Noticias
From July 21st to August 6th
FIL Lima opens with Mexico as guest country of honor
July 21, 2017With the presence of Mexico as a Guest Country of Honor, the inauguration of the 22nd Lima International Book Fair took place, which opened a new stage in the two decades of life of the Peru’s greatest cultural event. A vast program will take the streets of the Peruvian capital, to show the work of promoting reading that is done in our country in collaboration with civil society.
"It’s an honor to share that, for the first time in the history of this fair, the Guest Country will take beyond this area, to several places, the activities of development and promotion of reading. For Mexico, it’s a joy to share our experiences with the communities and to enrich ourselves with Peruvian experiences”, said María Cristina García Cepeda, Secretary of Culture, at the opening ceremony of FIL Lima 2017, which was also chaired by Luis Videgaray, Secretary of Foreign Affairs the Secretary of Culture of Peru, Salvador del Solar and Germán Coronado, president of the Peruvian Book Chamber (CPL, for its acronym in Spanish) and organizer of FIL Lima, among others.
"We will arrive at Lima’s public squares, libraries and cultural centers to show the work of the Salas de Lectura (Reading Rooms), a program with which in Mexico we sow the seed that grows in books and germinates in new readers. The communities of my country have made this program from the Department of Culture theirs and thousands of volunteer citizens collaborate generously and tirelessly to promote reading throughout the country. Today this program reaches Peru, accompanied by two valuable initiatives equally committed to their communities. Universo de Letras is a program of the UNAM and the civil association Para leer en libertad (To read in freedom). I am sure that these actions, in dialogue with Peruvian and Mexican specialists, will enrich the common goal of creating readers”, said the secretary.
María Cristina García Cepeda said that Mexico's presence in Peru, which brings together the efforts of various cultural and higher education institutions such as the Fund for Economic Culture (FCE, for its acronym in Spanish), the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and El Colegio Nacional, among others, responds to the commitment of the Mexican Government with the spread of their culture beyond our borders; "with the determination to preserve and promote the heritage and cultural diversity of the country and strengthen dialogue and agreement with the world through culture”.
Mexico’s Department of Culture strengthens this bond with Latin America, builds a bridge of mutual knowledge based on culture and books, these objects that have accompanied us in history, stages of imagination, desire for knowledge, freedom of expression and critical reflection”, she said in a brief explanation of the program prepared by the Mexican delegation. The program includes the participation of 28 Mexican writers: Juan Villoro, Margo Glantz, Myriam Moscona and Benito Taibo, among others, the exhibition of nearly 10,000 copies of over 60 publishers and around 130 literary, academic and artistic activities.
Garcia Cepeda said on Thursday morning, in an act that shows the will to strengthen the brotherhood between both nations that 168 archaeological and historical pieces that were illegally removed from its territory were recovered and restored to the Peruvian heritage by the Mexican government. "This action celebrates fraternity and the commitment of collaboration between sister countries and cultures such as Mexico and Peru”.
Meanwhile, Luis Videgaray said that in an era where technology, "the speed of social networks, the dictatorship of 140 characters, the ephemeral and banal to react with a like and go to the following, the promotion of reading today is more than ever a deeply liberating act. If language is what defines and nurtures the conscience, reading in a paper book represents its greatest joy: reading on paper means to be sensible human beings.
After praising the work of those who make possible the approach of the new generations with the books, the secretary of Foreign Affairs said that "for those of us who believe in the liberating power of language and speech, the book is today more than ever our main element of defense and conquest, conquest of freedom”.
Marcial Rubio Correa, Rector of the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, pointed out that Mexico and the Peruvian nation have a very old similarity, "we have been two great cultures that have been able to transform and develop," and said that "Mexico has been one of the lights of Latin America in terms of books”, so he invited Peruvians to take advantage of the opportunity to enjoy their literature and other manifestations of their culture that will be present at FIL Lima from July 21st to August 6th.
For his part, Germán Coronado highlighted the role that Mexico will play in this edition of the fair in Lima, which, although it is one of the youngest in Latin America, now in its 22nd edition "we can say that it lives up to the great Ibero-American book fairs”. For 17 days FIL Lima will have over 800 activities for the public of all ages, including book presentations, reflection tables, talks, recitals of poetry, music, dance and movie shows, he informed.
After the ceremony, the Pavilion of Mexico was inaugurated with the participation of the group Jóvenes Zapateadores of Ernesto Luna Ramírez and the group Son Luna, who played Veracruz sones.
Prior to the opening, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the Department of Culture of Peru and the Department of Culture of Mexico to exchange content between the digital platforms Libros México and Peru Lee.
Mexico,Distrito Federal
