Noticias
"Becoming the world mirror of the new digital era"
The International Children and Youth Book Fair will start a new period at Parque Bicentenario
August 18, 2016The International Children and Youth Book Fair (FILIJ, for its acronym in Spanish) will start a new period at Parque Bicentenario, the third venue since its beginning 36 years ago, to present with Germany and Colima, as country and state of honor, an extensive program of activities with four pillars: Culture of inclusion, Urban culture, Environmental culture and Science, hoping to capture up to 500,000 visitors and a 30% increase in the participating exhibitors.
Secretary of Culture, Rafael Tovar y de Teresa, said that Parque Bicentenario will be a place which will give continuity to this fair that has become a cultural tradition for our country and will ensure that transversal and conciliatory sense of culture that is one of Mexico’s cultural policies priorities, where today over 70% of the population is connected via digital networks.
It was considered that making the presentation of the FILIJ in August, which has been defined as the Month of Youth, it was the ideal place to publish the offer of this meeting which among its important public has this part of the population.
Rafael Tovar y de Teresa recalled that 36 years ago the FILIJ began its activities at the National Auditorium when there was no Internet and later, in 1994, at the National Center of Arts, where over 411,000 people visited it last year, being, with its multiplicity of events, at the level of other fairs like Bologna, even above this one which is focused on buying and selling of rights, while Mexico's fair is an invitation to live the experience of reading and book promotion, becoming the world mirror of a new era of cultural social demand in the digital time.
He noted that within the cultural policy of the current administration, and as part of the Programa de Fomento a la Lectura (Promotion of Reading Program), the 36th International Children and Youth Book Fair will take place.
“Regarding the presence of Germany and Colima in FILIJ, we would be able to know German authors’ creativity, as well as the tradition of a state with one of the most important heritage of our country”, he said.
Governor of Colima, José Ignacio Peralta, considered one of the highest honors that his state, cradle of literary archetypes as Comala by Juan Rulfo, participates in the FILIJ, being the first State Guest of Honor, which will allow to reinforce its traditions and culture as a federal entity, in addition to show the promotion of literary activities.
German Ambassador, Viktor Elbling said that this participation in the FILIJ is one of the pillars of the activities of the Mexico-Germany Dual Year, because it will show to authors, the publishers and the universe of the book that has developed in their nation through decades and centuries.
He said that one of the very attractive exhibitions will be the cartographic collection Around the World in 70 maps, from the International Youth Library of Munich; LOOK! the German exhibition of illustrators, whose exponents have crossed borders with its esthetic concepts, plus the books in original language to be presented in the German Pavilion, being Mexico one of the countries with highest demand to learn that language.
"The relationship between Mexico and Germany is defined by its culture and its books, so the presence of Germany in the International Children and Youth Book Fair sows seeds for the future between the two countries”, German Ambassador to Mexico said.
Marina Núñez, General Director of Publications of the Department of Culture (DGP, for its acronym in Spanish), said that this FILIJ new edition represents a new fair with different needs that frame another stage with more space to reach a minimum of 500,000 visitors and receive up to 50,000 students each year, in addition to 30 new spaces for exhibitors, totaling now 157 of them on five hectares to be used.
The head of DGP also noted that over 300 schools are in the area of Parque Bicentenario, so it will be a cultural center of great attraction for the public and the national publisher offer growing the number of exhibitors. He thanked the support and facilities provided by the head and the authorities of the Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat, for its acronym in Spanish), responsible for the care and preservation of the FILIJ new place.
“One of the benefits of being in Parque Bicentenario will be the setting of each space of the FILIJ to develop themes such as this year they are regulating the program of the fair which are inclusion, urban, environmental cultures and science, as well as the captive audience of the park that will be a great starting point for this new period”.
The director of the Goethe Institute, Reinhard Maiworn considered that in a context made up of children and young people as the FILIJ is, it is one of the best places to make the various cultures known, which in the case of Germany results in exhibitions, literary activities, gatherings, talks, master classes for publishers and especially, an offer books that represents a long-term link between cultures.
Mexico,Distrito Federal
