"The difficult circumstances in which our country finds itself could not prevent the celebration of this special Fair, dedicated to the Centenary of its most faithful promoter, Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz," said Juan Rodríguez Cabrera, president of the Cuban Book Institute and of the Organizing Committee of the 34th Havana International Book Fair, at the event that marked the end of its first stage. The Fair will soon continue its journey through the rest of the country, concluding on September 6th in Santiago de Cuba.
Held in the Nicolás Guillén Hall, the closing ceremony was attended by Inés María Chapman, Deputy Prime Minister; Elier Ramírez, Deputy Head of the Ideological Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party; Alpidio Alonso, Minister of Culture; and Sergey Parjomenko, Chargé d'Affaires ad interim of the Russian Federation in Cuba.
In his remarks, Rodríguez Cabrera highlighted the extensive artistic and literary program, representative of its extraordinary culture, offered by the Russian Federation, the Guest of Honor at the Book Fair, which featured 33 countries from every continent. The fair included more than 1,500 academic and artistic events and showcased over 500 print and digital titles.
Parjomenko, on behalf of the Russian delegation, thanked the Fair's Organizing Committee for its support in carrying out the planned activities, within the context of the criminal economic, commercial, and financial blockade—and now the oil blockade—imposed by the United States on Cuba. He said that these had been days of intense work and many discoveries and encounters from which, it is hoped, other projects will emerge.
On this occasion, the winning stands, endorsed by the Cuban Association of Communicators, were announced. The Grand Prize went to the publishing house Letras Cubanas, which also won in the Graphic Design category; in Audiovisual, Ediciones ICAIC; in Digital Media, Editorial Verde Olivo; and in Public Relations, Gente Nueva with the Children's Pavilion.
Awards were also presented, among others, to the Guest of Honor and to the Línea y 18 Cultural Station, of the Fund for Cultural Assets. The closing ceremony was a grand affair. The renowned violinist Piotr Lundstrem considered his presence in Cuba a great honor and a tremendous joy, a place he had always dreamed of visiting. "Cuba has always been a symbol for us. Being here today is not just a formality. For me and for our delegation, it is a conscious decision and a position we have taken. Russia stands with Cuba and will continue to do so," he stated.
Following his remarks, and accompanied by pianist Vilma Garriga, he performed important works of classical music for an audience that gave him a standing ovation.
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