The Sala Nicolás Guillén of the San Carlos de la Cabaña Fortress hosted the official inauguration of the 24th edition of Cuba’s International Book Fair (FIL) yesterday afternoon, which opens its doors to the public today and will continue in Havana until February 22 before a tour of the other provinces of the island.
The opening ceremony of the country’s biggest annual cultural event was attended by the First Vice President of the Councils of State and Ministers, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez; Esteban Lazo, president of the National Assembly of People's Power; Mercedes López Acea, vice president of the Council of State and first secretary of the Party in Havana, all of whom are members of the Politburo; Roberto Montesinos, head of Department of the Central Committee; Julián González Toledo, Minister of Culture; Abel Prieto and José Ramón Fernández, advisers to the Cuban President; Miguel Barnet, president of the National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba; the Ambassador of India in our country, C. Rajasekhar; the heroes Antonio Guerrero, Gerardo Hernández and Ramón Labañino; as well as writers, editors, artists and Cuban and foreign intellectuals.
“It is a great honor for India to be the first Asian country invited to the Book Fair, with the participation of intellectuals from 35 nations,” Ravindra Singh, Indian Secretary of State for Culture stated on behalf of his country.
“During the Fair Cubans will interact with the cultural diversity of India,” the official added, noting that 13 Indian publishers will attend the event and that 100,000 copies of 27 titles of classic Indian literature in Spanish will be on offer.
“The Fair reaffirms its openness to intercultural dialogue,” Zuleika Romay, president of the Cuban Book Institute and the FIL Organising Committee stated, whose words officially opened one of the largest literary events in Latin America.
Indian artists, publishers and intellectuals are attending this Fair to nourish our spirits with their ancestral knowledge, Romay later said, in reference to the cultural exchange with India. She expressed thanks not only for the presence of the delegation from the guest country of honor, but also for the participation of Antonio, Gerardo and Ramon.
Some 850 new publications and more than five million copies will be on offer to those attending the Fair, Romay added, which this year is dedicated to writers Olga Portuondo Zúñiga, National Social Sciences and Humanities Prize 2010 and Leonardo Acosta, National Prize for Literature 2006 and National Music Prize 2014.
In addition to sharing literature and gratitude, the opening ceremony featured performances from Indian folk dance group, Rajastan, saxophonist César López, guitarist Emilio Jesús Hernández and tributes dedicated to the work of Portuondo and Acosta.
Cuba´s International Book Fair opens today: http://en.granma.cu/cultura/2015-02-12/cubas-international-book-fair-opens-today
“Fidel es Fidel” photographic exhibition to feature at 24th edition of Cuba's International Book Fair: http://en.granma.cu/cultura/2015-02-11/fidel-es-fidel-photographic-exhibition-to-feature-at-24th-edition-of-cubas-international-book-fair
Havana ready for its International Book Fair: http://en.granma.cu/cultura/2015-02-05/havana-ready-for-its-international-book-fair
