Feria del Libro de Bogota
The 20th Annual Bogota Book Festival Holds Some Special Attractions
As UNESCO nominated World Book Capital City 2007, Bogota throws open its arms to all on April 19 for the city's 20th Annual Book Festival
Bogota often referred to as the Athens of South America due to its cultured and well read populace will be celebrating the 20th Feria del Libro - Book Festival - with extra vigour this year for two very good reasons.
The Book Festival will honour Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Colombia’s most famous living son, in this significant year, marking his 80th birthday, 40 years since the publication of 100 Years of Solitude and 25 years since his Nobel Prize for literature. Not to mention that from April 23 and coinciding nicely with the Book Festival event, Bogota has been awarded the distinguished title of World Book Capital City 2007 by UNESCO.
Inhabitants of the Colombian Capital are of course thrilled to be recognised in this fashion by UNESCO and to be following in the footsteps of other great cities such as Madrid, Alexandria, New Delhi, Montreal and actual Capital Turin.
Colombian Minister of Culture Elvira Cuervo de Jaramillo said of the Festival and the UNESCO distinction:
"The sole motive we have is that people read more."
Since the event was established in Bogota in 1988 it has gone from strength to strength and this year more than 95 per cent of all Colombian Editorial industries will be participating. Organisers are expecting an estimated 300,000 visitors in the 13 day period from April 19 to May 1, with over 500 coming from overseas in particular from the Andean region, Central America, the Caribbean and the US.
Certainly there will be a great deal of literary treats to feast on with more than 100,000 titles on display in 15,000 square meters of exhibits placed by 500 exhibitors and as Chile is the guest country at this affair, there will obviously be a strong influence from the Andean nation, birthplace of Pablo Neruda and Isabel Allende. Bogota will also be graced by Chile's President Michelle Bachelet, coming to the Festival's inauguration along with the Chilean Minster of Culture and many authors and poets from that country.
In addition to this, in order to appropriately honour Gabriel Garcia Marquez, there will be four exhibits displaying various facets of his life and work and including editions that make up his personal library, showings of documentaries, films and interviews.
In spite of having one of the poorest literacy rates in the third world, Colombia boasts some of the highest library attendances. According to reports the average Colombian reads 1,6 books per year while the famed Luis Arango Angel library in Bogotá’s Candelaria district receives a staggering 7000 daily visits and in 2006, 2,200,000 in total. Since 1999 is the world’s most attended library with visitors numbering greater than those to the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the New York Public Library and the British Library.
For further information see www.feriadellibro.com
