translated from Spanish: Guatemala opens the doors of its book fair honoring Chiapas

Guatemala.- The XVI edition of the International Book Fair of Guatemala, dedicated to the life and work of the Mayan poet K’iche’ Humberto Ak’abal, opened its doors on Thursday with the state of Chiapas as guest of honor. With an official event presided over by the Minister of Culture and Sports, Elder Suchite, in which the marimba group performed several themes, this meeting of readers was inaugurated in which the literary Ak’abal will receive a special tribute.

Dedicated to the life and work of the Mayan poet K’iche’ Humberto Ak’abal, who died at the age of 67 last January, the Filgua 2019 will focus its theme on the Chiapanec State, guest of honor on this occasion.
Books, authors, workshops, culture, gastronomy and Chiapas crafts will adorn the Guatemalan Book Fair, which will be developed under the spiritual mantle of the poet Ak’abal -the heir to the language of the gods, as he said.

A woman sits in front of portraits of writers Jane Austen and Humberto Ak’Abal during the opening of the XVI International Book Fair in Guatemala on Thursday. Efe.

In this mantle will also participate authors of international renown, such as the Spaniard Manuel Vilas with his celebrated “Ordesa”, or the Mexican Paco Ignacio Taibo II, the Ecuadorian María Fernanda Ampuero, the Chiapaneca Petrona de la Cruz and the Spanish Javier Santaolalla.La XVI edition of Filgua, which will take place from 11 to 21 July 2019 in the Forum Majadas (zone 11 of the capital), it will seek to break its own records again and add a total of 80,000 visitors, which already in 2018 totaled 65,000.
There will be 158 exhibition houses, 45 Chipas activities, 90 writers and academics from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Spain, United States, France, Israel, Mexico and Guatemala, as well as 18 musical activities.

A woman visits a post during the opening of the XVI International Book Fair of Guatemala. Efe.

Among them is Yojaira Chan, by Nawal Wuj, a publishing house, bookstore and factory that brings to this space books that seek to recover indigenous languages, teak furniture and local crafts, and vindicative and social works on the feeling of the original peoples and the discrimination it faces. Surrounded by toys and typical sweets, made with sesame and honey, Chan points out to EFE that walking through this space, from which the symbols of the nahuales of the ceiling hang, is like returning in time 40 or 50 years, to the roots of the ancestors.

A woman visits a post during the opening of the XVI International Book Fair of Guatemala. Efe.

And regaining interest in reading is the goal of Rayuela, the bookstore of Lisa Estrada, who carefully teaches the copies for the little ones, full of illustrations and fantasy. But it also highlights a special section. The “female empowerment”, where through reading girls are reminded that everything is possible and that they will be “whatever they want”. 

Original source in Spanish