The vice president of ColombiaFrancia Márquez, will lead the delegation of her country at the opening of the Havana International Book Fairwhich will have the South American nation as a guest of honor.
The fair, whose 31st edition will begin on February 9 and will last 10 days, will have an important Colombian delegation, which also includes the Minister of Culture Patricia Ariza, along with writers, artists, intellectuals, and promoters.
This was confirmed this Thursday by José Noé Ríos, Colombian ambassador to the island, who stressed that his country has wanted to give “the greatest importance” to the literary event and thanked the Cuban authorities for the invitation.
The diplomat explained that Márquez and Ariza —who is a playwright, actress, poet and plastic artist— will not only participate in the official opening of the fair, where they will speak, but will also participate in conversations and panels as part of the event.
The program dedicated to Colombia also includes book presentations, film screenings and talks on culture and the current situation in the country, including the “total peace” policy defended by the government of President Gustavo Petro.
In this sense, Lucía González, a member of the Truth Commission, will speak about what happened in the more than 60 years of internal armed conflict in the country, explained Ríos.
Among the guest country writers announced for the fair are figures such as Laura Restrepo, Celso Román, José Luis Díaz Granados, José Zuleta Ortiz and Juan Manuel Roca. Similarly, the work of the famous writer Gabriel García Márquez will be remembered, who was highlighted at the press conference as a “great friend of Cuba.”
In addition, Colombian decimeros will deal with the word in front of Cuban sudden poets, and the National Theater, in Havana, will host the artistic gala dedicated to Colombia on the 10th.
The International Book Fair will once again have the Morro-Cabaña military historical complex and the historic center of the Cuban capital as its main venues. In addition, another dozen institutions will serve as sub-venues, including the Casa de las Américas, the Dulce María Loynaz Center, the National Library and the Hispanic-American Center for Culture.
As reported to the press by the organizers, the maximum literary event on the island will be attended by 120 exhibitors from at least 40 nations and some 4,200 titles will be presented, of which around 1,300 in digital format.
On this occasion, the event will be dedicated to the centenaries of the poet Fina García Marruz (1923-2022) and the scientist and writer Antonio Núñez Jiménez (1923-1998), as well as the bibliographer Araceli García Carranza and the novelist Julio Travieso Serrano, National Literature Award 2021.
After the closing of the fair in Havana, it will continue in the rest of the island until it comes to an end on March 19 in the city of Santiago de Cuba.
EFE / OnCuba
