousand copies of books were sold.
