While the presidents of Mexico and the United States, Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Joe Biden, held a bilateral meeting in the Ambassadors room of the National Palace to discuss issues such as economic integration, the Sonora Plan, migration and security, Jill Biden and Beatriz Gutiérrez Müller led the gathering “Fandango por la lectura” in the Treasury Hall of the building.
“For us it is very important to teach them to read, that’s why we do this,” said the wife of the Mexican president and writer Beatriz Gutiérrez Müller. She also pointed out that for four years she has supported the President “taking this party to the states of the Republic”, where the idea is to read aloud, alternated with music, dances, oratorical pieces and more.
The Fandangos for Reading are part of the national reading strategy of the Mexican government, the president’s wife said that it is a celebration dedicated to young people, so that they know that “books are not strange but valuable objects.”
He explained that these activities began a year ago with a guest country, precisely in Tijuana in April 2022, with the United States present. “Today he returns with headquarters in Mexico City in the framework of the Summit of Leaders of the North.”
He added that they want to transform the consciences of young people with these initiatives: “We want to express to everyone that reading is an act of invaluable linguistic beauty, the accents, the emphasis, the tones are like music. This plurality of voices is a reflection of our societies, at the same time we aim at learning, books, particularly those of literature, tell stories, allow us to imagine, increase fantasy, are allies in the knowledge of other cultures and times, of heroes , historical facts or simply the art of feeling of an author about his way of seeing life through poetry”.
Gutiérrez Müller told her counterpart: “As a (university) teacher that she is, I am very sure that it is a pleasant experience that she will take back to her country.” She affirmed that both have done chemistry from the beginning, since they love teaching, languages, conversing with others, teaching and learning.
For her part, Jill Biden, First Lady of the United States, assured that since the visit that Gutiérrez Müller made to her country, she was able to realize that they had a lot in common, that the friendship grew from those interests they share, and she was grateful for her visit to Mexico. “something so special”. She said she shared the vision that “art is something powerful that can unite us across time and space, across languages and borders. They show us that our differences are something to appreciate and the similarities are endless.”
Mrs. Biden emphasized that both countries believe in freedom of expression, religion, and the press, as the foundation of democracy and that the voice of the people cannot be silenced, that the family is what makes us a complete and that love allows us to build a better world.
He also spoke to the young people present, “I see the future in students like you, full of talent and creativity with great ideas,” he added that he hopes that the youth will be inspired to continue reading and “more than anything, tell their own story.” .
public reading
The Fandangos for Reading are cultural events created in this six-year term in which readings are made aloud, sometimes accompanied by workshops and music. Its objective is to highlight the literary production of some regions of Mexico and sister countries. These are carried out in different parts of the Mexican Republic with the assistance of high school and high school students.
On this occasion, the selection of poems wanted to highlight the cultural and historical relationship between Mexico and the United States, for this reason there were readings in English, Spanish, Purépecha, Mixtec and Nahuatl.
Gutiérrez Müller said that “there is no greater desire of a writer than to be read. Author and reader interpenetrate and dialogue, enrich each other and give life to each other”, hence these calls for public reading.
In this way, poems by the honored writer, Rubén Bonifaz Nuño, were shared ten years after his death. Poems by Ada Limón, Nadia López, a speaker of the Mixtec language, and Rubí Huerta, a speaker of the Purépecha language, who were present to read their own poems, were also read. Other guests were the actor Daniel Jiménez Cacho and Marisol Hernández, vocalist of the band Santa Cecilia.
The event was also attended by Alejandra Frausto, Secretary of Culture, and Leticia Ramírez Amaya, Secretary of Education, who also gave readings in English. In addition, the Amalia Hernández Ballet and the mariachi from the Ministry of National Defense were presented.
