Noticias
As a guest country of honor
Mexico participates at the Lima International Book Fair 2017
May 22, 2017Migration, native languages and the historical relationship between Mexico and Peru will be the main themes that Mexico will develop as Guest Country of Honor at the Lima International Book Fair 2017, starting on July 21st until August 6th, which will be attended by a delegation of 30 Mexican writers, reading promoters, illustrators, researchers and journalists.
The secretary of Culture, María Cristina García Cepeda and the Ambassador of Peru in Mexico, Julio Garro Gálvez, presented the details of this 22nd edition, which annually receives over half a million visitors and whose next edition will showcase more than 10,000 Mexican books.
María Cristina García Cepeda said that Mexico supports 40 book fairs and during 2016, over 2,000 book and reading promotion activities were carried out, including reading rooms, conferences, workshops, storytelling and events that benefited over 2.200.000 people.
The head of Culture of the Government of the Republic said that Mexico has the largest library network in Latin America, which covers 93% of the national territory, in addition to the Salas de Lectura program (Reading Rooms Program), which will be one of the themes to be developed at this fair by both Peruvian and Mexican specialists in order to analyze the possibility of reaching the communities of that country.
María Cristina García Cepeda added that culture is our ambassador and the Lima International Book Fair will show the great face of Mexico with the editorial offer of both the Department of Culture and El Colegio de México, the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM, for its acronym in Spanish), the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO, for its acronym in Spanish), the Center for Economic Research and Teaching (CIDE, for its acronym in Spanish) and private publishing groups.
Mexico's program of activities will include movies, art shows, exhibitions and cultural conversations about the wealth of the two countries.
Peru's ambassador, Julio Garro Gálvez, said that for this year the Lima Book Fair expects to surpass 600,000 visitors and promote with its offer the emergence of new literary voices that define the local identity, while at the same time renew the old ties between both countries, which date back from the Golden Age literature and later to the Latin American literary boom, as well as the uninterrupted generational exchange between academics and specialists.
The diplomat said that the Lima International Book Fair is an inclusive event that supports the promotion of culture in its most important issue: reading, so for 15 days the Peruvians will be able to enjoy the best of Mexico’s book offer in numerous places of Lima, reinforcing this way the mutual knowledge between the new searches and thematic that our authors deal with.
Meanwhile, the general director of Publications of the Department of Culture, Marina Núñez Bespalova said that in this fair, the literary program will include specialists in original languages, as well as textile exhibitions, pottery and a film series with 12 Mexican films that have the migration as a common theme, for example Babel, by Alejandro González Iñárritu.
Mexico, she said, will participate in the International Publishers and Booksellers meeting and the Second International Forum on Cultural Policies, where the table Peru-Mexico: Cultural Policies will address the promotion of reading in indigenous languages, in addition to working with Peruvian publishers different cultural programs to spread Mexican literature in plazas, markets, cultural centers and public spaces with the help of writers from that country.
With the presence of writers such as Alberto Chimal, Guillermo Arriaga, Juan Villoro, Margo Glantz, Paco Ignacio Taibo II, Myriam Moscona, Mónica Lavín, María Baranda, Marco Antonio Campos and Fabio Morabito, among others, there will also be tributes to Juan Rulfo, in the centenary of his birth, with three tables of analysis of his work, and to Elena Poniatowska for her 85 years of life.
The program will include José Manuel Mateo’s and Natalia Toledo’s interventions to address the issues of migration and national languages. The promoter Paloma Saiz will address the theme: To read in freedom and Armando Alanís will share his experience in Acción poética.
In the section of Archeology and dissemination of science, the fair will have the presence of Eduardo Matos Moctezuma that will deal with the pre-Hispanic history of our country. Also, Mexico will participate in the Second Encounter of Illustrators with the representation of two important figures of this specialty: Juan Palomino and Juan Gedovius.
The University of the Pacific, one of the most important in Peru will present the exhibition Pintacuentos. Contemporary Mexican illustration for children, in addition to an example of the National Contest Let's Invite to Read, which started at the International Children and Youth Book Fair.
Germán Coronado, president of the Peruvian Chamber of the Book, said that in his country 7,000 titles are published annually after the promulgation of the Book Law and for that reason, Mexico’s visit has provoked much expectation, as our country is one of the most important publishing markets in Latin America.
Ernesto Campos Tenorio, Mexico's ambassador to Peru, finally said that the relationship between the two countries continues to be strengthened by numerous initiatives such as the recent exhibition Orozco, Rivera and Siqueiros. Mexican Modernity 1910-1960 in Lima, which had 30,000 attendees. With Mexico also included, the coincidences that unite us at cultural, social and historical level will be further promoted.
Mexico,Distrito Federal
