Over 360,000 people attended the 20th International Book Fair on its first stage, which ended on Sunday in Havana, the capital venue of this event

President of the Cuban Book Institute (ICL) Zuleica Romay reported at the closing of the event, held at the Nicolás Guillén Hall at the San Carlos de la Cabaña Fort,  that more than 700,000 books were sold at the Fair. It is an incredible figure, said the president, if taking into account since October, in 2010 some of the books were being offered at many bookstores.

Zuleica noted that during the eleven days an intense and varied cultural-literary - scientific program was developed in the capital sub-venues, which covered most of the artistic expressions and was expanded to ten other venues in Vedado neighborhood and some other places such as the Infanta cinema, the Great Theater of Havana, the Almendares Park, among others.

She said that those institutions contributed a lot according to their respective profiles and made all kind of options possible both for national and international visitors.

Among the qualitative aspects at this edition, Zuleica mentioned a better relationship between the organizers and the public, the book sellers and other specialists mainly students mainly from the Arts and Letters Faculty of the University of Havana, who exchanged with the assistants, they advised them and made them some attractive suggestions.

She highlighted the contribution made by some institutions such as the Pabellón Cuba - a place conceived mainly for young people due to its dynamism and services it offers-, the ALBA (Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas) Cultural Center – an expression of solidarity to join Latin America and Caribbean peoples- , and Casa de Las Americas Cultural Center, a host per excellence for writers and artists visitors from Latin America.

Zuleica also praised the work carried out by UNEAC (the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba) as the sponsor of the Forum “Poets Voices against Nuclear War”, which extolled the art in correspondence with the current circumstances of the humanity and applied at all levels.

She said that to extend future editions to other spaces in Morro-Cabaña Park is advisable and informed that from February 23rd through 27th the International Book Fair to be held in Pinar del Rio, Isla de la Juventud, Matanzas and Sancti Spiritus provinces, and later in La Isla de la Juventud, until March 6th.

A jury presided over by writer Reinaldo González, presented the awards for best stand to Ediciones Union (Union Editions) - in the modular category- , Ediciones Vigia (Vigia Editions) was second and Capitan San Luis publishing house third.

Among the non-modular categories, the Cuban Institute of Radio and Television (ICRT) won the first place and an honorable mention was given to the exhibition by the Bolivarian Alternative for the Peoples of Our Americas (ALBA).

Homer Acosta, secretary of the Council of State, Rafael Bernal, deputy minister of culture and Frei Betto, a Brazilian theologian and writer, and a top representative of Theology of Liberation, among other personalities.

The event was attended Homer Acosta, secretary of the State Council, Rafael Bernal, Deputy Minister of Culture and Frei Betto, a Brazilian theologian and writer, one of the leading exponents of Liberation Theology, among others.

A translation by: Silke Paez Carr

!joomlacomment 4.0 Copyright (C) 2009 Compojoom.com . All rights reserved."