HAVANA, Cuba, Feb 13 (ACN) The 33rd Havana International Book Fair (FILH) begins today with the presentation of more than 1,300 new publications in physical and digital format.
The opening ceremony, scheduled to take place at the San Carlos de La Cabaña Military Fortress, will be especially attended by the Republic of South Africa, this year’s Guest of Honor, and by Cuban writers and researchers Francisca López Civeira and Virgilio López Lemus, to whom the event is dedicated.
Juan Rodríguez Cabrera, president of the Cuban Book Institute and of the FILH Organizing Committee, said that a new feature of the event―the brainchild of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz―will be the sale of a first batch of texts from the People's Library with classic works of Cuban and foreign literature, which reflects the government's will to encourage reading among the Cubans despite the current difficulties.
More than 40 countries and around 400 foreign guests from Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe and Africa are expected to attend the FILH.
“Cuba remains committed to keep making the best of its available to the people, as evidenced by an event like this Fair, regardless of our economic problems”, he pointed out.
On her end, Yvonne Nkwenkwezi Phosa, South African ambassador to Cuba, stressed that her country is honored to have been invited to the island's biggest literary event, a fact that reinforces the ties forged by Fidel and former President Nelson Mandela three decades ago.
The South African delegation, headed by Bertha Peace Mabe, deputy of the Ministry of Sports, Arts and Culture, includes 15 renowned authors from that country.
